특집논문
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The theory of the Buddha-nature of insentient beings represents a distinctive development in the discourse on Buddha-nature within East Asia. This idea was debated in the doctrinal traditions of the Sanlun, Tiantai, and Huayan schools. Its origins can be traced to Huiyuan (慧遠, 523–592) of Jingying Temple in the Dilun school, whose Dasheng Yizhang (大乘義章) articulated a distinction between Buddha-nature as “the nature of knowing” and “the nature of being known,” thereby providing a foundation for acknowledging Buddha-nature as existing within the objective world. In the Sanlun (三論) school’s Dasheng Xuanlun (大乘玄論), it was argued that once the Middle Way is realized, all sentient beings and even plants possess Buddha-nature and can achieve Buddhahood. This is not an ontological justification of Buddha-nature, but a paradoxical argument intended to deconstruct discriminative cognition that distinguishes between sentient and insentient beings and determines the presence or absence of Buddha-nature.
In Chan thought, numerous examples appear in the Northern school’s Lengqie Shizi Ji, where the Dharma teaching of insentient beings was employed as an unconventional Chan method to test students and guide them toward enlightenment. Guṇabhadra and Bodhidharma also made use of insentient Dharma teaching, which later developed into huatou. Daoxin employed the Buddha-nature of insentient beings as a means to overcome rigid scriptural interpretation, while Hongren described the realm of insentient beings as the dharma-body (境界法身), where the sphere of ālayavijñāna is realized. The Ox-head school taught that plants are beings originally united with the Dao (道) and capable of attaining Buddhahood, drawing on scriptures such as theAvataṃsaka Sūtra and the Vimalakīrti Sūtra for textual support.
The Ox-head school’s theory of the Buddha-nature of plants carried critical implications for the Buddha-nature debate, opposing the Southern school’s interpretations. It displayed a tendency to affirm both the “knowable nature” (所知性) and the “knowing nature” (能知性) of Buddha-nature. The attribution of the Buddha-nature of insentient beings to National Master Huizhong in theZutangji (祖堂集) can be read as a narrative reflecting the Southern school’s internal perspective, which sought to criticize the extreme interpretations of Buddha-nature that had emerged within its own branches.
In Chan thought, numerous examples appear in the Northern school’s Lengqie Shizi Ji, where the Dharma teaching of insentient beings was employed as an unconventional Chan method to test students and guide them toward enlightenment. Guṇabhadra and Bodhidharma also made use of insentient Dharma teaching, which later developed into huatou. Daoxin employed the Buddha-nature of insentient beings as a means to overcome rigid scriptural interpretation, while Hongren described the realm of insentient beings as the dharma-body (境界法身), where the sphere of ālayavijñāna is realized. The Ox-head school taught that plants are beings originally united with the Dao (道) and capable of attaining Buddhahood, drawing on scriptures such as the
The Ox-head school’s theory of the Buddha-nature of plants carried critical implications for the Buddha-nature debate, opposing the Southern school’s interpretations. It displayed a tendency to affirm both the “knowable nature” (所知性) and the “knowing nature” (能知性) of Buddha-nature. The attribution of the Buddha-nature of insentient beings to National Master Huizhong in the
초목불성은 동아시아에서 특수한 형태로 전개된 불성 사상이다. 교학 전통에서 정영사(淨影寺) 혜원(慧遠, 523-592)의 『대승의장』에서 불성을 능지성(能知性)과 소지성(所知性)으로 구분하고, 대상 세계에 존재하는 불성을 인정할 수 있는 단초를 제공한 것이 그 사상적 기원이다. 삼론종 『대승현론』에서는 제한적으로 초목불성을 인정했는데, 중도를 체득한 리내(理內)의 범주에서는 중생과 일체 초목도 모두 불성이 있고, 성불할 수 있다고 하였다. 이것은 불성의 존재론적 정당화가 아니라 유정과 무정을 구분하고 불성의 유무를 가르는 분별을 해체하기 위한 역설적 논변이다. 기존에 선사상 연구에서 초목불성은 주로 우두종을 중심으로 다루어져 왔으며, 도가적 자연관과 결합된 불성론으로 간주되는 경향이 있었다. 그러나 북종계 『능가사자기』에는 구나발다라와 보리달마에게 화두의 원초적 형태로 무정설법을 활용하여 학인의 경지를 점검하고 깨달음으로 유도하는 선법이 발견된다. 도신(道信)은 경전에 대한 고착적 이해를 극복하는 소재로 초목불성을 예시하고 있으며, 홍인(弘忍)은 무정의 세계를 아뢰야식이 실현된 경계법신(境界法身)으로 설명했다. 우두종은 초목이 본래 도와 합치된 존재로서 성불할 수 있다고 보았고 『화엄경』과 『유마경』과 같은 경전을 근거로 삼았다. 우두종의 초목불성은 남종의 불성에 대한 비판을 목적으로 등장했으며, 불성의 소지성(所知性)과 능지성(能知性)을 모두 인정하는 경향을 보인다. 이후 『조당집』에 서술된 혜충국사의 무정불성은 남종의 특정 분파에서 발생한 경도된 불성 해석을 비판하기 위한 서사로서 남종 내부의 관점이 투영된 것으로 이해할 수 있다.
- K 高麗大藏經[Goryeo Daejanggyeong(Tripitaka Koreana)]
- T 大正新修大藏經[Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō]
- 『祖堂集』(K1503)
- 『文殊師利所說摩訶般若波羅蜜經』(T232)
- 『華嚴經』(T278)
- 『大般涅槃經』(T374)
- 『維摩詰所說經』(T475)
- 『楞伽阿跋多羅寶經』(T670)
- 『唯識論』(T1588)
- 『大乘義章』(T1851)
- 『大乘入楞伽經』(T672)
- 『大乘玄論』(T1853)
- 『肇論』(T1858)
- 『摩訶止觀』(T1911)
- 『雲門匡真禪師廣錄』(T1988)
- 『南宗頓教最上大乘摩訶般若波羅蜜經六祖惠能大師於韶州大梵寺施法壇經』(T2007)
- 『禪源諸詮集都序』(T2015)
- 『宗鏡錄』(T2016)
- 『高僧傳』(T2059)
- 『續高僧傳』(T2060)
- 『宋高僧傳』(T2061)
- 『弘贊法華傳』(T2067)
- 『曆代法寶記』(T2075)
- 『無心論』(T2831)
- 『楞伽師資記』(T2837)
- 『傳法寶紀』(T2838)
- 『泉州千佛新著諸祖師頌』(T2861)
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◆ 약호 및 일차 문헌 Abbreviations and Primary Sources
◆ 이차 문헌 Secondary Literature
- Publisher :Korean Association of Buddhist Studies
- Publisher(Ko) :불교학연구회
- Journal Title :Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies
- Journal Title(Ko) :불교학연구
- Volume : 84
- Pages :53∼85
- DOI :https://doi.org/10.21482/jbs.84..202509.53
Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies
