현대인의 정신적 위기 극복으로서의 성철(性徹)의 간화선 사상 = Seong-cheol`s Ganhwa Seon Thought as a Principle of reconcilation of the Mental Crisis of Modern Man

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper examines Seong- cheol`s Ganhwa Seon Thought as a Principle of reconcilation of the Mental Crisis of Modern Man. During the last few decades there have been enormous developments in science and technology which have practically changed the face of the earth. But in spite of the great achievements in science and technology, we find that there prevails a certain chaos and confusion at all levels － individual, social, moral, religious, political, national and international. We find people going from bad to worse everyday. There is confusion and anarchy at all levels of human existence. In the face of these circumstances the need of the hour is the spiritual regeneration of human society. Master Seong-cheol(1912-1993) was a mentor who lived with us in the same age. In the Seonmun- jeongro, he delivered the preaching of the middle path. 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. 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 enlightenmentsudden cultivation. The meaning of Seong-cheol Seon in the history of Buddhism lies in the fact that he clarified the supreme principle of Buddhim is the Middle Path in his Dharma Teachings. 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, according to Master Seong-cheol, all beings of the world are empty. However, this does not mean that 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 nirv?na from sa?s?ra by means of removing avidy? or fundamental ignorance. Since Buddha resides in every home, your parents are Buddha. So serving your parents is a genuine Buddhist offering. Since Buddha lives on every str eet, the poor and the weak are Buddha. So serving them is a genuine offering. Since Buddha is everywhere, we have an eternity of incalculable offerings to make. The joy of living can be found in serving and making offerings to all these countless Buddhas! Serving Buddhas everywhere is the noble vow of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the very basis of Buddhism. So we should be eternally grateful to the Buddha S?kyamuni for teaching us this noble law, and we should lead a life full of genuine Buddhist offerings. The Middle Path and Buddhist offering form the crux of his philosophy and represent the metaphysics and ethics he preached and practised. Hence I prefer to call Seong-cheol`s philosophy metaphysical ethics.