일요법회 의례 한글화 시론

Abstract

The importance of rituals is tremendous in religion, and Buddhism is no exception. Throughout the history of Korean Buddhism, Buddhist monks who recognized the significance of rituals have adjusted and maintained formalities of Buddhist rituals, which have been maintained up to this day. However, as Hangul has become the common orthography departing from the old custom of using Chinese characters in documents, Korean Buddhism has confronted various problems in its rituals. First of all, since rituals are closely related to music, simply translating Chinese characters into Korean cannot solve the problem. Still, composing new ritual phrases in Korean while discarding the tradition cannot offer a solution either. Secondly, in traditional ceremonies, the ritual of “Offering to Buddha” is carefully organized whereas the practice of “Buddhist Preaching” for the public was not considered a part of the ceremony. Yet, in the Buddhist culture of today’s society, the necessity for “Buddhist Preaching” to the public has arisen. In this essay, I attempt to suggest reforms and rearrangements in rituals that can accord with the needs of this era of Hangul more effectively, while still respecting tradition – a ritual in which both “Offering to Buddha” and “Buddhist Preaching” can be served. Adopting the “Calling on the Three Treasures,” Sambotongcheong” as the basis of the service, the ritual of “Buddhist Preaching” is added, all translated and revised in Korean.