This study investigates the compilation, reprinting, authors and the structure of the Kōan collections. The collection records the statements and actions of eminent practitioners of Chán. Also known as the Blue Cliff Record(碧巖錄), it is a model text for instruction in the practice of Chán, a Buddhist meditation(看話禪). The meditations are presented through conversations between monks practicing asceticism. To examine the dissemination and acceptance of the Blue Cliff Record in Korea, this study compares and systematically analyzes the structure and bibliographic style of two existing editions of the text: the Eulyu metal type version (named for the year it was cast and printed) and a wood block printed version. The findings of the study are as follows:1) The deciples of the Chan Master Yuanwu have started collecting their master’s lectures on Chán Master Xuedou Chongxian’s Songgu baize(頌古百則) circa 1105. The notes taken by Yuanwu’s disciples were gathered and compiled as the Blue Cliff Record, and it was transcribed and widely disseminated in 1125. Depending on the lecture place, the manuscript of the Blue Cliff Record exist in three different kinds of versions, Seongdobon(成都本), Hyeopsanbon(夾山本), Dorimbon(道林本).
2) The Blue Cliff Record was printed and disseminated in 1128 for the first time before Yuanwu Keqin passed away. However, it was destroyed by Dahui Zonggao (1089-1163) who afraid of people’s obsession with the Buddhist text before the year 1163. It was reprinted by Jang Myeong Won of the Yuan Dynasty in 1300, 172 years after it was first published. Jang Myeong Won referred to the three different editions of the Blue Cliff Record: Manuscript[寫本], Seoldangganbon(雪堂刊本) and Chokbon(蜀本).
3) ‘Blue Cliff Record’ was not widely accepted during the Goryeo and the Joseon Dynasty, as the book was not translated into Korean by Gangyeongdogam(government office for publishing Korean-version Buddhist texts), and its explanatory verses or commentary were not published.
4) According to the study, the only difference between the newly introduced Simwon Temple version and the Eulyu Version of the Blue Cliff Record, lies in the style of bibliography, relating to two textual features, Gyeseon(界線) and ‘Heukku(黑口)’. Thus, the Simwon Temple version of the Blue Cliff Record may be considered a reprint of the Eulyu version, a national treasure.
5) The Eulyu version of the Blue Cliff Record consists of ten volumes and five books while the Simwon Temple version has four volumes and one book. The former contains all 100 Kōan, while the latter contains only 40 koan, from 1 to 40. This shows that the Simwon Temple version of the Blue Cliff Record is not a condensed version of the Eulyu text.
6) With the publication of a Korean version of the Blue Cliff Record in around 1990, the popularity of ‘Blue Cliff Record’ is a relatively recent phenomenon.