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Syncretism of Buddhism and Shamanism in Korea. By HYUN-KEY KIM HOGARTH. Edison and Seoul: Jimoondang International, 2002. xi, 420 pp. $ 39.00 (cloth).
Dr. Hyun-key Kim Hogarth is a prolific writer who has already published two books since publishing her Ph.D. in 1995. Syncretism of Buddhism and Shamanism in Korea is her third book. Considering the state of Korean studies, with its paucity of English-language books on Korean thought and religion and its considerable underrepresentation in contrast to its Japanese or Chinese counterparts, this book is a welcome addition to the field.
The book argues that Korean Buddhism and shamanism have developed in a close relationship, influencing each other, while at the same time retaining their idiosyncratic characteristics. Hogarth likens this relationship to branches grafted on to the same tree, an analogy repeated throughout the book. Hogarth's claim is made from the perspective of the anthropological discipline, based on the author's interviews and visits to temples of both religions. As attested to throughout its long history, Buddhism has been known for its tolerance toward other religions, particularly in its ability to incorporate shamanism and folk religions into its practice. The case of Korea provides ample evidence to support this notion.
The study of the process of Buddhist assimilation to Korea, Buddhism's relationship to shamanism, and its symbiotic existence with folk religion has been addressed by many excellent studies, including the work of Kim T'aegon and Yu Tongshik, coming from the perspective of shamanism, as well as the studies by Buddhologists such as the late Dongguk professor and the most respected scholar of Korean Buddhism, Ko Ikchin, in the 1960s and 1970s. Even as early as the colonial period, studies by Yi Nunghwa and Ch'oe Namson focused on the relationship between Buddhism and indigenous Korean religion.
Although Hogarth's work reflects a sufficient understanding of the previous scholarship on shamanism from Korea, her attention to Buddhist accounts is not quite as thorough. Her description of Buddhist doctrine and practices...