State Buddhist Assemblies in Goryeo (1140s)

Timeline

1. 1140–1146Kaesong royal palace · GoryeoDuring King Injong's reign (1122–1146), the court regularly held the Lantern Festival (on the fifteenth of the first month) and the Pagwan Festival (in midwinter), the two great state Buddhist holidays. The king led the court in setting up lantern towers in the palace grounds and holding assemblies with music and dance to pray for peace, prosperity, and the king's longevity, reflecting Buddhism's status as the core of state ideology.
2. 1143Kaesong royal palace · GoryeoIn the eleventh month of Injong's twenty-first year (1143), the court held the Inwang Prajna hundred-seat assembly (Inwang Baegogwahoe) in the palace, inviting one hundred eminent monks to chant the Inwang Prajna Sutra, invoking prajna wisdom to protect the peace of the nation. This was one of the most important state-level Buddhist gatherings in Goryeo and was held regularly by custom during Injong's reign.
3. 1147–1149Kaesong · GoryeoAfter Injong's death in 1146, Uijong acceded and continued to consolidate royal power through state Buddhist rituals. In his first year (1147) he held an Inwang Prajna hundred-seat assembly and maintained regular rituals such as the Lantern and Pagwan festivals. Monks remained advisers at court, and the state assembly system operated stably through the end of the 1140s.