조선중기 지눌 사상의 전승 양상 - 書籍과 講學을 통한 전승 -

Abstract

Existing research has identified three methods to understand succession and influence of Jinul’s thought. The first method examines human succession relations, the second written content, and the third aspects of publications transmission. The assessment of the succession and influence of Jinul’s thought is different depending on which of these three methods is used. It has been argued that the impact of Jinul’s thought was not great in the Joseon period, because most existing research uses the first method. During the middle of Joseon period the number of Buddhist publications increased rapidly. This enables to study how Buddhist thought changed on the basis of the amount of Buddhist scriptures published. During this period a large amount of publications was issued, which was written or considered as important by Jinul. As a result it is possible to understand the succession of different thoughts related to Jinul’s. In the 16th and 17th century of the Joseon period, the policy for Buddhism was changed and the Buddhist community was re-organised. It can be argued that this re-organization to the character of the late Joseon period actively followed the tradition of the thought of the Koryeo period. This is different from previous research that regards Buddhist thought of Koryeo as discontinued. Through the analysis of the aspect of Buddhist publications and records in the mid-Joseon period, it can be argued that the thought of Jinul, which was the major thought since the mid-Koryeo period, was adapted by Ji-eom in the early 16th century, which was then spreaded by Hyu-jeong and Seon-su in the late 16th century. After the 17th century it was established as the course of I-ryeok by followers of Hyu-jeong and Seon-su and spreaded further. As a result, the thought of Jinul succeeded as a specific Buddhist ideology in the late Jeseon period. This shows that Jinul’s thought from the mid Koryeo continuously spread throughout the Joseon period and became the basis of Buddhism in the late Joseon period. This process is very important for the meaning of modern Buddhism, because the Buddhism from the late Joseon period contributed to establish modern Buddhism.