中國 初期石窟에 나타난 法華信仰의 특징 -北魏時代를 중심으로-

Abstract

The Buddhism in China had been affected by the belief in the Lotus sutra in many ways. It is possible to find its marks on the statues of Sakyamuni and Maitreya. The Lotus sutra was the main idea of the belief in Maitreya. In the chaos of many wars during Sixteen Kingdoms by Five Clans of Barbarians, people had served the Buddhas of past, present and future praying for the Buddhist paradise. In Northern Wei Dynasty(386~534) who ruled over the northern China, the religious interest had focused on the succeeding Buddhas of former ones such as Sakyamuni and Maitreya. The earliest translation of the Lotus sutra by Zhufahu in AD 276 was the first official sutra about Lotus belief, though there had been other sutras having the part of its idea before. This sutra, perfectly supporting Lotus Buddhism, became the foundation of making statues and stupas. The Lotus sutra had been much influential since the Wonderful Truth of the Lotus Sutra(Saddharmapundarika) was translated by Kumarajiva in 406. The three Buddhas of past, present and future are indicated as Prabhutaratna-Sakyamuni-Maitreya in Lotus sutra. This distinctive idea had affected the Buddhism in China. The statues of Buddhas built in Yungang and Longmen caves shows the Buddhism in Northern Wei had been influenced by Lotus sutra. The way Buddhas’ statues arranged proves that they were built based on the Lotus sutra. The idea that Maitreya comes after Sakamuni was embodied in the way of placing Buddhas’ statues in caves. In evidence, the Maitreya statue is on the upper base, as the statue of Sakya-Prabhutaratna sitting together is placed on the middle base in the second excavated Yungang grotto. Also in Gaoyangdong of Longmen cave, in the shrines of both side, Sakyama statue is placed on the upper base and Maitreya statue crossing legs is placed on the middle base. The inscription for the caves also reveals that the arrangement of statues followed the order of Buddhas’ present. The belief in Maitreya was not only for reaching to the Tushita heaven after death but also for the present of Maitreya to save the world. People had searched for the paradise through serving both the last Buddha who had come in real world and the Buddha who will come in the future. It is possible to say that the religion during the Northern Wei period was realistic and mundane.