Stylistic and Persuasive Strategies in Buddhist Exhortation Texts by Joseon Monks in the Late Joseon Period

This study examines the stylistic and rhetorical characteristics of Gwonsunmun (勸善文, Buddhist exhortatory texts) included in Seungnyeo Munjip (僧侶文集, Buddhist monastic anthologies) published in the late Joseon period. During this time, amid the devastation caused by war and natural disasters, the restoration of temples and the promotion of Bulsa (佛事, Buddhist public works) became pressing concerns for the Buddhist community. Gwonsunmun emerged as persuasive texts designed to solicit donations and justify the necessity of such religious endeavors. While these texts followed a relatively consistent structure—typically comprising the motive of the project, the sacred value of the target, exhortation to donors, and closing benedictions—they also reveal considerable variation depending on the author, recipient, and nature of the bulsa. Through a comprehensive survey of approximately 200 Gwonsunmun texts preserved in 35 monk-authored collections, this study analyzes how Buddhist doctrinal references, narrative persuasion, and rhetorical techniques such as dialogue and karmic analogies were mobilized to suit different audiences. In particular, texts authored by monks often go beyond mere requests for support, articulating the initiator’s spiritual intention and appealing to a sense of communal religious responsibility. Many of the authors were high-ranking monks actively involved in the actual execution of bulsa projects, and their writings reflect both personal literary agency and the institutional concerns of the Buddhist monastic community. This study argues that Gwonsunmun functioned not only as practical documents for religious fundraising but also as literary expressions that intertwined doctrinal conviction, lived religious practice, and collective engagement.