사별가족을 위한 불교적 돌봄 연구 : 초기 경전 사례 분석을 중심으로

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Bereavement is an unavoidable existential experience, confronting in dividuals with profound grief, emptiness, and a perceived loss of life's meaning. Modern societies offer various bereavement support systems, yet many remain insufficient in addressing the psychological and exis tential dimensions of grief. Buddhism provides a structured framework for reflecting on life and death, emphasizing impermanence and the tr ansformation of suffering through wisdom. Nevertheless, contemporary Buddhist practices, such as the 49-day memorial rites, despite their s criptural foundation in benefiting the bereaved —wherein six-sevenths of merit accrues to the living— have largely become ceremonial in m odern practice, underutilizing Buddhism's deeper philosophical and con templative resources for psychological recovery. The erosion of extend ed family networks, increased social isolation, and limited professional support further exacerbate the emotional, social, and economic burden s of the bereaved.
This study investigates how early Buddhist textual cases of bereav
ement can be reconstructed for contemporary care. Its objectives are t o (1) analyze bereavement narratives in early Buddhist texts and clas sify the Buddha's counseling interventions, (2) identify core principles of Buddhist care and compare them with contemporary grief theories, and (3) propose practical care strategies tailored for modern bereaved families. A review of national and religious bereavement programs ind icates that Buddhist care remains largely ceremonial compared to mor e developed Christian hospice programs and government-supported tra uma interventions.
Through hermeneutical analysis, twelve bereavement cases from the Pāli Canon —including child loss, spousal loss, and parental loss— we re examined using Worden's ten counseling principles and contempora ry grief theory frameworks. The analysis revealed a consistent five-s tage approach by the Buddha: allowing full emotional expression, fost ering awareness of death's inevitability, guiding release of attachment, promoting acceptance and introspection, and encouraging life transfor mation through wholesome actions. These five principles demonstrate compatibility with contemporary bereavement counseling while preserv ing Buddhism's philosophical depth, particularly impermanence (anicc a), non-self (anattā), dependent origination (pratītya-samutpāda), and compassion (karuṇā).
Based on these principles, five practical interventions are proposed:
(1) sutra transcription using concise, emotionally resonant texts to su
pport reflective practice and mental purification through the Four Fou ndations of Mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna); (2) contemplative tea practice for private emotional processing and present-moment awareness; (3) i llustrated scripture-based books —such as the narratives of Kisā Got amī and Paṭācārā— for gradual engagement and emotional resonance,
particularly effective for children, adolescents, and those less familiar with textual study; (4) death contemplation exercises (maraṇa-sati) to reduce maladaptive guilt, transform fear of death into acceptance of li fe's impermanence, and facilitate meaningful life transformation; and (5) the Four Means of Embracing (catvāri-saṃgraha-vastūni) —inclu ding generosity (dāna), kind speech (priyavādya), beneficial action (art hacaryā), and empathetic participation (samānārthatā)— to cultivate so cial empathy and communal solidarity, transforming individual grief in to shared care and mutual healing. Together, these strategies systema tically reconstruct Buddhist care practices to support psychological rec overy and embody the principles of engaged Buddhism by extending i ndividual healing into community-based solidarity.
This interdisciplinary study bridges Buddhist studies, psychology, c ounseling, and social work, contributing by (1) translating Buddhist c ompassion into evidence-informed therapeutic practices that integrate
Eastern contemplative wisdom with Western grief counseling framewo rks, (2) reframing grief as a universal existential experience rooted in the human condition rather than a pathological condition requiring me re symptom relief, and (3) proposing integrated self-care and commun ity-based approaches that enable bereaved individuals to cultivate insi ght and compassion through their suffering. Limitations include the in terpretive subjectivity of hermeneutical analysis, the cultural and temp oral gap between ancient Indian contexts and contemporary Korean s ociety, and the lack of empirical validation for the proposed interventi ons. Future research should explore age-specific and bereavement-typ e adaptations, integration with existing Buddhist rituals such as the 4 9-day rites and ancestral ceremonies, facilitator training programs, an d clinical studies to evaluate therapeutic efficacy and cultural applicabi lity.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서론 ··············································································································· 1
• 1. 연구목적 ······································································································· 1
• 2. 선행연구 ······································································································· 8
• 1) 해외 사별 연구 ························································································ 8
• 2) 국내 사별 연구 ······················································································ 11
• 3) 불교계 사별 연구 ·················································································· 15
• 3. 연구방법 ····································································································· 18
• Ⅱ. 사별가족의 정의 및 문제 현황 ·················································· 22
• 1. 사별가족의 정의 ······················································································· 22
• 2. 사별가족의 특성 ······················································································· 26
• 3. 사별가족의 문제 ······················································································· 34
