Historical Origin and Evolution of Late-Joseon Perceptions on the Miraculous Perspiration of Buddhist Statues

This paper analyses historical documents from ancient China through to Korea's Choson Dynasty, seeking to understand why the Veritable Records of the Choson Dynasty predominantly documented instances of perspiration in Buddhist statues, often overlooking other types of miraculous phenomena associated with them. In China, records documenting the perspiration of Buddhist statues have existed since at least the 7th century. The perspiration of these statues was commonly regarded as a significant omen, foretelling calamities such as wars and the downfall of dynasties. A similar perception of sweating in Buddhist statues was evident during the late Koryo period, as corroborated by a poem from Yi Saek $S (1328-1396), featured in Mokun chip ft BUI, as well as by Yi Kyubo's $if?B (1168-1241) "Organized Miracle Records of the Sixteen-foot Golden Statue at Wangryunsa" (Hi#5tr\ifci&SMWl$nn). Given that Buddhism was the state ideology of the Koryo dynasty, Buddhist statues known for perspiration were venerated as state-protection statues, serving as early harbingers of impending calamities for the country. With the change of dynasty and the adoption of Confucianism as the political ideology during the Choson period, the perspiration of Buddhist statues began to be perceived as chaei i J&, or a portent, signifying improper governance by the ruler. However, the transition in perception from a Buddhist miracle to a Confucian portent was not smooth, leading to debates among court officials who advanced conflicting arguments on how to respond to reports of perspiring Buddha statues. Nonetheless, since portents in the Confucian worldview were considered important clues to understanding the movement of ch'onmyong ^Cnp, or the Mandate of Heaven, a considerable number of reports on perspiring Buddhist statues were included in the Veritable Records of the Choson Dynasty until the early 18th century. The notion that the perspiration of a Buddhist statue predicts national calamities continues in modern and contemporary Korea, as evidenced by Yi Nunghwa's Choson Pulgyo t'ongsa and various news reports.