의정 세예법(義淨洗穢法)의 성립과 규범 구조 - 세정법(洗淨法)과의 문헌 비교를 중심으로 -

초록

This study aims to reexamine the formation and normative structure of the so-called “Yijing’s post-defecation purification practice” (Yijing xihui fa, 義淨洗穢法) based on the record in the Song gaoseng zhuan (宋高僧傳), “Biography of Uisang (義湘傳),” which states: “He always practiced Yijing’s cleansing method, not using cloth or towel, and only concluding it after natural drying” (義淨洗穢法 不用巾帨 立期乾燥而止). Particular attention is given to the fact that the term “Yijing’s post-defecation purification practice” does not appear in Yijing’s own writings, and thus previous interpretations that regard it as an independent monastic rule are critically reexamined. First, through a comparative analysis of Vinaya texts and Yijing-related literature, this study demonstrates that xihui (洗穢, removal of impurity) and xijing (洗淨, purification) are not distinct practices but refer to the same post-defecation cleansing act, functioning as synonymous terms within different textual traditions. Furthermore, a comparison of the cleansing regulations in the Xingshichao (行事鈔), Nanhai jigui neifa zhuan (南海寄歸內法傳), and Shuozui yaoxing fa (說罪要行法) reveals that the same practice was reconfigured into different normative structures according to distinct transmission lineages. While the Nanshan Vinaya tradition interprets cleansing as a practical act focused on removing impurity and permits wiping as a supplementary measure, the Yijing tradition emphasizes repeated cleansing with water and earth to achieve purity, explicitly excluding wiping and thereby defining cleansing itself as a complete Vinaya practice. In this context, the phrase “not using cloth or towel and concluding after natural drying” is interpreted as a rule that excludes wiping after cleansing and establishes natural drying as the criterion for completion. This indicates that cleansing was not merely a hygienic act but was structured as a prerequisite for religious practice. In conclusion, the so-called “Yijing’s post-defecation purification practice” should not be understood as an independent Vinaya category, but rather as a later designation that emerged when Yijing’s concept of purification (xijing) was rearticulated within the Nanshan Vinaya tradition using the term xihui. This study thus proposes an analytical framework for understanding how the East Asian Buddhist Vinaya system was formed through processes of terminological transformation and normative reconstruction.

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