조학유의 <찬불가>는 24편이라는 비교적 많은 작품수와 전 곡의 악보가 모두 전한다는 점, 그리고 현재까지 꾸준히 향유되고 있다는 점 등에서 1920년대에 등장하기 시작한 ‘찬불가’의 대표적인 작품으로 평가할 수 있다. 그러나 이에 관한 논의는 그 중요성 및 필요성에 비해 활발하지 못한 형편이다. 특히 찬불가가 음악이자 문학이라고 할 때, 지금까지 <찬불가>에 대한 문학적 연구가 없다는 점은 문제점으로 지적할 수 있다. 이에 본고는 찬불가에 관한 문학적 연구의 일환으로, <찬불가>의 구성 및 내용적 특징과 불타 형상화의 양상에 대해 살펴보았다. 그 결과, 조학유의 <찬불가>는 의식의 쓰임에 맞는 노랫말의 내용, 알기 쉬운 시어의 사용, 구체적인 석가 공덕의 제시라는 특징을 보이고 있음을 알 수 있었다. 이러한 특징은 <찬불가>가 발표 당시는 물론이고 현재까지 널리 불려지고 있는 이유로도 볼 수 있다. 불타의 형상화에 있어서는, 施惠의 주체이자 기복의 대상으로서의 석가와, 인생 및 출가에 대해 고민하고 갈등하는 ‘인간’으로서의 석가가 공존하고 있다. 상이한 불타관의 공존은 작자의 의도에 의한 것으로, 기복의 대상인 현재의 석가 역시 과거에는 중생들과 같은 ‘인간’이었음을 보여주고, 이를 통해 누구나 석가처럼 불타가 될 수 있음을 강조함에 그 목적이 있는 것이다. 곧 <찬불가>는 석가에 대한 단순한 찬양의 노래가 아니라, 불교의 존재 이유가 ‘성불’에 있음을 강조하고, 청자들에게 성불을 위해 노력할 것을 당부한 노래라 할 수 있다. 결국, <찬불가>는 당시 불교계의 찬불가운동을 선도하고 있는 불교문화사적 의의뿐만 아니라, 의식가요의 근대적 전개와 석가일대기의 근대적 변용이라는 문학사적 의의를 갖는다고 하겠다.

Cho Hak-yoo's Chanbulga is one of representative Buddhist hymn books, which began to appear from the 1920s, in that it contains a relatively large number (24) of songs, all of them with music, and the songs have been sung until now. Despite its importance and necessity, however, research on the work has not been active. Particularly considering that Buddhist hymns are both music and literature, it is a problem that there has been no literary study on Chanbulga. Thus, as a part of literary research on Chanbulga, this study examined the characteristics of the structure and contents of Chanbulga, and the pattern of Buddha configuration in the work. According to the results, Cho Hak-yoo's Chanbulga is characterized by the contents of the words fit for rituals, the use of easy poetic words, and the specific suggestion of Shakyamuni's merits. These characteristics may explain why Chanbulga has been popular not only when it was published first but also at present. With regard to the configuration of Buddha, Shakyamuni is described as a blesser and the object of prayers and, at the same time, as ‘a human’ with anguish and conflict over life and renouncing the world. The coexistence of the different views of Buddha is the writer's intention, aiming to show that present Shakyamuni worshiped as a blesser was ‘a human’ like ordinary people in the past and, through this, to emphasize that everybody can be like Shakyamuni. That is, Chanbulga is not merely hymns for Shakyamuni but emphasizes that the meaning of Buddhism should be found in ‘Nirvana’ and the readers should make efforts to attain Nirvana. After all, Chanbulga is meaningful not only in the history of literature as a modern development of ritual songs and a modern acculturation of Shakyamuni's life but also in the history of Buddhist culture through leading the Buddhist hymn movement in the Buddhist circle in those days.

Cho Hak-yoo's Chanbulga is one of representative Buddhist hymn books, which began to appear from the 1920s, in that it contains a relatively large number (24) of songs, all of them with music, and the songs have been sung until now. Despite its importance and necessity, however, research on the work has not been active. Particularly considering that Buddhist hymns are both music and literature, it is a problem that there has been no literary study on Chanbulga. Thus, as a part of literary research on Chanbulga, this study examined the characteristics of the structure and contents of Chanbulga, and the pattern of Buddha configuration in the work. According to the results, Cho Hak-yoo's Chanbulga is characterized by the contents of the words fit for rituals, the use of easy poetic words, and the specific suggestion of Shakyamuni's merits. These characteristics may explain why Chanbulga has been popular not only when it was published first but also at present. With regard to the configuration of Buddha, Shakyamuni is described as a blesser and the object of prayers and, at the same time, as ‘a human’ with anguish and conflict over life and renouncing the world. The coexistence of the different views of Buddha is the writer's intention, aiming to show that present Shakyamuni worshiped as a blesser was ‘a human’ like ordinary people in the past and, through this, to emphasize that everybody can be like Shakyamuni. That is, Chanbulga is not merely hymns for Shakyamuni but emphasizes that the meaning of Buddhism should be found in ‘Nirvana’ and the readers should make efforts to attain Nirvana. After all, Chanbulga is meaningful not only in the history of literature as a modern development of ritual songs and a modern acculturation of Shakyamuni's life but also in the history of Buddhist culture through leading the Buddhist hymn movement in the Buddhist circle in those days.

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Chanbulga, Cho Hak‐yoo, Changga, modern Buddhist song, Buddhist ritual, ritual song, Buddha discourses