간화선은 대혜 종고 시기에 문자선과 묵조사선의 폐해로 인해, 제대로 된 수행법을 선보이겠다는 대혜 종고 자신의 수행행로에 따라 대오각성의 계기가 된 화두 참구 수행법이었다. 간화선을 통해 정치적으로나 사회적으로 송대 사회를 이끌던 당시의 지도자 계층인 사대부들에게 교화를 펼쳤다. 이러한 간화선은 대혜 종고가 창안한 것이 아니라, 대혜 종고 자신도 스승인 원오극근으로부터 지도받은 것이었고, 원오 극근 또한 그의 스승 오조 법연으로부터 지도받은 수행법이었으며, 위로 거슬러 당대(唐代) 선사들의 수행법이기도 하였음을 『벽암록』을 통해 확인하였다. 다만, 대혜 종고 시기에 승속을 불문하고 사회적으로 불교의 선어록을 열람하고 선을 수행하던 분위기에 따라 선을 알음알이로 이해하려는 문자선의 만연으로 인해 간화선을 다시금 현창하였고, 한편에서 유행하던 묵조사선의 폐해에 의해 간화선 수행법과 사상을 올바르게 정립하였던 것이다. 그래서 본 논고에서는, 간화선은 대혜 종고가 창안한 것이 아니라 더욱더 현창하고 정립한 것이기 때문에 간화선 창안설에 대한 문제제기로서 제언하는 것이다. 『벽암록』을 통해 화두와 공안의 개념을 살펴보고 공안선과 간화선의 정의를 고찰함으로써 당대(唐代) 시기에도 간화선 수행이 엄연히 존재하였음을 확인하였다.

Ganhwa Seon was a method of carrying out investigation of hwadu(話頭; Key-phrase) which triggered Great enlightenment in accordance with Dahui Zonggao’s own practice way of showing proper performance due to the harmful effects of the Munja Seon(文字禪; Literary Seon) and Mukjo Seon(黙照禪; Silent illumination Seon) during the period of Dahui Zonggao, and was used to educate the nobility, the leaders of the time who led the Song Dynasty society politically and socially through the Ganhwa Seon. It was confirmed in the Biyan-lu(碧巖錄; The Blue Cliff Record) that Dahui Zonggao was not invented by Dahui Zonggao, but that Dahui Zonggao himself was guided by his Seon master Yuanwu Keqin(圓悟克勤; 1063-1135), and that Yuanwu Keqin was also guided by his Seon master Wuzu Fayan(五祖法演; 1024-1104), and that the Ganhwa Seon became the practice of many Seon master as it went up. However, during the period of the Dahui Zonggao’s reign, the social atmosphere, was used to read the Buddhist scriptures and perform good deeds, along with the widespread use of Munja Seon to understand the good as well as the harmful effects of Wrong Mukjo Seon, which was popular in the past, to re-emerge the practice method and idea of Ganhwa Seon and was also established. Therefore, this thesis argues that Ganhwa Seon was not invented by Dahui Zonggao, but was revealed and established, and suggests as a raising question of Dahui Zonggao’s invention of the Ganhwa Seon. This trend of Ganhwa Seon has enriched the history of Seon school of China, and the Seon veins of the Linjiyixuan(臨濟義玄; ？-867) continued to flow and bloom in Korea. By examining the concept of Hwadu and Gong-an and considering the definition of Gong-an Seon and Ganhwa Seon, Biyan-lu(碧巖錄) confirmed that the performance of simplified ships existed even during the Tang dynasty.