청허 휴정의 沙門像과 표충사 제향의 의의

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate Cheong Heo Hue Jung’s (1520-1604) Samunsang. As a Buddhist monk, Hue Jung took part in wars and combated with a sword or a spear in killing people, which is in contrast to Buddhist teachings. At the time, he was one of the most respectable Buddhist monks hence, his role in recruiting monks and leading them to war seemed very provocative. His warrior activity drew speculation from his peers during his life. To understand and assess his warrior activity, it is important to have much insight into his life as a Buddhist monk. The content of Cheong Heo Jib was analyzed for detailed information on Hue Jung’s religious life. This study also intended to investigate the rituals, which are currently performed to worship Hue Jung, at the governmental level. In particular, the meaning of the worship ritual conducted at the Pyochung Shrine, located in Haenam, was analyzed along with the historical background on how the Shrine was founded in the first place. Daehung temple became one of the core Buddhist temples in the late Chosun Dynasty as it was preserving certain personal belongs of Hue Jung, including clothing. The temple’s leading position led to the foundation of Pyochung Shrine. However, the construction of this new shrine was not easy in the beginning, although two Buddhist monks, Kyehong and Cheonmuk, made every effort to build the shrine for a long period of time. Pyochung Shrine was completed with the help of Seo Yu-rin, a government official (1738-1802). Antique books, Saaekjemun and Hyangrae-holki, released by Daehung temple, recently have proved to be helpful in understanding how Pyochung Shrine came to exist and why worship rituals was performed at the shrine. The content of these books was addressed in this study. All official Saaek temples, including Pyochung Shrine in Milyang (founded in 1738), Pyochung Shrine in Haenam (1788) and Soojung Shrine in Myohyang mountain (1794), were built almost two centuries later following the national war in the 1590s, known as the Imjin War. That is, building shrines in order to cherish monk soldiers’ enormous sacrifice took a long period of time. Moreover, the Buddhist Monk Association, established during late Chosun Dynasty, went through highly tough times to have those shrines established because resources were not available from the government. Thus, this study has discovered the sad history of hardship faced by Buddhist monks during the late Chosun Dynasty.