清帝國과 티베트 活佛 ― 쑴빠켄포의 사례로 본 清代 內陸아시아의 活佛制度 ―

초록

The reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhism (Tib. sprul sku) has played an important role not only religiously but also politically in the relationship between Tibet and its neighbors. During the Qing times too, the significance of the reincarnation system continued to increase due to many reasons such as Qing imperial family’s support for Tibetan Buddhism and Qing’s advance into Inner Asia. Former studies on the reincarnation system tended to analyze it mainly from the perspective of the central authorities of the Qing dynasty. This study, however, attempts to deal with the topic from a different angle by using Tibetan source materials. In so doing it is hoped that this study can contribute to more advanced understanding of Qing’s management of Inner Asia. The reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhism originated from concepts of Buddhism and became a means of political and economic succession in the Tibetan society from the thirteenth century. During the Qing times, the system gained its popularity throughout Inner Asian territories and its abuse and malfunction began to be criticized by authorities such as the Qianlong (乾隆) emperor in his Discourse on Tibetan Lamas (喇嘛說). Meanwhile, an autobiography of Sumpa Khenpo Yeshe Penjor (1704~1788), who was an incarnate lama himself and active participant in formation of the system, provides another side of details about the developmental aspects of the reincarnation system during the Qianlong times. In sum, local powers began to appropriate the reincarnation system for their own purpose at first, but it began to be taken away by the newly emerging authority of Mongol-Gelug alliance. After some self-purification efforts by Tibetan Buddhist figures, the system finally became under the umbrella of the Qing authority. This is one aspect of a historical development of Inner Asia during the Qing times that can be reconstructed only by Tibetan sources, materials that are abundant but still wait to be explored further.

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