동아시아의 많은 통치자들이 치자(治者)로서의 권위를 확보하는 데 불사리를활용하였다. 고려의 16대 국왕인 예종(재위 1105-1122)이 동화사에 소장되어있던 불사리를 궁궐로 가져와 공경하였는데, 이글에서는 동화사 불사리의 성격변화에 주목하였다. 동화사 불사리의 기원은 신라 경덕왕 때 승려였던 진표가 미륵에게 받은 점찰간자에 있다. 진표의 점찰간자는 헌덕왕의 아들 심지가 동화사에서 전해온 것이다. 진표 당시만 해도 이 점찰간자가 부처의 뼈라는 인식이 없었다. 그런데 어느시기엔가 점찰간자 가운데 여덟 번째와 아홉 번째의 것이 미륵불의 손가락뼈라는인식이 형성되었고, 고려 예종 때에는 이 간자를 ‘성간(聖簡, 신성한 간자)’이라여겼다. 미륵에게 받았다는 간자가 미륵의 손가락뼈로 만든 간자로 변신한 배경에는유식학이나 미륵사상 같은 학문적 배경도 있지만 사리신앙의 성격 변화도 있다. 신라에서는 9세기 후반 당으로부터 골아형사리를 수용하였고, 이후 골아형사리가유행하였다. 또 계단(戒壇)에 사리를 봉안하는 사례도 등장한다. 계단이 곧 불탑(佛塔)이라고 인식하였던 도선 사상의 영향으로, 고려시대에 계단에 불사리를 보관하게 되었다. 그러므로 동화사에 전해오던 진표의 점찰간자가 성스러운 불골로인식되게 된 직접적인 배경에는 동화사가 관단사원으로 지정된 후 계단도경에의거한 계단을 건립한 일이 있었다. 이 글을 통해 점찰간자라는 물(物)이 전해지면서 신성함을 더해 성물(聖物)로변해가는 과정을 확인할 수 있었다. 불사리라는 신성한 대상과 계단의 건축적 공간에 대한 접근을 아우르는 연구 방법을 통해 사료가 부족한 한국 불교사의 영역을 넓힐 수 있으리라 기대한다.

The origin of relic devotion at Donghwasa Temple begins with ganja (簡⼦), where Jinpyo (眞表), a monk during the reign of King Gyeongdeok (景德王) of Silla, received ordination from Maitreya Buddha. Jinpyo’s ganja was handed down to Donghwasa Temple by Simji (⼼地), the son of King Heondeok (憲德王). However, at the time, there was no indication that Jinpyo’s ganja was a relic of the Buddha (舍利). First, with the addition of a pedantic interpretation of Jinpyo’s ganja, the perception that the eighth and ninth ganja were the finger bones of Maitreya Buddha was formed. During the reign of King Jeongjong (靖宗) of Goryeo, Donghwasa Temple was designated as a temple with space for official ordination (官壇寺院). After the ordination platform was installed, the ganja was enshrined on the alter, and devotion of the relics was emphasized. King Yejong (睿宗), the 16th king of Goryeo, named this ganja “holy ganja” and moved it to the palace where it would be honored. The ganja handed down by Mireuk are said to be made from the bones of his finger. This is based on academic studies in Confucianism and Mireuk’s ideology. After accepting the relics of the Buddha from the Tang Dynasty in the late 9 th century relic devotion became popular during the end of the Silla Dynasty and the beginning of the Goryeo Dynasty. During the Goryeo Dynasty, there was a case of sealing in the ordination platform. Due to the influence of Doseon (道宣), who claimed that the platform was to be indentified as as pagoda, relics of the Buddha were kept in ordination platforms. For that reason Jinpys’s ganja was recognized as sacred and handed dowon to Donghwasa Temple. Donghwasa Temple was then designated as an official temple and built a platform based on the Platform Sutra (戒壇圖經). Through this article, it was possible to confirm patterns regarding the sacredness of an object regarding the devotion of relics. Such research, which encompasses access to sacred objects or relics of the Buddha and the architectural space of ordination platforms, is meaningful in expanding the scope of areas of Korean Buddhist history which lack historical data by linking literature to material data.

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Buddha’s bones, Relic devotion, Jinpyo, Doseon, Donghwasa, Tongdosa, Sacred Objects