圓眞國師 承逈의 행적과 崔氏武臣政權과의 관계

Abstract

The Guksa Wonjin, Seunghyeong is usually introduced as a Buddhist monk who was in cooperation with the Choe House’s Military Regime that seized control over the Goryeo Kingdom, because he was active during the period of the regime. When accurate research is performed about his activities and political complexion at that time, however, the relationship between the Guksa and the Choe House’s Military Regime had been changed gradually in three phases. In the first phase, the Guksa Wonjin, Seunghyeong resented the Choe House’s Military Regime and sought religious actions against it. Seunghyeong watched his uncle Shin Gwang-han and Zen Buddhist monks, who had helped him succeed, being removed while King Myeongjong was dethroned, and he grew to hate Choe Chung-heon, who took the lead in this activities. Meanwhile, Seunghyeong preferred practicing asceticism outside the government to inside Gaegyeong, the capital, and showed interest in Lee Ja-hyeon’s Layman Buddhism, to attract scholars alienated by the military regime to stand against Choe Chung-heon. In the second phase, Seunghyeong partly embraced the engagement policy of the Choe House’s Military Regime, because he cooperated with the royal family that he favored. After Choe Chung-heon’s opponents were remitted and the royal family and scholars that he liked asked him to be a chief Buddhist monk of Yujeomsa Temple in Geumgang Mountain, he accepted the offer and appeased the force of Jinpyo line’s Beobsang Buddhism in the area around the temple. Thereafter, he participated in Buddhist ceremonies in Gaegyeong that he had disliked in the past. In the third phase, Seunghyeong acknowledged the reality that the Choe House’s Military Regime seized power, and he actively tried to improve their relationships. He changed his position on the Choe House’s Military Regime mainly because King Heuijong had been dethroned after trying to kill Choe Chung-heon and the monks who had cooperated in the incident had been sacrificed. Considering his relationship with Choe Jun-mun, who was a close aide to Choe Chung-heon, Seunghyeong joined the Buddhist monastery in Bogyeongsa Temple near Choe Jun-mun’s hometown. He also solved problems in Unmun and Palgong Mountain areas to fortify the political standings of Choe Hyang, the youngest son of Choe Chung-heon, whom Choe Jun-mun supported. After Choe Yi had succeeded Choe Chung-heon and had eliminated Choe Jun-mun, however, Seunghyeong had no choice but to leave Bogyeongsa Temple. His Buddhist monastic brotherhood drastically went into a decline by losing political support after his death.