한국 고대불교의 ⾏⾹ 의례 연구 - 동시대 중국불교와의 비교를 중심으로

Abstract

This paper examines the procedures, composition, and historical background of the incense offering ritual of ancient Korean Buddhism, centered on Silla, and the incense burner as an offering tool from a historical and literary perspective. The purpose of burning incense in general Buddhist rituals, including ceremonial and practice methods, is firstly to express respect during the ceremonial process of inviting the Buddha and Bodhisattva; secondly, to elevate the religious atmosphere of the ritual and enhance faith; and thirdly, to prove the merit of the donor who covered the cost of the Buddhist ceremony. ‘Hanghyang (⾏⾹)’ is a ritualistic result that actively applied the function and meaning of incense to rituals, practices, and missionary work since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The practice of walking around a pagoda or Buddha statue while holding an incense burner and circling it are closely related to each other. When performing a ritual of circling a Buddha statue within a Dharma hall in Buddhist temple, one would hold an incense burner made to be held in one's hand and circle to the right of the statue. In general, since the practice of incense (Haenghyang; ⾏⾹) is based on the practice of walking (Haengdo; ⾏ 道), it can be seen that the incense burner, which is a tool for burning incense, was also a walking burner (Haengro; ⾏爐) that was easy for practitioners to operate. In Chinese Buddhism, the practice of paying respects to ancestors was introduced as a temple ritual during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Later, in Korean Buddhism, the practice of paying respects to ancestors was also observed in individual ceremonies, as well as in ceremonies for the repose of the deceased and in Buddhist ceremonies held as national ceremonies. In the case of Korea, there are records in the ‘TapSang’ section of the Samguk Yusa that suggest that a rite of Haenghyang related to the offering of Buddhist relics was performed. This can be said to be a record that suggests that, as in China, in Korean Buddhism, the Buddhist relics offering and the Haenghyang rites were intertwined. According to Ennin's ‘Pilgrimage to Seek the Dharma (入唐求法巡禮⾏記)’, a banseung (飯僧) and haenghyang rite is held together, offering meals to all the monks who participated in the dharma assembly. Likewise, in the case of Hwangryongsa Temple in Gyeongju, the king's Haenghyang and a banseung for 300 Seon-monks were held together in the Baekgojwahoe (百高座會). In China, the national memorial rite for the deceased (國忌⾏⾹) refers to a ceremony held at temples on the anniversary of the death of the imperial family, and a visit to Haenghyang by government officials. In the case of this 國忌⾏⾹ rite, although there are few records or traces of relics related to it in contemporary Korean Buddhism, Judging from the basic concept of the ritual, it is highly probable that it was performed at a national temple such as Hwangryongsa Temple.