유산기(遊山記)로 보는 승(僧)의 삶과 소수자적 실상 — 금강산 유산기를 중심으로 —

Abstract

This paper aimed at revealing meanings occupied by monks in travel culture of Joseon through whole searching monks’ role, fact of minority and their desire in travel culture of Joseon. For these, this paper took text (Geumgangsan yousangi : records of climbing Geumgang-mountain) and proceeded discussion, so follows were confirmed. First, this paper noticed the truth that monks in Geumgangsan yousangi offered important material foundation travel culture of Joseon. They were guides, palankeen bearers, ascetics, story-tellers delivering culture of Buddhism and providers of room and board. Due to this role of monks, confucians’ smooth mountain-climbing could be possible and culture related with Buddhism not ended off but could be carried over. However the cases of other roles were accepted as pain and suppression to them addition to mountaineers’ inappreciation and ignorance, and limitation of low status. Especially, their duties of forced labor as palankeen bearers and suffering from this forced labor were indicators clearly showing monks’ existential position as religious minorities of Joseon. Nevertheless these existential limitation and suppression structure, this paper confirmed that monks in Geumgangsan hardly tried to get recognized their existence and construct their own world. They lavished efforts which they tried to reveal their existence with confucians’ poetry and prose, arrange schedule and courses of mountain-climbing, and solidify their own world with consistently recalling legends and tales related to Buddhism. Despite of mountaineers’ efforts of which tried to change from Geumgangsan to confucians’ space, Geumgangsan could be remain Buddha land because of these efforts and desire of monks. Eventually, monks of Geumgangsan were obviously minorities who must do several roles for mountain-climbing of confucians due to their own limitation of low status, while they were cultural subjects who showed self-existence as seekers and positively faced cultivating own world as Buddha land. Meaning occupied by monks at travel culture of Joseon in this paper located at this point.