高麗時代 승려의 血族間 師承과 그 意味 (The Practice amongst Buddhist Monks during the Koryŏ era of Adopting Relatives as Disciples and the Significance Thereof)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국사연구회
· 수록지 정보 : 한국사연구 / 142호 / 69 ~ 103페이지
· 저자명 : 박윤진

초록

Through the practice of entering the Buddhist priesthood under the guidance of a relative based on the teacher–disciple relationship, the monks of the Koryŏ era were able to use religion to further foster blood ties. In this regard, the majority were adopted by and served as the disciples of their uncles. When successive generations entered the priesthood, the newly initiated monk not only became his relative’s disciple, but also inherited his teacher’s influence as his rightful heir. The practice of having a family member enter the priesthood under the guidance of a relative was also common amongst the royal family. Beginning with the monk Ŭich΄ŏn, four generations of individuals from the royal family entered the priesthood; however, concern soon grew that this chain would be broken when no immediate family member could be found to take up the habit. To rectify this situation, a distant relative of the royal family was adopted and tasked with playing a bridging role by becoming a monk.
The adoption of a relative by a monk involved much more than the latter becoming the new recruit’s teacher, it also in some cases bestowed the right upon this new recruit to become the rightful representative of the Dharma lineage based on his eventual takeover of the temple. As Yi Saek, who lived through this period, argued, this practice originated from the belief that the existence of blood ties between the two monks, and the nephew’s inheritance of the title of rightful heir of the Dharma lineage from his uncle, automatically rendered the junior monk the most apt to succeedhis teacher.
In terms of the background that facilitated the establishment of teacher-disciple relationships between relatives, special attention needs to be drawn to the perception of social status that existed at that time. More to the point, it was impossible under the social hierarchal system that prevailed during the Koryŏ era for one to regard a person who belonged to a lower class as his teacher. Moreover, the conclusion can be reached that the practice of establishing social and political networks which revolved around blood ties over time expanded to include Buddhist circles. Furthermore, if we look beyond the establishment of teacher-disciple relations, we find that the inheritance of the position of the abbot of a temple bestowed numerous benefits and advantages on the inheritor, who suddenly found himself in charge of the temple’s finances. What’s more, the lands donated to the temple could not be independently managed by the monks, but rather in accordance with the wishes of the donor. This loophole allowed monks to take actions with regards to the management of the land and fortune donated to the temple by their clans which, while within the limit of established laws, were nevertheless advantageous to their relatives. This practice was also beneficial in terms of the ownership of servants. More to the point, the disciple monks could legally inherit two types of servants: one were the servants that could be inherited from the monk’s parents during his lifetime(yukson nobi) and the other were the servants that could be inherited because of one’s status as the rightful heir of a monk(pŏpson nobi). The pŏpson nobi were servants that were donated to a monk by his family so that he could focus on his religious pursuits. As such, the succession of monks also proved to be a method through which a family clan could unofficially maintaincontrol over their servants.
This secular phenomenon can be regarded as one of the problems associated with Buddhism during the Koryŏ era. The fact that this issue continued unabated throughout the dynasty can be perceived as the result of the blood tie and social status-oriented characteristics of Koryŏ society, and the spread of these blood tie relations to Buddhist circles during the Koryŏ era.

영어초록

Through the practice of entering the Buddhist priesthood under the guidance of a relative based on the teacher–disciple relationship, the monks of the Koryŏ era were able to use religion to further foster blood ties. In this regard, the majority were adopted by and served as the disciples of their uncles. When successive generations entered the priesthood, the newly initiated monk not only became his relative’s disciple, but also inherited his teacher’s influence as his rightful heir. The practice of having a family member enter the priesthood under the guidance of a relative was also common amongst the royal family. Beginning with the monk Ŭich΄ŏn, four generations of individuals from the royal family entered the priesthood; however, concern soon grew that this chain would be broken when no immediate family member could be found to take up the habit. To rectify this situation, a distant relative of the royal family was adopted and tasked with playing a bridging role by becoming a monk.
The adoption of a relative by a monk involved much more than the latter becoming the new recruit’s teacher, it also in some cases bestowed the right upon this new recruit to become the rightful representative of the Dharma lineage based on his eventual takeover of the temple. As Yi Saek, who lived through this period, argued, this practice originated from the belief that the existence of blood ties between the two monks, and the nephew’s inheritance of the title of rightful heir of the Dharma lineage from his uncle, automatically rendered the junior monk the most apt to succeedhis teacher.
In terms of the background that facilitated the establishment of teacher-disciple relationships between relatives, special attention needs to be drawn to the perception of social status that existed at that time. More to the point, it was impossible under the social hierarchal system that prevailed during the Koryŏ era for one to regard a person who belonged to a lower class as his teacher. Moreover, the conclusion can be reached that the practice of establishing social and political networks which revolved around blood ties over time expanded to include Buddhist circles. Furthermore, if we look beyond the establishment of teacher-disciple relations, we find that the inheritance of the position of the abbot of a temple bestowed numerous benefits and advantages on the inheritor, who suddenly found himself in charge of the temple’s finances. What’s more, the lands donated to the temple could not be independently managed by the monks, but rather in accordance with the wishes of the donor. This loophole allowed monks to take actions with regards to the management of the land and fortune donated to the temple by their clans which, while within the limit of established laws, were nevertheless advantageous to their relatives. This practice was also beneficial in terms of the ownership of servants. More to the point, the disciple monks could legally inherit two types of servants: one were the servants that could be inherited from the monk’s parents during his lifetime(yukson nobi) and the other were the servants that could be inherited because of one’s status as the rightful heir of a monk(pŏpson nobi). The pŏpson nobi were servants that were donated to a monk by his family so that he could focus on his religious pursuits. As such, the succession of monks also proved to be a method through which a family clan could unofficially maintaincontrol over their servants.
This secular phenomenon can be regarded as one of the problems associated with Buddhism during the Koryŏ era. The fact that this issue continued unabated throughout the dynasty can be perceived as the result of the blood tie and social status-oriented characteristics of Koryŏ society, and the spread of these blood tie relations to Buddhist circles during the Koryŏ era.

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