진언수행의 역사와 전개에 대한 고찰

Abstract

This paper examines through Mahayāna Buddhist scriptures and esoteric Buddhism scriptures how the mantra, which originated from the Brahmin rituals of India, was adopted, performed, and developed in Buddhism. In early Buddhism, Paritta was used to treat illness and remove poison. In the Mahayāna scriptures, protection and comfort were sought through the covering of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas by receiving and chantting the dhāraṇī of specific Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In early esoteric Buddhism scriptures, dhāraṇī and mantra are used interchangeably, and mantra practice gradually becomes ritualistic by combining dhāraṇī chanting and rituals. In the mid-period esoteric Buddhist scriptures, as the Sammilgwanbeop[三密觀法] with maṇḍala, mantra, and mudra was systematized, mantra was developed in the form of practicing seed syllables, that is, bīja mantra. These ‘bīja mantra’ later developed into ‘devatā mantra’ in later esoteric Buddhist scriptures. The practice of ‘bīja mantra’ was indispensable in uniting the practitioner and main buddha of the maṇḍala. In particular, in the Esoteric Buddhism scriptures, the practice of ‘devatā mantra’, which is performed to achieve specific purposes such as ākarṣaṇa[鉤召], śāntika[息災], abhicārika[調伏], vidveṣaṇa[離間], and vaśīkaraṇa[敬愛], can be said to be a prominent feature of the late Esoteric Buddhism era.