전근대 지리산 불교의 역사적 변천과 연구 과제

Abstract

Mt. Jiri had the greatest number of temples among celebrated mountains in Korea. It is also the region where Buddhist activities can be traced to ancient times. Hundreds of temples and hermitages have risen and fallen around the mountain and they have produced many famous Buddhist monks. The period that Buddhism is said to have taken root at Mt. Jiriis presumed to be after the 8th century. According to historical records the original temples were Hwaeom-sa temple and Dansok-sa temple. In other words, it seems that Huayan (華嚴) and Seon Buddhism were the first to become established at Mt. Jiri in the 8th century. Subsequently, many Seon Schools were established around Mt. Jiri including Silsang-sa temple, Ssanggye-sa temple and others during the late Silla Dynasty. Studies on the emergence of Buddhism at Mt. Jiri are limited due to a lack of historical accounts from the Goryo Dynasty period. However, I can summarize that the Faxiang School (法相宗) expanded power and the Huayan school waned in influence, while the Jogye School gained influence as seen by the transformation of the Huayan school into a Seon school following the formation of the Soo-jung Movement (水精結社) of the Yoga school. Moreover, we can imagine the lives of Buddhist monks through the writings about Mt. Jiri dated from the Joseon Dynasty period. Especially, during the late Joseon Dynasty, temples were places of scholarly activity that coexisted with the Cheongheo Line (淸虛系) and the Buhyu Line (浮休系). Historical records also identify the fact that many temples were rebuilt. It is required to reexamine the existing literature in order to intensify the study of Buddhism at Mt. Jiri. More research is needed to establish whether there was an ideological conflict between Huayan Buddhist monks and Seon Buddhist monks during the period of the Silla Dynasty. Research should also be conducted to elucidate whether there was conflict with other religious orders according to the expansion of the Faxiang School during the Goryo Dynasty and if there was any ideological difference and opposition between the Chungheo Line and the Buhyu Line during the Joseon Dynasty period. I anticipate a wealth of new insight to result from this research.