백제 미륵사지 3탑3금당에 대한 고찰

Abstract

Baekje's 7th century temple Mireuksa consists of three districts, each containing a tower and a hall. It is possible that three Buddha statues of different themes, rather than various Bodhisattvas, were worshipped. This is because each of the triple halls corresponds to each tower. The present study investigated the meaning of the triple structure from the viewpoint of Baekje which is raised since the discovery of Sarira Reliquaries from Mireuksa temple site. First, there is a clear rule with the triple districts in ancient temples. In ancient/ medieval Chinese temples, there were a front tower and the main hall, where the Buddha was worshipped. In the era of Sui/Tang dynasties, multi-temple and multi-hall structures were emerged. It reflects the development of Buddhist thought and the diversification of the objects of faith. It also reflects Buddhist world view on the time and space of the three worlds. In the second half of the 6th century and the beginning of the 7th century, the placement of three districts was common in major temples in Goguryeo, Silla, and Japan. In the document accompanying Sarira Reliquaries from Mireuksa temple site, it was recorded that the queen of Sataek enshrined Buddha's bones inside of the west tower in year 639. It was also expressed that the donor wished the eternality of the wished, and furthermore wished for all people to achieve Buddhahood. Nonetheless, this interpretation is contradicted to a folk story associated with the foundation of the temple. The folk story indicated the presence of Silla kingdom and Maitreya’s three assemblies of Yonghwa. Because the Mireuksa temple was still operated as a large temple in the Unified Silla period, the exaggeration of narratives seems inevitable and the historicalization of the narratives also seems possible. As is well known, the structure of a multilayered world of Mahayana Buddhism is supported by the unified space-time awareness and associated rules, but not by three iterations of a single world. The trends of Buddhism in the late Baekje period were characterized by sincerity, trinitarianism, legalization, and practical Maitreya Buddhism. It is rational to interpret that worship in Baekje Mireuksa was based on the recognition of the three types of Buddhism based on the universality of Buddhism rather than the microscopic Maitreya religion of the three assemblies of Yonghwa. When analyzed, Mireuksa’s west and east districts were linked to the reality of the experienced world. The west district was the space of Buddha, the root cause. The east district was the space for Buddha's past, corresponding to the proof of the truth. The central district is a special space of future Buddha. In conclusion, the application of the concept of three-spaces and three Buddhas in temple Mireuksa would indicate a wish for the golden age of the future that can be brought by the past and present. It ultimately means the immortal peacefulness, wished to be accomplished in Baekje by the lasting power of the Buddha.