문정대비는 한국불교사에서 불교를 중흥한 여성이다. 사회적으로 조선조 여성은 열악한 위치에 있었음에도 불구하고 역사적으로 가장 특기할업적을 이룩한 이가 대비이다. 그럼에도 대중매체ㆍTV를 통해 묘사되는 그의 모습은 명종의 정치대행자로서 수렴청정을 하면서 윤씨 가족의 영달만을추구하는 간탐어린 궁중여인으로 표현될 뿐이다. 이번 한국불교학회의 담론은 그동안의 연구 성과를 바탕으로 하여 새로운 시각으로 조명하고,또 빛을 보지 못한 자료를 새로 발굴하여 허응당 보우스님의 학덕이 대비에게 어떻게 영향하였는지를 밝히는 자리가 되길 바란다. 우리나라는 신라대의 여성들의 높은 지위와 고려조의 여성들의 사원경제에 헌신적인 보시(dana)가 있었기 때문에 한국불교는 상당히 안정되어있었다. 그러나 조선조의 건국이념인 주자학의 국가이념은 불교에 대한 많은 박해를 하였다. 비구니 보호기관으로 淨業院같은 기구를 두기도 하였으나 일반 여성들의 사찰출입은 금지되었다. 건국초기 태조의 불교보호와 세조의 적극적인 불교부흥정책이 있었음에도 불구하고 끈질긴 불교 억압정책은계속되었다. 僧科制度, 度牒制, 號牌法 등의 제도적 제약으로 합법적인 억압을 자행하였다. 成宗(1470∼1494)대부터 표면화하기 시작한 척불정책은 연산조에 이르러 禪宗ㆍ敎宗의 本寺인 都會所가 폐지되기에 이르고, 中宗(1506∼1544)때에는 선종ㆍ교종(양종)의 僧科가 완전히 폐지된다. 文定大妃는 中宗의 왕후로서 아들 明宗(1545∼1567)이 등극하자 수렴청정이라는 형식으로 정치권력의 일선에 서게 된다. 대비는 中宗 2년(1507)부터그동안 약 50년간 폐지되었던 승려국가고시인 승과를 부활시켰다. 대비는 그 이유를『경국대전』에 선ㆍ교종을 설립하도록 되어 있으며, 나날이승려수가 증가하고 있는데 이들을 통괄할 기관이 필요하다고 역설했다. 이때 성균관의 유생들은 空館을 만들면서 극렬한 반대투쟁을 하지만,대비는 개의치 않고 文ㆍ武科를 시행토록 明宗에게 지시하고 합격생을 뽑게 했다. 그리고 明宗 7년(1552)에 승과를 시행하니, 判禪宗事都大禪師普雨를奉恩寺住持判敎宗事都大師守眞을 奉先寺住持로 임명하였다. 이때 백담사에 주석하던 虛應普雨스님을 발탁하여 불교중흥을 기획하게 된다. 대비가 생존할 때는 僧科는 일반과거시험인 文科ㆍ 武科와 똑같이 과거 보는 해(式年)에 3년마다 시행하였는데 5회에 걸쳤다. 불교교단은 15년 동안 승과를 통하여 우수한 인재들이 모였고 임진왜란을 맞아 구국의 보살(Boddhi-Satta)로서의 義僧軍으로 활약했던 西山大師그리고 왜적과 정면 대결하다가 日本에 請和使로 다녀온 四溟大師가 보살행을 할 수 있었던 것이다. 그러나 대비가 서거하자 그의 간곡한 유언에도 불구하고 兩宗의 僧科는 폐지되고 선교 양종에서 禪宗일변도의 山中佛敎로 조선조 말까지 겨우 그명맥을 유지하게 된다.

Queen Dowager Mun-jung was a lady who revived the Korean buddhism in the history of Korean buddhism. Woman in the Yi dynasty period was suffered low social status and was very much discriminated against. Tiding over all adversities, the Queen dowager delivered Korean buddhism from persecution and built it into an established religion in Korean society. In spite of her historic achievement, the public image of Queen dowager Mun-jung is just an avaricious and ignorant court lady who obsessed with desire to support her own Yun family in power. Such a distorted image of the Queen dowager was somehow implanted by the mass medias. therefore, it is hoped that the discussion by this Academy of Korean Buddhism will right the wrongs and thus present a balanced image of the Queen dowager Mun-jung. It is so important to dig out and fathom out those hidden source materials regarding this issue, especially those parts concerning Venerable Bowu’s official relations with and influence on the Queen dowager. Woman enjoyed sexual equality and due freedom during the Silla period, and they were the main pillar in supporting the buddhist institutions. Coming to the Koryo period, woman in general worshipped buddhas and supported buddhism that they heavily donated funds to their favored temples to enrich the institutions and helped to strengthen buddhist influence in the Koryo society. It is during the Koryo period that buddhism established itself as a state cult. Coming to the Yi dynasty, however, the fortune of Korean buddhism had undergone reversal. Because Yi dynasty adopted Confucianism as its official ideology exclusively, there was no room left for buddhism in that bigoted society. And then the persecution on buddhism began in earnest and there was a rule that woman was not allowed to go to visit temple! Although there are evidences that both King Taejo and King Sejo favored buddhism as religious faith, the legal and administrative codes were so anti-buddhism that they illustrated in the areas of the state examination, identity tags and do-chup system. etc. King Sung-jong(1470-94) began its persecution of buddhism openly, and King Yun-san-gun(1494-1506) had the head temples of two leading buddhist sects, Zen-jong and Kyo-jong, closed down once for all, and that it was King Jung-jong(1506-44)’s era that the system of state examination held thus far for buddhism was abolished completely. Queen dowager Mun-jung was consort of King Jung-jong, and when her son, King Myung-jong, ascended the throne, she assumed the power for the sake of her minor son. As a devout buddhist, the Queen dowager’s priority at this time appeared to be the restoration of buddhism to former glory. As the first step, she directed to reinstate the state examination system for buddhism, which aroused a full fledged opposition from the entrenched Confucians. the Queen dowager justified her pro-buddhist policy citing the Kyung-kook Dae-jun, national code of laws, which recognized legitimacy of both Zen and Kyo sects of buddhism. Followingly, the Queen dowager, 1552, appointed Venerable Bowu into the position of supreme leader of Zen sect as well as abbot of Bong-en Temple, and Venerable Su-jin to the position of grand master of Kyo-jong sect and abbot of Bong-sun temple. Thus the stage was set to plan and manage the restoration of buddhism in the country with the able administrative assistance of Bowu who was frequently received royal audience until such time as the Queen dowager ended her political career. It is important to point out that the revival of state examination on buddhism produced a good number of high priests who served the country with distinction in times of national crises, such as Japanese invasions of Korea. For example; Saint Susan led monk troops and destroyed many Japanese invading forces. Saint Samyung, on the other hand, had negotiated peace with the Japanese aggressors. The state examination on buddhism had undoubtedly attracted a large number of good people who served well for the state as well as the institution of buddhism. But the state examination on buddhism was carried out five times in three-year interval, and it was terminated when Queen dowager Mun-jung once deceaced. Upon Queen dowager Mun-jung’s death, the persecution of buddhism flared up again in full force, and only Zen sect alone maintained a slender existence of buddhism throughout the Yi dynasty as meditating sect in deep in mountains.

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Queen Dowager Mun-Jung, Woman, King Jung-Jong, The System of State of examination for Buddhism