『석보상절』의 기원정사 인연담에 관한 고찰

Abstract

The paper aims at studying the differences and developments in the story of Sudatta's building the Jetavana vihāra among the Buddhacarita, the early translated Sūtras in Chinese and Seokbosangjeol which is the first Korean Sūtra about the Buddha Life. There are great differences between the early Buddha stories and later ones. That's because there appeared worship and bhakti for Buddha and the tales were developed long after the Buddha's Mahāparinirvāna. And the age to which Sūtras belong and the cultural situation seem to have brought about these changes. What was represented realistic and historical in Buddhacarita changed and early Chinese-translated Sūtras came to contain new contents like door-god tale and add the explanation of Buddhistic words. Here the door-god, lighting the road, took a role to encourage for Sudal to reach the place where Buddha stayed. Moreover in case of Seokbosangjeol its tales and content expanded and enlarged, containing the story about competing between Śariputra and heretics and ant's story, etc. The doctrine in Buddhacarita was expanded in early Chinese-translated Sūtras such as the merit of dāna + precept = heaven-born state to that of dāna + precept + conversion to Buddhism = heaven-born state. And Seokbosangjeol took the more developed form than early Chinese-translated Sūtras. Not only did it include literary modification but also substituted it the concepts of Buddha and the monks for the transcendental ones. Eventually the doctrine oriented way in Buddhacarita turned into the tale oriented one like Seokbosangjeol. These narratives made Seokbosangjeol what emphasizes people to accumulate good karma. Its main purpose lies in letting people convert to three jewels(三寶). Vihāra in Buddhacarita and early translated Sūtras in Chinese appeared as a place in which monks practiced but that of Seokbosangjeol changed into a place where laymen were preached and converted to Buddhism.