염불신앙을 통한 현대재가불자의 가피사례 연구‒ 관음신앙을 중심으로 ‒

Abstract

It is a matter of course that invoking the name of Amitabha has been passed down as representative of the Buddhist invocations. However, invoking the name of Sakyamuni Buddha is also a Buddhist invocation, as well as invoking the name of Maitreya Buddha or the names of All the past and present and future Buddhas, in addition to the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara or the names of Buddhist sutras. In the end, all the Buddhist invocations, even if their scope is wide and large, come to the category of the Buddha. Therefore, invoking the name of all the Buddhas is a religious practice memorizing the Buddha in mind and remembering him carefully. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the Buddhist invocation through the Avalokiteśvara Cult as a type of Gapi (加被) among modern Lay Buddhists in contemporary Korean Buddhism in order to presenting a desirable example in the Buddha Chanting. The author analyzes his own survey of Buddhist activities and recordings of Buddhist personal experiences. As a result, in the modern Lay Buddhists’ Buddhist activities, he could find their similarity with the Buddhist activities in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (三國遺事). He could also confirm what types of Gapi by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appear in the Buddhist invocation activities. Especially, in the Avalokiteśvara Cult that is most closely related to the real relief of Buddhists, a very clear tendency is revealed. In other words, through an inspirational experience, which reflects a direct image of Gapi, the Buddhist invocation has been universally established as a universal practice, the essays of Buddhist personal experiences functioning as another means for the propagation of Buddhist teachings. However, it is also undeniable that the Gapi by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is overemphasized to have miraculous effects. In this context, the correct Buddhist invocation should be reminded to be not just for deliverance of all sentient being from immediate sufferings, but to be also ultimately a stepping stone in the practice toward Buddhist enlightenment.