정토신앙에서 '회향'에 대하여

Abstract

Can the merit and virtue built up through praying lead to the rebirth into the Pure Land (往生) of others? It is a question of whether a person can transfer his/her own merit (善果) to others. The typical concept of offering merit and virtue others in Buddhist tradition is called the merit transference(廻向). It is also the core concept of the Mahayana Buddhism, which emphasizes the practice the Bodhisattva Path (菩薩道), and the Pure Land Belief, which relies on Amitabha’s original vow (本願), is also based on this merit transference. This study intended to discuss how merit transference is described specifically in the Pure Land Belief. It confirmed that the logic of prajna globe (般若空) and causal relation (緣起) is working as the basic doctrinal principle of the merit transference before examining the merit transference in the Pure Land Belief in earnest. It also confirmed the circular characteristic of the merit transference where the person, to whom the merit is transferred, re-transfer the merit to another through joy (隨喜). The sutra of the Pure Land Belief also emphasize the merit transference. Most of all, the 20th and the 22nd vows out of 48 vows mention merit transference. However, it emphasizes merit transference as one of the ways to be reborn into the Pure land unlike Prajna Sutra or Avatamsaka Sutra that emphasize merit transference as the prerequisite for the fulfillment of Buddha’s way. Merit transference becomes more concrete and systematized in the Pure Land Belief by high priests. Vasubandhu (世親, 400-480) emphasized the altruism in the Pure Land Belief by choosing the Gate of Merit Transference (廻向門) as one of the Five Gates of Recollection (五念門) that the followers of the Pure Land Belief shall practice. Damran (曇鸞, 476-542) succeeded to this and divided and systematized merit transference into Outgoing Merit Transfer (往相) and Returning Merit Transfer (還相) to complete the basic framework of the Pure Land Merit Transference. Dojak (道綽, 562-645) explained and emphasized the five virtues of the merit transference, and Sondo (善導, 613-681) succeeded to the view of merit transference of Damran, and so on and emphasized resolution (決定) and sincerity (眞實心) as the person who practices merit transference. Hounen (法然, 1133-1212) introduced the concept of non-merit transference (不迴向) and saw that the prayer already includes merit transference and is the right practice (正行) for non-merit transference and that miscellaneous practices (雜行) are in need of merit transference. Sinran (親鸞, 1173-1262) defined the main agent of merit transference as Amitabha (阿彌陀佛) for ordinary people cannot have such a lofty spirit as merit transference.