退翁 性徹의 見性觀과 唯識思想

都大玄 한국불교학회 2007 韓國佛敎學 Vol.47 No.-

태양보다 뜨거웠던 전우애

도대현 샘터사 2018 월간 샘터 Vol.586 No.-

퇴옹(退翁) 성철(性徹)의 중관사상관(中觀思想觀) ― 『중론』을 중심으로 ―

도대현 성철사상연구원 2005 백련불교논집 Vol.15 No.-

The Book of the Middle stanzas (Mūla-mādhyamika-śāstra) is a treatises which elucidates the view of prajñā-emptiness logically in connection with the doctrine of conditioned arising (pratītyasamutpādavāda). The meaning of Song-chol Seon in the history of Buddhism lies in the fact that he clarified the supreme principle of Buddhism is the Middle Path in his Dharma Teachings in One Hundred Days. Furthermore, he looked into not only Mādhyamika philosophy but also the view of seeing Self-nature minutely by means of the Middle Path. The distinguishing points in His understanding of the Middle Path are as follows. First, according to him, the meaning of the Middle Path is blocking up of both sides of one's viewpoint, that is, giving up relative contradiction entirely. To get the great freedom of one's mind, one must leave from both sides of the practical world, and then one can reach a point where both the sides are illuminated totally. This world of the Middle Path is regarded as 'a realm without hindrance'. Second, the kernel of the Book of the Middle stanzas is to realize 'perfect harmony among all things without hinderance' by means of harmonizing contradictory opinions between the two types of Truths (satyadvaya). According to Master Song-chol, all beings of the world are empty. However, this does not mean that they are nothingness. All beings are empty in the sense of the Middle Path, that is, that are empty beyond the contradiction between affirmation and negation. It is because not only all living beings have Buddha-nature but also their own nature is empty that we can see Self-nature and realize nirvāna from saṃsāra by means of removing avidyā or fundamental ignorance.

퇴옹(退翁) 성철(性徹)의 천태종사상(天台宗思想)과 화엄종사상관(華嚴宗思想觀) ― 중도사상을 중심으로 ―

도대현 성철사상연구원 2006 백련불교논집 Vol.16 No.-

One of the most important contributions of Master Song-chol's Seon thought in the history of Buddhism lies in the fact that he clarified the supreme principle of both Tien-tai school and Hua-yen school was the Middle Path where both sides of one's viewpoint are blocked up totally and illuminated completely. The distinguishing points of Master Song-chol's view on the philosophies of Tien-tai and Hua-yen are as follows: First, according to Master Song-chol, Tien-tai philosophy expounded the truth of the Middle Path by means of the two doctrines; 1) the three thousand realms are contained in one mind, and 2) there is the perfect harmony among the three truths. It is also said that the meaning of the Middle Path is identical with those of conditioned arising (pratītyasamutpāda) and emptiness (śūnyatā), and that the Middle Path in Tien-tai school is expressed in terms of blocking up both sides of one's viewpoint and illuminating the two sides totally, and blocking up and illuminating the two simultaneously. In Tien-tai school, the Middle Path is also called One Mind Dharma realm, Dharma realm without hindrance, non-dual Dharma realm. According to Master Song-chol, on the basis of the doctrines that the six characteristics of a thing influence one another and are perfectly blended, and that the ten characteristics of the world in which phenomena are interdependent, Hua-yen school clarified the doctrine of pratītyasamutpāda of dharma-dhātu on the basis of the principle of the Middle Path. Second, Master Song-chol pointed out the differences between the two schools, Tien-tai and Hua-yen with regard to their views of human nature; while Tien-tai school asserts that self-nature is inherent in man from the first, Hua-yen school insists that self-nature is developed later. As a result of such a difference, Tien-tai school emphasized the need of practice, whereas Hua-yen school stressed the importance of theory. However, in spite of such differences both schools are equally prominent and we can not make any discrimination between the two because both are on the basis of the Middle Path. Third, Master Song-chol criticized the two school in respect that they regarded the Āgamas, Source of the Teaching of the original Buddhism, as Hīnayāna or Lesser Vehicle when they classified the various tenets of Buddhism from their standpoints. Furthermore, Master Song-chol insisted that the original Buddhism is both the starting point and foundation of Buddhism.

