비구니 수옥과 경봉 선사의 한시 교유

Abstract

This paper is the first-ever attempt to analyze in detail the 14 exchanges of Chinese poems, from April 1957 to October 1965, between Bhikkuni Suok and Seon Master Gyeongbong the abbess and guiding teacher respectively of NaewonsaTemple in Yangsan－which took place at the temple's Seon center, "Dongguk Jeil Seonwon." I analyzed the data based on Suok's handwritten manuscript titled Doga hanhwa and compared it with Gyeongbong's Samsogul ilji. I then analyzed the poems and developed my argument based on Suok's perspective, not Gyeongbong's. The subjects covered in the 14 exchanges of poems included: New Year's celebrations, the closing of Seon retreats, the reconstruction of Naewonsa Temple, the Memorial Monument for Yun Hyeon-jin, and the remembrance ceremony for the deceased renowned monk Guha Cheonbo. My basis for regarding all 14 exchanges as Chinese poems for the purpose of friendship and exchange lies in the use of the same rhymes and subject matter in the poems of both monastics. I paid particular attention to the Chinese poems written by Gyeongbong on the closing days of Seon retreats and the matching rhymes in Suok's poems. There are six pairs of poems in total, and they were written for the following retreats: the winter retreat in the year of Gihae, the summer retreat in the year of Imin, the summer retreat in the year of Gyemyo, the summer and winter retreats in the year of Gapjin, and the summer retreat in the year of Eulsa. Through content analysis, I identified all of these as "dharma duels," namely, Seon poems that are actually Seon dialogues between a teacher and a disciple. Therefore, I focused on identifying the true topic that the two masters wrote about metaphorically by comparing two matching verses as if they were having a face-to-face conversation. In addition, the manuscripts of six other poems with rhyme-matching to Gyeongbong's poem－written on the closing of the summer retreat in the year of Gapjin－still exist, including poems by Haebong and Suok. Studying these poems, I was able to identify the Seon lineage tradition of how Chinese poems were presented as a means of promoting enlightenment in the Seon lineage followed by Seon Master Gyeongbong in the 1960s. In addition, I examined Suok's life by focusing on her poetry and how she focused on combining the cultivation of Seon and teachings in that she wrote matching-rhyme poems equal in quality to those of the guiding teacher of a Seon monastery.