통도사 백련암의 <아미타여래도>와 萬日會

Abstract

Since the founding of the manilhoe in the late 19th century, Baekryeonam atTongdosa Temple has served as a place for ascetic practices for famousBuddhist monks in modern times. The painting of the Amitabha Buddhahoused in Baekryeonam was produced in 1864 in Baekryeonam. It reflects thereligious trends of the era in relation to the manilhoe. This article corrects theyear of production of the Amitabha Buddha painting in Baekryeonam throughan analysis of the text written in the painting. Though in the past, theAmitabha Buddha painting was known to have portrayed the SakyamuniBuddha, this article takes a renewed look at the painting as portraying theAmitabha Buddha on a few grounds. To begin with, the image of the sun inthe screen are deemed to have taken their cue from the essence of the paintingof the Pureland of the Amitabha Buddha produced in Gyeongsang-do. Thehangmain (earth-witness gesture; bhumisparsa mudra) posture of the Buddhaalso shows that Buddhist monk painters in 19th-century Gyeongsang-do oftendepicted the hand gesture characteristic of the Amitabha Buddha. Since mostBuddhist paintings produced in relation to the manilhoe were created on thebasis of the Amitabha faith, the painting in Baekryeonam might well be recognized as a painting of the Amitabha Buddha. This Buddhist painting inBaekryeonam, Tongdosa, produced after the construction of the Buddhistsanctuary in the late 19th century, is of great significance because it is a faithfulreflection of the local features of Gyongsang-do and characteristics of the era inits symbols and painting style. Indeed, the painting was created by HaeunEungsang, a leading monk painter at Sabulsan, who was active in the northern region of Gyeongsang-do and produced many Buddhist paintings, on the basisof the symbols and style passed down in the region. Moreover, this article willhopefully help elucidate the establishment of the manilhoe and trends in theproduction of Buddhist paintings of the era.