조선후기 승군제도의 불교사적 의미

Abstract

In the late Joseon Dynasty, the monk army system was the main mechanism to show the social role of Buddhism and socioeconomic situation of Buddhism. Around Japanese Invasion and Chinese Invasion, in the situation that the army was controlled by system of the director in command of monk army(僧軍總攝制), compulsory labor of monks(僧役) was only the way for Buddhist society to show its sense of being internally and externally. Since the mid Joseon Dynasty when Seon school and Doctrine school were revolved, although the Buddhism has lost the pivot, the order, it has maintained centrifugal force through system of the director in command of monk army. By driving the centrifugal force, the Buddhist society could recover its center through 'monk army raised in the cause of justice' that participated in Imjin Japanese Invasion and Byeongja Chinese Invasion. In the early 17th century, as the monk army was settled as a permanent system (monk army system), In the mid age, as the monk army system was enlarged, the pivot consisting of the center of the director in command of eight province(八道都摠攝) became a drive to establish ‘assertion on the patriarchate of Imjae-Taego’(臨濟太古法統說) and ‘system of study on the three gates’(三門修業體系). With the motive, the Buddhist society formed the self-consciousness for monk and established the recognition frame by establishing inscription of a priest of virtue(高僧碑) and publishing a collction of works of monk(僧侶文集). Moreover, as the social position and status of monk were changed, the social role of monk as a public man was actively requested. The Confucianist could remove the existing negative recognition about Buddhism and monk through the existence of monk army and role of monk army system. The monk army system improved the social position of Buddhism and monk by raising the status of Buddhism and monk. In addition, it has enlarged the Buddhism's sense of being to society to become the driving force for the Buddhism existence since the late Joseon Dynasty. Monk army and monk army system could establish the motive to enable Buddhist and Confucianist to recognize each other in a new way. But, the monk army system that was established under the ruling ideology of Confucianism had many problems internally. In addition, there is a criticism in terms of the fact that it enlarged the temple's burden for compulsory labor of monks. However, there is also a positive viewpoint that it secured the Buddhism's sense of being to society under the ruling ideology of Confucianism. It should be admitted that the monk army system became the main mechanism to express the monk's social role and historical sense of being through the reconsideration on the defense of country as engaged Buddhism. The effect of monk army system and its Buddhist historical meaning can be found with two positive and negative viewpoints.