佛敎의 動物에 대한 認識과 그 形象

The Perception and Images of Animals in Buddhism-Focusing on animals found in Samgukyusa (三國遺事)-

This study examined the perception and images of animals described in Buddhist literature. How animals were perceived was outlined based on Buddhist sutras, and their images were explored within the scope of animals appearing in Samgukyusa. In Buddhist sutras, souls are reborn into one of the six realms (the Heaven Realm, Human Realm, Asura Realm, Animal Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm, and Hell Realm), and it is believed that rebirth is being born as an animal for karma resulting from sinful deeds. Thus, Buddhism teaches that humans, having outstanding power incomparable with that of animals, should relieve all animals with mercy. The images of animals in Samgukyusa are sometimes a helper for people, sometimes a revealer foretelling the new of a good or bad luck, and sometimes a threatener hurting people. Since Buddhism was transmitted to Korea, the images of animals became more diverse and richer. Even fox and tiger, which had been threatening to humans, obtained an image as a being living together with people. Furthermore, a predatory bird like hawk was described as a merciful image. From the enrichment of animal images in Samgukyusa was derived that for the people in the period of the Three Kingdoms in Korea, animals and humans were interconnected to each other through a network and the consciousness ‘Two but one and, at the same time, one but two (Others and I are not two)’ was intensified. This suggests that, compared to contemporary people whose natural self control ability has reached its limitation because of infinite greed for possession and consumption, those in the period of the Three Kingdoms had a very lofty perception of natural ecology.