退翁 性徹의 頓悟頓修 思想

都大玄 한국불교학회 2008 韓國佛敎學 Vol.50 No.-

In the Seonmun-jeongro, Seong-cheol insists, for the first time in the history of Korean Seon, that the basic purport of Seon school lies in Sudden enlightenment-sudden cultivation(頓悟頓修). He defines Sudden enlightenment-sudden cultivation as becoming Buddha by achieving Ultimate Enlightenment. Enlightenment, for him, is always ultimate enlightenment. But most of Korean Buddhist scholars criticized his opinion seriously and Seong-cheol's standpoint has not been accepted in Korean Buddhist academic world. The theory of Sudden enlightenment-sudden cultivation leaved a big footmarks in the history of Chinese Seon school. It is based on the philosophy of sixth patriarch Hui-neong and the mindlessness of Patriarch Seon. Master Seong-cheol emphasizes mindlessness on the basis of the Middle path especially. Since Korean Seon has followed the theory of Sudden enlightenment-gradual cultivation(頓悟漸修) of Master Bojo, it has not given serious consideration to mindlessness. From the viewpoint of Seong-cheol Seon, Sudden enlightenment-gradual cultivation is incomplete theory of Enlightenment. Nevertheless, it has been regarded as a guiding principle of Seon practice for last over 8 hundred years of Korean Seon. It can be said that the theory of Sudden enlightenment-gradual cultivation is an intellectual misunderstanding and makes us stop cultivation on the way to the ultimate enlightenment. Therefore Seong-cheol criticized the theory of Sudden enlightenment-gradual cultivation strongly, and expounded the true meaning of ultimate Enlightenment which can be attained only through Sudden enlightenment-sudden cultivation. As Seong-cheol insisted, if we change the term Sudden enlightenment-gradual cultivation to Intellectual awakening-gradual cultivation, there can be two different and compatible standpoint of enlightenment and cultivation, that is, Sudden enlightenment-sudden cultivation and Intellectual awakening-gradual cultivation in Korean Seon Buddhism. 性徹은 『禪門正路』를 통해 韓國禪宗史에서 처음으로 선종의 근본종취는 ‘頓悟頓修’에 있다고 주장한다. 그는 돈오돈수란 ‘단박 깨침과 단박 닦아 마친다’는 뜻으로, 한번 깨치면 부처가 된다[見性成佛]는 것과 깨침이란 더 이상 닦을 것이 없는 완전한 究竟妙覺이라고 정의한다. 그러 나 한국불교계 많은 학자들은 그의 주장에 대해 강한 비판을 가하였고, 아직도 학계에서 정설로 받아들여지지 않고 있다. 중국선종계에서는 큰 발자취를 남긴 ‘中道에 입각한 돈오돈수사상’은 六祖 慧能의 돈오돈수사상인 동시에 祖師禪의 無心思想이다. 性徹은 이 가운데 특히 중도를 근간으로 한 무심사상에 강조점을 두고 있다. 그 이유는 韓國禪에서는 普照 知訥의 頓悟漸修說로 인해 無心에 소홀해왔기 때문이다. 사실 ‘미완성 견성이론’이라 할 수 있는 돈오점수설이 지난 8백여 년간 수행지침으로 지켜져 온 것은 한국선불교의 큰 과오라고 볼 수 있다. 解悟를 究竟覺으로 착각하기 쉬운 돈오점수설은 見性의 과정인 중간단계에서 수행을 그만 둘 수 있는 이론이기 때문이다. 그래서 性徹은 ‘頓悟’의 정체를 분명히 하기 위한 과정에서, 돈오점수비판이 요구되었던 것이며, 古佛古祖의 經論과 語錄을 바탕으로 하여 잘못된 한국선불교의 見性觀을 바로잡으려는 것이 그 본질이다. 性徹의 주장처럼 만약 ‘頓悟漸修’라는 용어대신 ‘解悟漸修’로 고쳐 쓰기만 한다면 한국선불교사에서 깨달음을 보는 시각이 서로 다른 두 이론이 나란히 공존할 수 있을 것으로 본다.