조계종의 종단개혁과 혜암성관(慧菴性觀)의 활동

Abstract

Hyeam Seonggwan (慧菴性觀), the most venerable master, led an exemplary life dedicated to Buddhist practice, so much so that he was called the Buddha of effort in Gaya Mt. Under Word-head (the point of a question) “What is this One-thing?”, he practiced “Sitting meditation without lying down (長座不臥)” and “One meal per day (一日一食),” and taught the public that they should “Do practice to die” This paper, however, examines the life of Hyeam Seonggwan as a reformer of Korean Buddhist orders, and not a Buddhist practitioner, contrary to existing studies on him that focus on the latter. In 1947, Hyeam Seonggwan joined the Bongam temple association, which was the organization for the Buddhist reform movement of the time, and was the driving force behind the reformation order during the Buddhist-work for reform in 1994. In 1998, during Buddhist order disputes caused by the Purification Reform Meeting, he served as one of the key supports of the reformation order. He was the Chairman of Board of Elders in 1994 and 1998. Yet, few studies focus on his activities as a Buddhist order reformer. Thus, this paper examines a series of such activities of Hyeam Seonggwan since the establishment of the Bongam temple association under the motto “To lead a life in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching.”