조선후기 중국 불서의 유통과 사상적 영향

Abstract

In the latter half period of the Joseon dynasty, Chinese Buddhist texts were vibrantly circulating inside Joseon. Publication and circulation of them, and their philosophical influence upon the Joseon Buddhist community are what are primarily examined in this article. Examination of the 16th and 17th centuries focused upon analyzing how the publication of Chinese Buddhist texts coincided with the trend of modification which was being made to the Buddhist educational process. Then, examination of the 17th century's early half focused upon the publication of 『Seokshi Weon'ryu/釋氏源流』, which was a text that contained the biography of Buddha as well as the general history of Buddhism, as the publication went forward during a time when the Joseon Buddhist community was trying to establish its own legitimate lineage of past Buddhist figures("Beobtong/法統"). Also examined here are the revitalization of the Hwa'eom studies in the 18th century, sparked by the introduction and circulation of the Chinese Ga'heung Grand Sutra(嘉興大藏經) in 1681, as well as the boom of a new trend called "private documentation"("私記") of certain Buddhist texts that were related to the Buddhist Education process. The Zen debates of the 19th century are interpreted as a controversy that was staged over the issue of the status of Zen and Hwa'eom. The Chinese Buddhist texts that were newly introduced to the Koreans in the latter half of the 18th century are also examined. The Chinese Buddhist texts that were published in the modern period and was in the collection of Oh Se-chang/吳世昌 in particular are examined too as it seems most likely that they did have certain influence upon the publication of 『Beob'hae Bobeol(法海寶筏)』 and 『Seonmun Chwal'yo(禪門撮要)』, both created in the ending days of the 19th century and the opening of the 20th. Considering the circumstances which witnessed frequent publication of Chinese Buddhist texts in Joseon and the successful outcome of such events, the previous understanding of late Joseon Buddhism which labelled its history as one of recession and regression, should be reviewed and rectified.