원효의 화쟁사상의 논의방식과 사상사적 의미

Abstract

It has been thought that Wonhyo's Hwajaeng(和諍) theory which emphasizes harmonizing all the different or disputing thoughts was proposed to settle all the arguments between the Buddhist schools. But in the 7th century Shilla society where Wonhyo's Hwajaeng is proposed we can hardly find any philosophical conflict between the Buddhist schools or scholars. So we can think that Hwajaeng was proposed not to settle the philosophical conflicts of the time but synthesize all the thoughts and ideas shown in the Buddhist sutras and commentaries to them. To the contrary to other Buddhist scholars of the time who Wonhyo did not belong to any special school and tried to study all the Buddhist theories. In doing so he found the inconsistencies and contradictions between the Buddhist theories and tried to make a universal theory which can cover all the inconsistencies and differences. Hwajaeng is the result of this endeavor. Wonhyo thought all the beings are fundamentally equal and the differences and conflicts are made by human illusion. He systemized this thought as the Bobeop(普法), the total equality. His Hwajaeng theory is the reflection of this Bobeop thought and also the method to reach the essential state where there was no difference and conflicts. In his Bobeop thought all the beings are regarded as essentially equal and the individual differences are regarded as trivial or illusory. According to the Bobeop the specific property of individual being cannot be admitted; the differences of all the beings are regarded as the reflection of the different aspects of the same thing. In this respect it can be said that Wonhyo's Hwajaeng is not the harmonization of the differences and conflicts between the others but just the ascertainment of the sameness between the different aspects of the same thing.