‘평상심시도’에 대한 종밀의 비판에 대한 비판 -『강서마조도일선사어록』을 중심으로

Abstract

The phrase ‘Ordinary Mind as the Way’ 平常心是道 (pingchangxin shi dao), which is still well known, is an ideological expression symbolizing the Mazu 馬祖 (709-788) School, which had been active in the Hongzhou 洪州 area of China. This phrase means that ‘the mind of everyday living is dao 道 (truth) as it is;’ therefore, it contains the positive message of telling people to not to try and find the dao outside of everyday life. However, there is a criticism that the phrase has a contradiction because if the mind of everyday living is dao, the secular life full of agony becomes dao as a whole. Such critical views have been espoused by Zongmi 宗密 (780-841), and can also be found in the criticism on Zen Buddhism by Zhuxi 朱熹 (1130-1200) of Song 宋. This view also became a core logic in the criticism of Buddhism by Confucian scholars during the end of the Goryeo Dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty. This article is a critical contemplation on Zongmi's critique by exploring what the meaning of ‘pingchangxin shi da’ is and critically evaluating whether Zongmi’s critique is valid or not.