• 1) 심리적 문제 ···························································································· 34
• 2) 신체적 문제 ···························································································· 46
• 3) 경제적 문제 ···························································································· 53
• 4) 사회적 문제 ···························································································· 61
• Ⅲ. 사별가족의 돌봄과 그 한계 ························································· 72
• 1. 국가적 지원 돌봄과 그 한계 ································································ 72
• 1) 일본의 재난지원센터 ············································································ 72
• 2) 대만의 불교연화기금회(佛敎蓮花基金會) ········································· 88
• 3) 영국의 지원센터 ···················································································· 96
• 4) 한국의 국가트라우마센터 ·································································· 105
• 2. 종교적 돌봄과 그 한계 ········································································ 112
• 1) 가톨릭의 사별 돌봄 ············································································ 112
• 2) 기독교의 사별 돌봄 ············································································ 120
• 3) 불교의 사별 돌봄 ················································································ 126
• Ⅳ. 불교문헌에서 본 사별가족 사례분석 ··································· 136
• 1. 경전 속 사례를 통한 비교 탐구 ························································ 136
• 1) 워든의 사별상담 원칙 ········································································ 136
• 2) 비교 탐구의 네 가지 관점 ································································ 138
• 3) 해석학적 탐구의 방법론적 타당성 ·················································· 139
• 2. 자녀 사별 사례분석 ··············································································· 140
• 1) 아들을 상실한 끼사고따미(Kisāgotamī) ········································ 140
• 2) 딸을 상실한 직조공 ············································································ 149
• 3) 아들을 상실한 맛타꾼달리(Maṭṭakuṇḍali) ····································· 158
• 4) 손자를 상실한 비싸카(Visākhā) ······················································ 171
• 3. 배우자 사별 사례분석 ·········································································· 177
• 1) 파트너를 상실한 산따띠(Santati)장관 ············································ 177
• 2) 말리까(Malikā) 왕비를 상실한 꼬살라(Kosala)왕 ······················· 183
• 3) 밧다(Baddā) 왕비를 상실한 문다(Munda)왕 ································ 189
• 4. 부모 사별 사례분석 ··············································································· 197
• 1) 어머니를 상실한 빠세나디(Pāsenadi)왕 ········································· 197
• 2) 조모(祖母)를 상실한 빠세나디(Pāsenadi)왕 ·································· 209
• 3) 할머니를 상실한 빠세나디(Pāsenadi)왕 ········································· 217
• 5. 기타 사별 사례분석 ··············································································· 222
• 1) 빠따짜라(Paṭācārā)의 다중상실 ······················································· 222
• 2) 스승을 상실한 아난다(Ānanda) ······················································· 233
• Ⅴ. 사별가족을 위한 불교적 돌봄 제언 ······································ 245
• 1. 불교적 돌봄의 원리 ··············································································· 245
• 1) 감정의 온전한 표현과 수용 ······························································ 245
• 2) 죽음에 대한 바른 이해 ······································································ 247
• 3) 애착의 극복과 놓아보냄 ···································································· 249
• 4) 수용과 내적 성찰 ················································································ 251
• 5) 선업(善業)을 통한 삶의 전환 ··························································· 253
• 2. 사경(寫經)을 통한 마음의 안정과 성찰 ·········································· 254
• 1) 사경 수행의 의의 ················································································ 254
• 2) 초기경전 사경 제언 ············································································ 256
• 3) 사경 수행의 구체적 방법 ·································································· 267
• 4) 사경 수행의 기대효과 ········································································ 268
• 3. 차명상과 추모 ························································································· 270
• 1) 감각적 집중을 통한 현재로의 전환 ················································ 272
• 2) 의례적 실천을 통한 심리적 연결 ···················································· 273
• 3) 자기돌봄과 정서 수용 ········································································ 276
• 4) 무상 체험을 통한 정서적 통합 ························································ 278
• 4. 경전에 근거한 그림책 활용 ································································ 280
• 1) 그림책을 통한 초기 접근 ·································································· 282
• 2) 경전 사례와의 연결 ············································································ 284
• 3) 성찰 질문을 통한 자기 탐색 ···························································· 285
• 4) 기대효과 ································································································ 290
• 5. 죽음명상 ··································································································· 291
• 1) 죽음명상의 의미와 필요성 ································································ 291
• 2) 현대적 죽음명상 수행법 ···································································· 292
• 3) 죽음명상의 구체적 방법 ···································································· 297
• 4) 기대효과 ································································································ 306
• 6. 사섭법(四攝法)을 활용한 공덕 짓기와 회향 ································· 307
• 1) 보시섭(布施攝)을 통한 베풂과 상호 치유 ····································· 309
• 2) 애어섭(愛語攝)을 통한 공감적 소통과 정서적 돌봄 ··················· 312
• 3) 이행섭(利行攝)을 통한 실질적 도움과 의미 있는 행동 ············· 314
• 4) 동사섭(同事攝)을 통한 공동체적 수행과 장기적 동행 ··············· 315
• Ⅵ. 결론 ··········································································································· 320
• 참고문헌 ·········································································································· 327
• ABSTRACT ································································································ 341