중국에 전래된 불교 윤회설이 갖는 의미

Abstract

Research into Chinese Buddhism holds significance due to the fact thatit had a substantial impact on the lives of Chinese people throughout its entire history. Buddhism was first introduced in China as a religion championed by an ethnic minority or as a religious practice similar to Bhangi. As such it was not welcomed unconditionally by the Chinese people. In particular, Confucianism, which put morality above all else, emphasized ethics. This, the introduction of Buddhism in China led to extreme opposition against Buddhism and anti-Buddhism theories by some Confucian and Taoist scholars. Despite the opposition, however, Buddhist text, ceremonies, and philosophies were infiltrating the public mind in worldly ways and throughout their daily lives. One of those philosophies was the Doctrine of Samsara. How did the general publictake to Samsara? This research aims to explore the above question. Ultimately, Buddhism in China became not only a religion that helped individual people reach enlightenment and transcendence, it also became a social philosophy with functions that regulated human behavior. These values that oversaw the thoughts and behavior of people did not clash with the teachings of Confucius from the Zhou Dynasty. Rather, they supported Confucianism as a standard to uphold and crystallized in the numinous theory of retributive justice where good and evil served as the basis that regulated human thinking and actions. Thereafter, the religious function of Buddhism transitioned from an individual-centric religion to a society-centric religion. This absolved conflicts between the matter of salvation in Buddhism and the teachings of Confucius, in other words the conflicts between Buddhism and Chinese tradition.