도솔가에 나타난 미륵신앙

Abstract

Hyangga “Tosolga” and its related stories should be read in terms of Maitreya Buddhism to grasp its accurate meanings and functions. “Tosolga” was sung by Ven. Wolmyeong to eliminate the “two suns” in the sky which symbolize celestial disorder. “Two suns” have been explained as indicating conflicts between King and anti- King groups. However, it should be carefully re-examined in terms of political situation of King Kyeongdeok’s period, which was extremely unstable because of natural disasters and powers against the king. “Two suns in the sky” must be interpreted as referring to the king and his son. King Kyeongdeok was regarded as Maitreya Budda, reinforcing kingship on the base of the idea that the king is equal to Maitreya. His son, who was begot by divine will, was represented as an another sun. His son, later became the King Hyekong, was also regarded as a divine little boy, a descendant of Maitreya. Meaningful and thoughtful solutions were suggested by Ven. Weolmyeong in his “Tosolga”. He had been a member of Kukseon, which was regarded as the society of the elites who embodied Maitreya. In the song, he prayed for consolidation of the king and the prince. The poetic words are straight, gentle and dignified, implying the right attitude toward Maitreya as a king. He also had noticed that the power of Hyangga came from native Korean language. In addition to all of these qualities, he managed to know the method of solving political problems in those days. “Tosolga” and its circumstances were interweaved in a very delicate way. A rudimentary solution was exposed upon basis of Maitreya religion. As a result, the song carried the hope for fortification of kingly power and an optimistic way of resolving confliction.