붓다 시대의 다양한 장례법 고찰 = A Review of Various Funeral Methods at the Time of Buddha

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Throughout human history, there have been many ways to dispose of corpses. Among them, cremation is one method. This paper discussed cremation among the funeral methods found in early Buddhist scriptures. For this purpose, we looked at how cremation appears in the Vinaya Piṭaka and Sutta Piṭaka of early Buddhism. At the time of the rise of Buddhism, funeral methods were generally divided into four types: cremation, burial at river, burial under earth, and burial under grass, or wild funeral. The Buddha suggested this funeral method to be performed at the time of death of bhikkhus. However, the Buddha recommends cremation as the best funeral. When a bhikkhu dies, the body should not be dumped on the side of the road or in the cool grove charnel ground(sītavana), but should be cremated if possible. The Buddha suggests the next best methods for the funeral of a bhikkhu, such as cremation(fire funeral) ⇨ burial at river ⇨ burial under earth ⇨ burial under grass and plant or wild funeral, depending on the situation and circumstances. In the funeral methods of monks, the Buddha did not insist on only one funeral method of cremation. Also, in the early scriptures, the first beings qualified to build a stupa(memorial towers) are Tathagata, the second is paccekabuddha(sk. pratyekabuddha), the third is disciples of the Buddha, and the fourth is the Wheel-turning King. Here, it appears that disciples of the Buddha who can build stupas are limited to highly virtuous monks who have achieved ‘complete nirvana.’ As such, the case where a stupa can be erected after a funeral rites does not apply to all monks. On the other hand, there are cases where laymen/laywomen even built memorial towers(stupa) in case of cremation. The Buddha's funeral appears as a cremation in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta in the Chinese and Pali versions. Here, The Buddha's funeral is presented as following the funeral rites of the wheel-turning king. And it appears that laymen/laywomen, not monks or monks, are in charge of funerals. Additionally, the Buddha's cremation ceremony is described as a kind of festival-like offering ceremony. For this reason, this cremation tradition is still being reenacted like a festival in Buddhist countries in South and Southeast Asia. In addition, even though the scale and content of cremation rituals differ slightly from country to country, the cremation of Buddha in the Chinese translation and the Pali version of the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta has become the basis for funeral rites and worship of sacred relics in all Buddhist cultural areas where Buddhism was introduced. In all Buddhist countries, the cremation ceremony has become a model of solemn funeral practices that show the highest respect for the deceased.