Restoration and Legitimacy of the Bhiksu Precept Lineages in the Late Joseon

A significant event in 19th-century Joseon Buddhism was the restoration of the bhiksu precept lineage. The ordination tradition was weakened in the Joseon period, as Buddhism failed to maintain a cultural, philosophical, and political mainstream position. Although monks were produced throughout the Joseon period, it is highly unlikely that they received complete ordination in accord with the traditional way. The revival of bhiksu ordination in the early 19th century, therefore, reflects Joseon monks’ attempts to re-establish their Buddhist identity. An interesting phenomenon of this attempt was that, although Master Daeeun Nango 大隱旿 (1780–1841) reinitiated the complete ordination and formed a precept lineage with some renowned monks in the early 19th century, several other monks, including Manha Seungnim 萬下勝林 (fl. late 19th century), formed new precept lineages in the same period following their travel to China for ordination. As indicated in the literature, Daeeun’s distinctive method of precept lineage restoration served as rationale for the emergence of later new precept lineages. This paper examines how Joseon samgha’s attempts to restore a precept lineage evolved throughout the 19th century, focusing on the historical and religious backgrounds of the formation of Daeeun’s and others’ precept lineages.