신라 신문왕의 조장지(厝葬址)와 전 황복사지 석탑: 전 황복사지 석탑 사리함기의 ‘조(厝)’ 기록 검토

Abstract

In the inscription of the śarīra container discovered from the three-story stone pagoda of the temple site known as Hwangbok-sa in 1942, the character ‘ ’ has been deciphered as either “jo (厝)” or “myo (廟).” However, through the recent use of cutting-edge optical equipment to photograph the inscription, it was confirmed that the character ‘ ’ is an alternative form of “jo”. Additionally, reading “jo” is more smoothly interpreted in context than reading “myo”. The character “jo” refers to a shallow, temporary burial before the main burial, so it was determined that a temporary burial of King Sinmun (r. 681-692) was held within the temple site known as Hwangbok-sa. Therefore, the previous interpretation, which read “myo” and believed that the Royal Ancestral Shrine of Silla was built in the temple known as Hwangbok-sa, has lost its basis. During the Three Kingdoms period, temporary burial was a common funeral practice among the ruling class, regardless of whether they were from the royal family, nobility, or monks. However, there is some difference in that it took place for three years in Goguryeo and Baekje, while it did for one year in Silla. If King Sinmun’s temporary burial service was held in a temple known as Hwangbok-sa, and this was recorded on the śarīra container inscription from the pagoda, it is very likely that the site where the current stone pagoda stands was the site of a temporary burial ceremony that took place one year before King Sinmun’s main funeral. This case, where a temporary burial service was held within the temple and a pagoda was built in its place, is related to Buddhist beliefs about the pagoda, such as the Su- tra on the Benefits of Building Stu-pas and the Raśmi Vimala Viśuddha Prabhā Dhāranī Sūtra, as well as traditional burial customs of temporary burial. The Sūtra on the Benefits of Building Stu-pas, translated into Chinese in 680 by Divākara (612/613-687) of Tang China and Woncheuk (613-696) of Silla, influenced the first construction of the stone pagoda at the temple known as Hwangbok-sa between 693 and 700. In addition, theRaśmi Vimala Viśuddha Prabhā Dhāranī Sūtra, translated into Chinese around 704-5 by Mituoshan (fl. 690-704) of Tang, was directly related to the repair of the stone pagoda carried out in 706. The combination of traditional funeral practices, including burial, and Buddhist funeral practices, such as stūpas, can be seen in the form of the combination of the pagoda and the coffin, such as the tomb of Master Shenhui (684-758) of Tang, the tomb of Princess Jeonghyo (757-792) of Balhae, and the tomb of Master Doseon (827-898) of Unified Silla. The combination of the temporary burial site and the pagoda, as in the case of the pagoda in the temple known as Hwangbok-sa, is a very unique case. Through the record of “jo” on the inscription of the śarīra container from the pagoda of the temple site known as Hwangbok-sa, the possibility of temporary burial within the temple in Silla society was confirmed. And it was also confirmed that the belief in the benefits of building and repairing pagodas was introduced into Silla and became popular in the 8th century. In other words, the pagoda of the temple site known as Hwangbok-sa is a clear example of the combination of Silla’s traditional funeral customs and Buddhist funeral culture.