6世紀 北朝의 佛敎 信仰과 反亂 = Buddhist rebellions and messianism in the sixth century China

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The previous scholarship has associated the Maitreya cult with the religious rebellions and messianic movements during the Northern Wei, and regarded Chinese Maitreya cult to be eschatological and messianic in its nature. This paper first challenges the previous understanding that the so-called Buddhist rebellions were related to the Maitreya cult and argues that there is no clear evidence yet that the Maitreya cult in the fifth and early eixth centuries had any doctrine propagating the imminent epiphany of Maitreya, and that those rebellions had no relation with the Maitreya cult. The link between the Maitreya cult and religious rebellions can only be confirmed in the cases of the seventh century after the Sui reunified China.
A close reading of a number of jinglu 經錄, early catalogues of Chinese tripitaka, composed from the fourth through the seventh centuries reveals that there was not even a Chinese Buddhist apocrypha prophesying imminent descent of Maitreya from the Tusita heaven as the saviour of his followers. On the contrary, those related to Buddhist eschatology appeared to warn the catastrophes and prophesy the rule of Yueguang tongzi 月光童子, Candraprabhākumāra. A rebellion led by a self-claimed Yueguang tongzi actually broke out in early sixth century. A Dunhuang manuscript entitled Shouluo biqiu jing 首羅比丘經(Shouluo biqiu jian Yueguang tongzi jing 首羅比丘見月光童子經) provides a revealing source to explore the religious atmosphere among the lay Buddhist in the sixth century China. Yueguang tongzi appears as the one who will revive Buddha’s teaching in China and save people from apocalypse. Maitreya, however, is not given a messianic role in this narrative.
Maitreya assumes the role of saviour only in some of apocrypha composed in the late sixth century. The best known source to trace this change in his role is Puxian pusa shuo zhengming jing 普賢菩薩說證明經, another Dunhuang manuscript. In this text, it is difficult to miss the overlap of messianic image between the Yueguang tongzi and Maitreya, and eschatological scenario is very similar too. In popular cult, Maitreya was being transformed from a future Buddha to a powerful messiah during the sixth century. The Yueguang cult prepared for and facilitated the full growth of messianic Maitreya, which in later period characterizes Chinese Maitreya cult.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 머리말
• Ⅰ. 北朝 時期 佛敎 關聯 反亂과 그 宗敎的 背景
• Ⅱ. 6世紀 中國의 佛敎 救世主
• 맺음말
• 참고문헌
• 〈Abstract〉