산화(散花)·직심(直心)·좌주(座主)의 개념과 <도솔가(兜率歌)> 관련설화의 의미 고찰

Abstract

It has been common understanding that <Dosolga> was a ritualistic old korean folk song sung in the ceremony to remove strange incident of two sons appeared in the sky. Two sons are implications of a political phenomenon. The son means a king so it’s been understood that rebel forces to challenge the king appeared. As a result, <Dosolga> was concluded as the work containing political intent to prevent social unrest caused by forces to challenge the throne. Here question comes to mind that it was indeed the best way for the king of an area to surmount political and real difficulties caused by forces to challenge the throne by the ceremony of seeking and praying to the Maitreya Buddha. Hereupon, this paper is first focused on clarifying the concept of ‘sanhwa(散花)’, ‘jiksim(直心)’ and ‘jwaju(座主)’ to definitize “for whom”, “for what” and “how” the rite of <Dosolga> was held, and what kind of intent it had. According to it, <Dosolga> was understood as a written song with a intention to stabilize public unrest interpreting the real astronomical phenomenon of mock sun as the tensions of political realities. When there were extraordinary phenomena in the heavens, they made the high place in the middle that the Maitreya Buddha could settle strewing flowers into the air and asked the Maitreya Buddha’s sermon according to the teaching of the Patriots Scriptures. In other words, <Dosolga> was a Buddhist service oration to put the collective aspitations of people of Silla into for praying for national stability and safety with the Maitreya Budda in the high place of the center and other Buddhist saints arraying around when a Buddhist service to prevent a mishap that two sons could cause in an ere of King Gyeongdeok. Here flowers are offered as one of five offerings including incense, lamp, tea and fruits rather than offerings for service. Reflecting this and interpreting and paraphrasing <Dosolga>, it becomes Buddhist optative sentences like “Singing <Dosolga> right here today,/ you (to the Maitreya Buddha) hurriedly informing flowers (for offerings)./ Listing to (our) request of true and right-hearted mind /(making altar) stand with the Maitreya Buddha (in the center)!”