남지심의 <우담바라>연구

Abstract

Korea suffered a conflict and contradiction followed by growth and transitions appearing in the midst of the process from the 70s to 80s and also experienced the stifling political, social crippled phenomena linkng to the massacre against Gwangju populace resistance and the military dictatorship. During this period, there happened splendid achievements of attaining brilliant economic growth incomparable to the 1950s and 1960s immediately after the Korean War; however, we cannot deny the fact that there occurred not a few side effects to that extent. Under the dictatorship of the military government attained on the scenes of the serious gap between poor and rich incurred from the disparity between towns and farms and the massacre, people's mind couldn't help but be devastated. It invoked the suppression and control of the colonial rule in the 1930s and the underprivileged people couldn't give their voice under the rigorous control. The only prescription for consoling the devastated mind full of frustration and heartache was possible in literature. The "Udambara " published during these hard times was a fiction in which it configurates a religious truth in a literary manner, displays affliction and passions along with the process of tiding over such plights and gives hopes and courage by suggesting the peace of mind and the way to a win-win existence. In relation to this, this research analyzed the background thoughts and epoch-structuralizing aspect centering on Wonhyo thoughts expressed in "the Udambara"by Nam, Ji-sim; inaddition, this research considered a new prospect of Buddhismth through a link between are ligion an dscience First, in Chapter Two, this research made an analysis about how the Wonhyo thoughts are accepted and configurated by the characters in the "Udambara." Particularly, focusing on patityasamutpada idea [a theory of "no effect without cause"] which is the central idea of this fiction, this research looked into the importance of a relation and patipada [cultivation of one's religious sense] of Bodihisattva's self-discipline through the idea of "freedom from all obstabcles" by analyzing the relationship between the characters. In Chapter Three-"Epoch-structuralizing aspect of the background idea", this research made an analysis of the process in which a reincarnated character goes toward Udambara- a symbolic meaning of attaining Buddhahood-after going through the process of passions and asceticism, aspects of secular life, a new enlightenment through passions, and the meaning of reconciliation and harmonization through a sound of a bell. This conveys us a meaning of co-existence through reconciliation and harmony together with the consciousness of Mahayana life. In addition, through the integration of science and religion, this research suggested a new directivity as a future-oriented religion. In Chapter Four, this research considered the Buddhist literature-based significance along with the meaning of Udambara's spirit history while analyzing the difference by comparing the characteristic of the existing Buddhist fiction with that of Udambara. On the basis of the consideration like this, patityasamutpada idea through the ring of a relation, the idea of freedom from all obstacles through the practice of Bodhisattva's self-discipline, pursuit of harmony through a sound of a bell could be a prescription that soothes the mind devastation of a modern man who has to live in a capitalist society full of prevailing egotism these days, and they also play an important role in delivering a message of co-existence through the preciousness of a relation and reconciliation. Together with this, by configurating a story through the mutual complement of religion and science into a fiction, the "Udambara" gives a new possibility to a modern Buddhist literary history. That means it plays a great role in making people perceive Buddhism as a scientific religion by configurating a link between the patityasamutpada idea and principle of modern physics into a fiction. This researcher believes that this could be a motive for the people who have had a preconception that Buddhism is somewhere near a religion hanging on to personal blessings or shamanism to come closer to Buddhism with a new consciousness. Like this, the work "Udambara" could be judged to give a motive of a new understanding of Buddhist literature by showing diversification of themes.