『만덕사지』는 만덕사(백련사)와 관련된 일련의 사실들을 면밀한 고증을 통해 찬술하였다. 다산은 사지 전권을 감정하는 소임을 맡았고, 그와 사제의 인연을 맺었던 아암 혜장을 비롯한 그의 제자들이 편집과 교정을 맡았다. 다산은 유배시기 동안 강진에서 그들과 폭넓은 교유를 가졌고, 학문을 가르친 스승이기도 하였다. 그 영향은 사지찬술에까지 이어졌다. 강목체로 구성되어 있고, 찬술방식 역시 일반사의 그것과 차이가 없다. 찬자들은 한국불교사에서 대표적인 신앙결사였던 고려 중후기 백련결사의 인물들을 중심으로 찬술하였다. 그들은 흩어진 기록들을 광범위하게 수집하여 불교사적 의미를 밝혔다. 오랜 시간이 흘러 수집이 용이하지 않았고, 불교에 대한 탄압과 소외는 여전하였지만, 불교사 복원과 만덕사의 역사적 가치를 강조하는데 소홀하지 않았다. 그들은 고려시대 자료에 대한 오류를 바로잡았고, 사라질 위기에 처한 자료를 수록하여 보존하고자 하였다. 찬자들은 동시대의 만덕사가 지닌 위상과 가치 역시 강조하였다. 그들이 찬술했던 조선시대 만덕사의 8대사는 조선후기 불교계에 유행했던 선교학의 대가들이었다. 8대사는 소요 태능의 문손들로 청허 휴정의 의발을 전수받은 이후 선교학의 종원임을 표방하고자 했던 대흥사의 종사나 강사로 손꼽히는 이들도 있었다. 『만덕사지』는 취여 삼우가 조선후기 만덕사를 중흥시킨 인물로 평가하고 있다. 수백 명의 대중들이 그의 화엄학 강의를 듣고자 운집했다고 한다. 그 가운데는 글을 몰랐던 화악 문신도 있었다고 한다. 이후 만덕사는 중흥의 기틀을 마련하였고 선교학에 조에가 깊은 승려들이 배출되었다. 비록 조선시대의 만덕사는 대흥사보다는 그 사세가 크게 낙후되었지만, 걸출한 인물들의 배출은 뒤지지 않았다. 그러므로 대흥사가 선교학의 종원을 표방한 것은 만덕사 승려들의 기여 또한 적지 않았음을 의미한다. 결국 『만덕사지』의 편찬은 전란이후 자주적 역사인식과 편찬의 소산물이라고 할 수 있다. 자국사에 대한 독자적 인식과 정체성 강조는 우리나라 불교사에 대한 적극적 인식으로 이어져 광범위한 자료수집과 면밀한 고증을 거쳐 객관적 찬술을 시도한 것이다. 이것은 탄압과 소외로 망실된 불교사를 복원하는 역사적 의의도 지니고 있다.
Mandeuksaji(『萬德寺志』) was the Documentaries into which Dasan(茶山, Chong Yagyong) compiled a series of historical facts about Mandeuksa temple, alias Baekryunsa(白蓮寺, temple), through his reliable and closed ascertainment of historical research in connection with the temple. While Dasan played a role of fair and cautious supervisor on the whole book, his pupils and followers, including the priest A-am Hae-jang(兒菴 惠藏), edited and revised the Documentaries. During his periods of exile and demotion, Dasan cultivated close friendship with them, and led them to promote several studies at the Ganjin(康津). The after-effects of such a intimate friendship between Dasan and them or such their developmental scholarship caused the compilation of Mandeuksaji, finally. Mandeuksaji was consisted of Annotated Account. Accordingly, there is no difference between the documentaries and a general historical book in editing or compiling form. Editors by Whom Mandeuksa was written, focused on several participants who took part in BaekryunGulsa(association of White Lotus) through the whole Korean Buddhist History during the middle and latter period of Goryeo Dynasty. They gathered historical sources, which had scattered far and wide, and sought to find and interpret the hidden meaning of Korea buddhist history. Although it was uneasy for the editors to gather historical material or source about Mandeuksa, as well as there is suppression of Choson Dynasty on Buddhism at those day, these not only were remiss in their duty, but also continually put great emphasis upon the restoration of Buddhist history and the historical prestige of Mandeuksaji. Futhermore, they not only corrected historical inaccuracies of the Goryeo Dynasty, but also tried to preserve historical material which might slowly faded into dark age from its loss. In addition to such activities, they placed stress on the contemporary prestige and value, which Mandeuksa held at those day. Finally, they recorded 8 great monks of Mandeuksa in the temple historical documentaries, who were the most typical monks of predominant Zen sect and Doctrinism of Buddhism in the late Choson Dynasty. 8 great monks were scholar monks inheriting the Buddhistic tradition and Buddhahood from Soyo Taeneung(逍遙 太能), and upon their receipt of ChungHeo(淸虛)’s and Hyujong(休靜)’s mantle, they played the role in lecturer or instructor of Daeheungsa(大興寺) temple. For example Mandeuksaji was recorded that monk who was called Chui-yeo Sam-woo(醉如 三愚) devoted one´s life to the restoration of Mandeuksa during the late Choson Dynasty. Mandeuksaji revealed that a good many people swarmed over at the temple site in order to attend Chuiyeo’ lecture about of Huayan thought(華嚴學). Especially, an illiterate monk who was called Huha-Ak MunShin(華嶽 文信) attended at lecture site of the temple. With Going through a series of developmental process, Mandeuksa laid the revival groundwork and produced many monk who have distinguished scholarship in relation to Zen sect and Doctrinism of Buddhism. Although Mandeuksa’s power was not up to Daeheungsa’s in the Choson Dynasty, the figure of distinguished monks who the former produced did not lag behind the latter’s. Eventually, It seemed to me that the writing and editing of Mandeuksaji was the outcome of historical understanding, which was willing to show the self-reliant and autonomous awareness by them. The self-reliant ideal type of Korean history and expression of its identity out which writer and editor sought led into aggressive awareness of Korean Buddhist history, so that they could try to collect material broadly, embark oneself in detailed evaluations, and write or edit the objective temple history. It appeared to me that Mandeuksaji(『萬德寺志』) have made a significant contribution toward revivalism in view of “forgotten Buddhist history”, which underwent the sense of oppression and alienation from Choson Dynasty.