This thesis aims to provide a multi-layered analysis of the Sarira Stupa (舍利塔) of Hoeamsa Temple (檜巖寺), constructed under the patronage of Grand Prince Hyoryeong (孝寧大君) during the reign of King Sejo (世祖, r. 1455–1468), by examining the dynamic interplay among royal authority, Buddhism, and material culture in 15th-century Joseon. Drawing on a close reading of Yeorae Hyeonsanggi (如來現相記) alongside a wide range of contemporaneous textual sources, this study reconstructs a sequential process encompassing the orchestration of the sarira incarnation led by Grand Prince Hyoryeong, the construction of the stupa to enshrine the newly obtained Fēnshēn sarira (分身舍利, sarira created by fervent prayer), and the subsequent promotion of the Buddhist miracle (祥瑞) manifested after the stupa’s completion. Through this analysis, the thesis empirically elucidates the political meanings embedded within the Sarira Stupa of Hoeamsa Temple. The construction of the Sarira Stupa of Hoeamsa Temple was intrinsically linked to his governing policy, which sought to maximize the role of Buddhism to establish absolute monarchy and compensate for his lack of political legitimacy following his usurpation of the throne. Specifically, this stupa functioned as a political symbol within a sequential context where King Sejo strategically utilized Buddhist miracle and sarira faith—in close collaboration with Grand Prince Hyoryeong, the highest-ranking member of the royal clan and a devout Buddhist—to construct and visualize the sanctity and transcendence of his kingship. In essence, the Sarira Stupa of Hoeamsa Temple was a monumental structure formed through the multi-layered convergence of religious miracles, the proactive support of Grand Prince Hyoryeong, and King Sejo’s strategic vision for absolute royal authority. Accordingly, the Sarira Stupa of Hoeamsa temple serves as a condensed indicator of the political and ideological order of King Sejo’s reign, in which Buddhism interacted organically with royal authority and thereby maximized its ideological function. Furthermore, this monument constitutes decisive material evidence that moves beyond conventional schematic interpretations of 15th-century Joseon society—often framed in terms of the monolithic dominance of Confucian ideology or oscillations between pro- and anti-Buddhist policies shaped by individual royal inclinations—and instead invites a reappraisal of the period’s political and intellectual landscape as a multilayered and complex spectrum.
Jeonghyeok Ko (Wed,) studied this question.