대한불교관음종의 종헌 변천 연구: 종무권한 분석을 중심으로

초록

The Constitutional Law of the Korean Buddhist Kwan-um Order was first established on December 8, 1965, and has since been amended four times. The initial Constitutional Law was titled <The Constitutional Law of Bul-ip Order>. Subsequently, amendments were made in 1972, 1979, 1988, and 2003. The current Constitutional Law is the version revised in 2003, now titled <The Constitutional Law of Korean Buddhist Kwan-um Order>. This paper analyzes the changes in the authority of religious affairs within the Korean Buddhist Kwan-um Order from the original Constitutional Law to the current one. The key aspect of these changes lies in the shift of authority over religious affairs between the Supreme Patriarch and the Administrative Head. In the structure of the authority of religious affairs under the initial Constitutional Law, the Supreme Patriarch held full control over the financial and personnel matters of the order, establishing a powerful "Supreme Patriarch-centered system." The Supreme Patriarch exercised authority over the entire central structure, including the Administrative Headquarters (executive branch), the Assembly (legislative branch), and the Judicial Council (judicial branch). However, from the initial Constitutional Law to the current version, the rights of temple founders and abbots at local temples have been actively guaranteed. This paper analyzes the authority of religious affairs held by the Supreme Patriarch and the Administrative Head at both central and local levels. the first Supreme Patriarch was Taeheo Hongseon (太虛 弘宣, 1905-1979), the representative of the order with a guaranteed lifelong term. Since he was the founder of the order, it is believed that this strong Supreme Patriarch-centered system was made possible. Since the death of Taeheo Hongseon in 1979, the term of office for the Supreme Patriarch has gradually been reduced from a lifelong tenure to terms of 10-year renewable, then 10 year non-renewable, and finally 5 year renewable. Additionally, the role of the Supreme Patriarch has shifted from being a sovereign authority with substantial authority over religious affairs to a symbolic figure inheriting the lineage. In contrast, the Administrative Head has evolved from merely representing the Administrative Headquarters to becoming the representative of the entire order. This change originates from the establishment of the Korean Buddhist Kwan-um Order Foundation, where the financial authority of the order was transferred from the Supreme Patriarch to the Administrative Head. Following Taeheo Hongseon’s death, the Korean Buddhist Kwan-um Order Foundation was established, making the Administrative Head the ex officio chairman and transferring the property rights of the order from the Supreme Patriarch to the foundation.

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