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【日本文學】

『今昔物語集』における『極樂記』・『法華驗記』の受容の方法 -往生說話の話末評語を中心に-

원문정보

The Influence of Kokurakuki & Hokegenki

『금석물어집』における『극악기』・『법화험기』の수용の방법 - 왕생설화の화말평어を중심に -

李市埈

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초록

영어

The fundamental stance of the anonymous author of Konjaku monogatari (a twelfth-century japanese setsuwasyu, or collection of tales) toward the concept of death and subsequent rebirth in the buddhist Pure Land (ojo) can be described as one of praise and confirmation. The appearance of such words as "worth" and "noble" (toutobubeki) in passages of authorial commentary renders clear evidence of an intention to praise. Equally, a desire for "confirmation" is discernible in the frequent use of such stock expressions as "all who witnessed the translation (ojo) were struck with wonder and admiration" and "without doubt this person was reborn in the Pure Land". Furthermore, the textual convention of the "transmitter", an individual who authorizes the sources of a given tale and makes clear its route of transmission, is employed to increase the historical credibility of various ojo tales. Details from the narrative text are taken up examined one by one in the authorial commentary, marshalled as evidence confirming the occurrence of a glorious rebirth. While "praise" is perhaps only a natural reaction to so happy an event as a soul's transmigration to amitabha's western paradise, this second notion of "confirmation", however, presents some problems. Viewed with a concern for "evidence" in mind, the success of an individual ojo legend comes to rest not so much on the religious lifestyle of the historical personage involved as on the question of whether or not there were any "signs" which might serve to confirm the truth of the evidence. Indeed, it would not be going too far to say that this focus on the "miracles" surrounding a rebirth is in itself the essence of the Konjaku ojo stories. Though themselves devout followers of the way, the compilers of such works as Gokurakuki and Kenki manage to avoid getting carried away by narrative interest, recording the details of various miracles in a simple and precise manner. The Konjaku author, on the other hand, seems caught up with the problems of evidence and "confirmation" to an extent which is all but obsessive. Why should this be?
The problem, of course, is that transmigration to the Pure Land (ojo) is an extraordinary event, all but incredible in the context of ordinary, everyday life. Faced with presenting so unusual a phenomenon, the Konjaku text exhausts its expressive resources, citing various evidence in an attempt at rational explanation. Recognizing this authorial stance, whereby transmigration is seen as an "event", is an important key to understanding the Konjaku text's vision of Pure Land rebirth.
It is within the context of this desire for explanation that the Konjaku text employs expressions which seem to problematize the "conditions" for rebirth; "this was no ordinary individual", "rare", "strange", and "doubtful". Given the trends is religious thought of the times, and the passion for Buddhist didactic narrative (bukkyo setsuwa) apparent in the text itself, it seems improbable that the compiler of Konjaku monogatari had any serious doubts about the concept of transmigration. What is called into question in the text, however, is the nature of the individual "miracles" which surround a rebirth in the Pure Land. While there appears to be no established standard involved, such expressions as "strange" and "doubtful" are employed less in the case of general "signs" than when extraordinary physical phenomena are described in detail. The attitude of the compiler towards this question of the supernatural is shown yet more clearly when, spurred on by sheer narrative interest, the authorial commentary leaves the theme of the main text entirely behind and pauses to reflect on the extraordinary, unexpected nature of an individual's rebirth.
Ultimately, it is this interest in detail which seems to distinguish the Konjaku text. In contrast with the rather simple-minded faith, apparent in such works as Gokurakuki and Kenki, in which one can achieve rebirth in the Pure Land simply by accumulating karmic merit, the Konjaku text displays a detached attitude toward the phenomenon of ojo, examining the question of its "condition" objectively in the context of numerous individual tales. From these traces of detachment and objectivity, one perhaps can catch a glimpse of the character of the compiler of this great work.

목차

はじめに
第一節、『日本往生極樂記』
第二節、『大日本國法華経靈驗記』
第三節、『今昔物語集』
おわりに
【參考文獻】
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저자정보

  • 李市埈 이시준. 崇實大學校 助敎授, 日本文學

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