崇儒排佛之外──朝鮮君主對儒生「闢異端」排佛暴力的批判

Beyond Confucian Orthodoxy and Anti-Buddhism: Challenges by Joseon Monarchs to Confucian-Led Anti-Buddhist Violence in the Name of Purging Heresy

傳統印象認為朝鮮王朝立國後，儒學成為官方正統，徹底取代佛教。朝鮮儒者也刻意形塑朝鮮君主一意排佛的形象。然而，檢視《朝鮮王朝實錄》等史料中朝鮮太宗、世宗、成宗、明宗等幾位君主對佛教的看法，以及他們對幾次重大儒佛爭鬥事件的介入，可以發現朝鮮的儒佛鬥爭絕非僅限於思想論辯，更有多場儒生以「闢異端」為名發起的實際攻擊行動，完全不同於同時期明清中國的三教合流思潮。而前述幾位君主應對相關爭議之際，不但不會一味偏袒儒生，甚至還以「僧亦民」之論刻意保護僧人，壓制儒臣群體的排佛「公論」而「護僧斥儒」，藉此彰顯王權。由此我們也可看到，朝鮮儒佛鬥爭的複雜性和特殊性。

It is traditionally believed that Confucianism became the official orthodoxy of the Joseon dynasty, completely supplanting Buddhism, with Confucian literati deliberately constructing an image of the Joseon monarchs as being unequivocally anti-Buddhist. However, this article examines the perspectives of several Joseon monarchs, such as Taejong (r. 1400–1418), Sejong (r. 1418–1450), Seongjong (r. 1469–1494), and Myeongjong (r. 1545–1567), on Buddhism as reflected in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty and other historical sources, revealing that the Confucian-Buddhist conflict in the Joseon was not limited to intellectual debates but extended to violent campaigns initiated by Confucian literati under the banner of“eradicating heterodoxy.”These movements sharply contrasted with the Ming and Qing dynasty’s contemporaneous embrace of the syncretic intellectual current of“three teachings in harmony.”When addressing these controversies, the aforementioned monarchs not only refrained from unconditionally siding with the Confucian literati but also intervened to protect Buddhist monks. They invoked arguments such as“monks are also subjects”to suppress the collective anti-Buddhist stance promoted by Confucian officials, thereby demonstrating monarchical authority through what can be characterized as“protecting monks while censuring Confucians.”These cases highlight the complexity and distinctiveness of Confucian-Buddhist conflicts in Joseon Korea.