Intangible Culture ISSN:2799-3868(Print) 무형문화연구

This study explores the potential for utilizing Buddhist gasa (Buddhist vernacular verse) in Korean literary education, where its application is currently marginal, and aims to propose a design for healing literary education based on the implemented Buddhist concept of Samsara(輪迴) to contribute to the psychological well-being and holistic development of learners. Despite being created, transmitted, and enjoyed by temple members and the public from the Joseon Dynasty to the present, Buddhist gasa has been largely excluded from institutional education due to its religious origin and the dominance of a traditional ‘canonical’ perspective in classical literature curricula. This marginalization is partly due to the difficulty in proving its 'literary quality' according to traditional perspectives. However, Buddhism is a significant cultural asset in Korean society, extending beyond a mere religion. Its cyclical worldview, Samsara, or the principle of the cycle of life and death, offers a critical framework to address contemporary youth issues like depression, learned helplessness, conspicuous consumption, and anger. These problems are often exacerbated by a mentality that places absolute value on the present moment. By emphasizing the continuity of life across past, present, and future, the Samsara philosophy encourages a broader, transcendent perspective. This aligns with the Korean language curriculum's goals of cultivating learners’ capacities for respecting diverse values and collaboratively solving individual and community problems. To demonstrate this potential, the study focuses on Hoesimgok(回心曲), a representative Buddhist gasa. Hoesimgok vividly implements Samsara by depicting birth, aging, sickness, death, and the afterlife in the Courts of the Ten Kings. The text is characterized by detailed scene descriptions rather than direct instruction, reflecting and responding to the public's deep-seated interest in and fear of death. Its mass appeal was further enhanced by reflecting the audience's worldly desires, presenting rebirth in this world as a reward for good deeds alongside the ultimate goal of rebirth in Sukhavati(極樂往生). The study adopts W. Dilthey’s concept of ㄱetrospective Experience as a key pedagogical method, focusing on reconstructing the lives and social issues of the gasa's historical consumers. The proposed curriculum follows a three-stage process: 1) Self-Injection, understanding the social issues of commoners; 2) Imagination, reconstructing the popular sentiment and consciousness reflected in the gasa; and 3) Actualization, connecting these historical insights to one's own current problems to seek solutions. To ensure a lasting impact, a developmental model is proposed to connect secondary and higher education. Secondary education focuses on individual- centered learning (personal problems) using Nachleben, while higher education advances to collaboration-centered learning (social problems) by expanding the retrospective experience to include criticism and application of the text and its cultural context. This holistic approach, moving beyond the confines of canonical literature, seeks to create a flexible and comprehensive model for literary education that actively contributes to the lifelong healing and development of learners.