현행『천수경』에 나타난 신앙형태와 참회사상

Abstract

Today “the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara sutra”(『千手經』) is one of the most popular sutra in Korean Buddhism. That’s because of Repentance Thought and mantra of repentance. This paper searches the meaning and characteristics of Repentance Thought in the current “the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara sutra”(『千手經』). Its real significance lies in the idea that the extinction of karma is awakening, and it can be reached by removing one’s mental remnants. As a result, “the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara sutra”(『千手經』) emphasizes religious reliance upon others by counsel. But on the other side, it emphasizes one’s own efforts, too. While repentance is central, sentient beings are expected to learn ti-sikkha (三學) by themselves and pursue Buddha’s teachings in their aspiration for Buddhahood. Then The result of repentance in the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara sutra (『千手經』) is realization of one’s own mind like in Zen practice. So the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara sutra is the sutra of enlightenment. Thus the fulfillment of repentance, as in Zen practice, has two ways of sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment. So the Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara sutra is based on sacham (事懺) and icham (理懺)’s dual structure and join together the positions of origin and reality in sudden enlightenment (頓悟) and gradual practice (漸修). Thus, it has the same way of Buddhist practice as in the Prajna (般若), the Avatamska (華嚴), and the Zen practice.