In this paper, I will examine the use of vocal music called ¡°s?onp?opka¡± in the Hanmaum Seonwon, Korea. ¡°S?onp?opka,¡± which literally means ¡°a song of Zen teaching,¡± was introduced by Venerable Daehaeng, the bhiksuni founder of the Hanmaum Seonwon. While these songs serve primarily as a means of practice, it also proves to be an effective way of cross-cultural communication and understanding between Korean and international members of the Hanmaum Seonwon. This was clearly shown by a gr oup of ethnic Germans from the Hambourg branch of the Hanmaum Seonwon who practiced s?onp?opka and participated in a special benefit concert for liver-cancer patients which was held in Seoul, Korea in November, 2004.

My presentation consists of four parts. I will first define ¡°s?onp?opka¡± by distinguishing it from two other well-known Buddhist music genres in Korea today: ¡°p?omp¡�Pae¡± and ¡°ch¡�Panpulka.¡± The former is long and elaborate music performed by a small group of monks who received a special training. While ¡°p?omp¡�Pae¡± is an ancient ritual art, ¡°ch¡�Panpulga¡± is a modern form of music whose contents, as the term indicates, glorify the Buddha. Unlike ¡°ch¡�Panpulga,¡± ¡°s?onp?opka¡± is not a panegyric.

After defining ¡°s?onp?opka,¡± I will explain its composition processes. In general, the lyrics of these songs are derived from ¡°kesong,¡± Buddhist verse by monks and nuns. Many of s?onp?opka pieces currently used were based on Venerable Dahaeng’s ¡°kesong,¡± and their melodies were composed by various musicians.

In the third section of my paper, I will discuss the functions and effects of ¡°s?onp?opka¡± from various perspectives. Based on a series of interviews with both lay and ordained members of the Hanmaum Seonwon, I will describe how this music helps individuals in their day-to-day practice. Moreover, I will also examine the ways in which this music helps establish ties of trust and friendship among the members of the temple who come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Finally, I will present clips from the benefit concert held in 2004, showing the positive results of Venerable Daehaeng’s endeavor to modernize and globalize Buddhism through music.