silla unification

Koguryo: northern kingdom of the three kingdoms of Korea

Paekche: western kingdom of the three kingdoms of Korea. 

• Rise of ambitions in 660 CE, threatened Silla kingdom upsetting the balance of power

Silla: southern kingdom of the three kingdoms of Korea

• Appealed to the Koguryo to form an alliance against Paekche but refused

• No choice but to turn to China for assistance 

  • Reluctance to form this alliance due to China’s imperialist ambitions

Tang-Silla Alliance

• Took advantage of the weakness of Korean states, influenced by imperialist ambitions of China. 

• Ties with China linked Korea with Eurasia

• First-hand exposure to Chinese centralized bureaucracy 

  • Chancellery bypassing powerful families, methods of provincial management

• Erosion of aristocratic power in favor of centralized monarchy.

Tributary relations with Tang

• Korea was politically and culturally unified under China

• Engaged with China from a position of strength rather than vulnerability

• Tributary state to China, symbiotic role, bowing down to the Chinese emperor while still enjoying independence. 

Martyrdom of Icha-don: prediction before his decapitation served as a turning point for Buddhism in Korea, Buddhism established in the Silla court.

Sokkuram: Man-made cave temple dedicated to the Buddha.

• Interior layout depicting the hierarchical progression to the central figure of Buddha

• Honoring Buddha offered the Silla state cosmopolitan credentials

• Temple details → mathematical perfection and meticulous balance and symmetry in layout

• Cultural synthesis of Buddha and Bodhisattvas  

“International” sangha: Buddhist missionaries and Hindu gods

“Three-dimensional mandala”: imagined as a spiritual force-field to protect the state, each architectural element is a microcosm of the whole 

Monarch as chakravartin: The ruler promotes Buddhism throughout the Kingdom. The monarch protects Buddhism and Buddhism will protect the kingdom.