고구려 불교의 의례와 신앙관행을 상상하며

Abstract

Due to the scarcity of extant source materials, the ritual and devotional practices of Koguryŏ Buddhism cannot be known in any great detail, but they probably had much in common with those practiced in Northern China. Merit-making rituals like the Convocation for the Recitation of the Sūtra for Humane Kings and Assembly of the Eight Prohibitions show the relevance of the poṣadha in Buddhist communities and suggest a host of devotional practices associated with observing the practices. Extant images allude to the importance of the cults of the thousand buddhas, Maitreya, and Amitāyus. Inscriptions indicate that rebirth in Tuṣita Heaven was an important goal for Buddhist monks and laity, as well as rebirth on the earth in the distant future when Maitreya comes. Buddhist literature describes the devotional practice of meditation visualization, a way of using pensive images to aspire for rebirth in Tuṣita Heaven in the presence of Maitreya.

Keywords

• Buddhism—Koguryŏ
• Buddhism—rituals
• Buddhism—devotional practices
• Maitreya
• Amitābha
• Thousand Buddhas
• Visualization Meditation
• Buddhist art—Koguryŏ