동곡 일타 대종사의 불교관과 그의 선사상

Abstract

This paper explores the Seon thought of Donggok Ilta through an analysis of his writings. Given Ilta’s viewpoint, as presented in his Beommanggyeong-Bosalgye (梵網經菩薩戒, Bodhisattva Precepts of Brahamajala Sutra), I see his thoughtas being based on the “doctrine of dharmata　(法性宗).” Therefore, I’ve attempted to interpret Ilta’s thought through the perspective of the “philosophy of dharmata　(法性敎學)”, which is founded on the belief in the existence of the “originally awakened mind (本覺眞心)” innate to all human beings. Some of the prominent aspects of Ilta’s thought can be summarized as the “philosophy of lotus in water (水中蓮),” which emphasizes the pursuit of the "absolute truth (眞諦, paramartha-satya)" while referring to the “worldly truth (俗諦, samvrti-satya),” the “philosophy of practicing Samantabhadra (普賢行),” which stresses the conduct of goodness in accordance to the Buddhist teachings, and the “philosophy of adopting the old⋅creating a new (法古 創新)”, which advocates practical reformation of Buddhist education based on the basic principles of Buddhism. The Seon thought of Ilta encompasses various aspects of Buddhism both in terms of theory and practice - for example, the combination of “contemplation of hwadu (看話)” and “quotations from old masters” as well as the emphasis on the observance of precepts (持戒) and rules (戒律) - are eventually to culminate in the actual practice of hwadu (話頭, big doubt), which can be understood in the same light as the “philosophy of dharmata” asserting the originally enlightened nature of mind. This perspective is also shared by many other Seon masters throughout the history of Korean Buddhism.