‘Those Ridiculous Monks’

Abstract

During the Qing Dynasty (1636–1911), Chosŏn Korean tributary envoys regularly sent to Beijing normally stopped for a few days en route in Mukden (Shenyang), the Qing’s secondary capital and the largest city in Manchuria. There they visited one of the local attractions, royal Tibetan Buddhist temples, particularly the Shishengsi, the largest monastery in the city. What drew the envoys to the royal temples? How did they interact with the Mongol lamas? What was their first impression of Tibetan Buddhism – a religion at once familiar and foreign to them? Using extensive records left by the Korean envoys (Yŏnhaengnok), this paper examines the under-studied historical encounter between Korean literati and Tibetan Buddhism. Although not always consistent, the understanding and misunderstanding that the Koreans had with the religion, I argue, reflects their rather complex political and cultural attitudes towards the Qing – a regime that, in the eyes of the Koreans, simultaneously represented China and non-China. The Manchu capital, Mukden, which was closely linked with both Beijing and the Inner Asian frontiers, provided a meeting ground for different ethnic groups, cultures and values in the late Imperial period. The episode demonstrates an initial interaction between East Asia and Inner Asia. Furthermore, by examining how information about Qing Inner Asian politics was filtered and (mis)understood by Koreans, the paper challenges the popular myth that more information naturally leads to comprehensive knowledge.