The purpose of this article is to examine the different topography and methodologies of Buddhist philosophy as part of the greater field of philosophy in order to explore the future of Buddhist Studies as the essence of the humanities. In the past, Philosophy, the flower of all studies, was relegated to the status of feudal lord while related fields such as aesthetics, ethics, religious study, etc. were distributed as the fiefs. Philosophy has also entereda crisis period similar to the modern decline of the humanities at universities . However, the crisis facing philosophy can be seen as an opportunity depending on the mindset. Then, how can the realm of philosophy, which distributed its territory to related studies, become territorialized again? The answer may lie in the restoration of desperateness as a way to rekindle the love of wisdom by starting with the fundamental ideas of philosophy. The same is true for Buddhist philosophy as part of philosophy. We should restore and promote the desperate attitudes of Beomcheon (梵天) who strived to gain insight into Jungdohaeng (中道行 Middle Way) and Yeongibeop (緣起法 law of causality) after the Buddha hesitated to preach following his enlightenment. For that, the precondition is the constant pursuit and learning topography and methodologies of Buddhist philosophy as part of philosophy. We need to ask and learn about Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy with a renewed mind by sticking to the globally adopted principle of 5W1H (who, what, where, when, why, how), on the basis of general philosophy classified largely into Western philosophy, Indian philosophy, and Chinese philosophy. Then, we will be able to discuss and 철학으로서 불교철학의 지형과 방법 / 고영섭 119 communicate more effectively through extensive inquiry about subject theory corresponding to existentialism of Western philosophy which is regarded as the universal language of Korea’s information-based society, theory of human nature corresponding to epistemology, and discipline theory corresponding to the theory of value. By doing so, we can reexamine the foundation of Buddhism and contemplate the roots of Buddhist philosophy. As Bunghwang Wonhyo (617~686) suggested, learning is the mission and duty of the person who is learning. Those who pursue learning, the abstruse meaning of scriptures containing the profound thoughts of Tathagata, should open the scripture and explore the meaning of Tripitaka with intense vigor. To explore the meaning of this literature, i.e., Tripitaka, we should develop a profound understanding of literary methodologies and apply a broad hermeneutical approach to understanding the true meaning of the literature. Learning is the mission and duty of the person pursuing the Tao. The person pursuing the Tao seeks to return to the foundation of single-mindedness after passing through various mental boundaries and obstacles. To pass through these various boundaries, self-reflection is a prerequisite. Self-reflection is based on the profound understanding of literature, which is based on learning and the broad interpretation of literature. Thus, there should be no pursuit of Tao without the pursuit of learning. As learning is the constant process of inquiry and acquiring knowledge, we can learn extensively by asking questions in detail. Those who pursue Tao are philosophers. If philosophy is the pursuit of learning, then philosophy represents the pursuit of Tao. Tao is the way of those living and enjoying by this way. As philosophy is the love of wisdom and learning is the process of asking and learning, we should pursue learning to follow the true path of Tao. We can climb to the path of Tao with deep insight into Application Study and Practical Study only when we become followers of the Tao who are well acquainted with literature and hermeneutics. Therefore, the topography and methodology of Buddhist 120 한국불교학 77 Philosophy are two sides of the same coin and two sides of the same hand. Application Study will naturally lead to Practical Study when we realize that the two sides of the same coin and the two sides of the same hand which we see and touch every day are not two inseparable parts.