A Study on the Wooden Seated Vairocana Tri-kaya Buddha Images in the Daeungjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple

This paper investigates the Wooden Seated Tri-kaya Buddha Images(三身佛像) of Vairocana, Rushana, and Sakyamuni enshrined in Daeungjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa temple(華嚴寺) in Gurae, South Cheolla Province. They were produced in 1634 CE and placed in 1635 CE, about forty years after original images made in the Goryeo period were destroyed by the Japanese army during the war. The reconstruction of Hwaeomsa was conducted by Gakseong, one of the leading monks of Joseon Dynasty in the 17th century, who also conducted the reconstructions of many Buddhist temples after the war. In 2015, a prayer text (dated 1635) concerning the production of Hwaeomsa Tri-kaya Buddha images was found in the repository within Sakyamuni Buddha. It lists the names of participants, including royal family members (i.e., prince Yi Guang, the eighth son of King Seon-jo), and their relatives (i.e., Sin Ik-seong, son-in-law of King Seonjo), court ladies, monk-sculptors, and large numbers of monks and laymen Buddhists. A prayer text (dated 1634) listing the names of monk-sculptors written on the wooden panel inside the pedestal of Rushana Buddha was also found. A recent investigation into the repository within Rushana Buddha in 2020 CE has revealed a prayer text listing participants producing these images, similar to the former one from Sakyamuni Buddha, together with sacred relics of hoo-ryeong-tong copper bottle and a large quantity of Sutra books. These new materials opened a way to understand Hwaeomsa Trikaya images, including who made them and when they were made. The two above-mentioned prayer texts from the repository of Sakyamuni and Rushana Buddha statues, and the wooden panel inside the pedestal of Rushan Buddha tell us that eighteen monk-sculptors, including Eungwon, Cheongheon and Ingyun, who were well-known monk artisans of the 17th century, took part in the construction of these images. As a matter of fact, Cheongheon belonged to a different workshop from Eungwon and Ingyun, who were most likely teacher and disciple or senior and junior colleagues, which means that the production of Hwaeomsa Tri-kaya Buddha images was a collaboration between sculptors from two workshops. Eungwon and Ingyun seem to have belonged to the same community studying under the great Buddhist priest Seonsu, the teacher of Monk Gakseong who was in charge of the reconstruction of Haweonsa temple. Hwaeomsa Tri-kaya Buddha images show a big head, a squarish face with plump cheeks, narrow and drooping shoulders, and a short waist, which depict significant differences in body proportion to those of other Buddha statues of the first half of 17th century, which typically have wide shoulders and long waists. The body proportion shown in the Hwaeomsa images could be linked with images of late Goryeo and early Joseon period. Rushana Buddha, raising his two arms in a preaching hand gesture and wearing a crown and bracelets, shows unique iconography of the Bodhisattva form. This iconography of Rushana Buddha had appeared in a few Sutra paintings of Northern Song and Late Goryeo period of 13th and 14th century. BodhaSri-mudra of Vairocana Buddha, unlike the general type of BodhaSri-mudra that shows the right hand holding the left index finger, places his right hand upon the left hand in a fist. It is similar to that of Vairocana images of Northern and Southern Song, whose left hand is placed on the top of right hand in a fist. This type of mudra was most likely introduced during the Goryeo period. The dried lacquer Seated Vairocana image of Bulheosa Temple in Naju is datable to late Goryeo period, and exhibits similar forms of the mudra. Hwaeomsa Tri-kaya Buddha images also show new iconographic aspects, as well as traditional stylistic and iconographic features. The earth-touching (bhumisparsa) mudra of Sakymuni Buddha, putting his left thumb close to the middle finger, as if to make a preaching mudra, can be regarded as a new aspect that was influenced by the Sutra illustrations of the Ming dynasty, which were imported by the royal court of Joseon dynasty and most likely had an impact on Joseon Buddhist art from the 15th and 16th centuries. Stylistic and iconographical features of Hwaeomsa Tri-kaya Buddha images indicate that the traditional aspects of Goryeo period and new iconography of Joseon period are rendered together, side by side, in these sculptures. The coexistence of old and new aspects in one set of images could indicate that monk sculptors tried to find a new way to produce Hwaeomsa images based on the old traditional style of Goryeo period when the original Tri-kaya Buddha images were made, although some new iconography popular in Joseon period was also employed in the images. It is also probable that monk sculptors of Hwaeomsa Tri-kaya Buddha images intended to reconstruct these images following the original images of Goryeo period, which was recollected by surviving monks at Hwaeomsa, who had witnessed the original Tri-kaya Buddha images.

화엄사 대웅전 목조비로자나삼신 불좌상에 대한 고찰

정유재란을 겪으며 전소(全燒)된 화엄사는 벽암각성(碧巖覺性)(1575~1660)의 주도 아래 재건이 이루어졌다. 대웅전에는 목조비로자나삼신불상이 봉안되었는데, 1634년에 완성하여 1635년에 점안·봉안되었다. 2015년에 석가불상 복장 <시주질>과 노사나불상 대좌 내부 판재(板材)에 적힌 <묵서명>이 조사되고, 2020년에 노사나불상의 복장 <시주질>이 조사되어 비로자나삼신불상의 조성에 참여한 청헌, 응원, 인균을 포함한 열여덟 명의 조각승들이 밝혀졌고 선조(宣祖)의 아들 의창군 이광(李珖)을 비롯한 왕실과 종친, 천명이 넘는 승속(僧俗)의 시주자들이 동참한 대규모 불사였음이 알려졌다. 비로자나삼신불상의 본존은 높이 2.76m의 장육불상으로 당시 불교조각에서 널리 유행하던 장신형의 비례감이 아닌 두부가 크고 어깨가 좁은 고식(古式)의 단구형(短軀形) 비례감을 보인다. 주먹 쥔 왼손을 오른손으로 감싼 비로자나불의 지권인(智拳印)과 보관을 쓴 보살형의 노사나불상은 북송대에 고려로 전해진 전통적인 도상(圖像)이며, 석가불상이 결한 독특한 항마촉지인의 형식은 명(明)에서 전래된 경(經) 변상도에 나타난 도상이 불교조각에 반영된 것으로 생각된다. 화엄사 비로자나삼신불상에서 나타나는 신구(新舊) 양식과 도상의 혼재는 화엄사 불사(佛事)를 맡았던 조각승들이 고려시대 불교조각의 귀족적 전통을 계승한 조선초기 불교미술에서 화엄사 삼신불상의 범본을 구하려했던데서 비롯된 것으로 이해된다. 또한 전란으로 소실된 고려시대 비로자나삼신불상의 원(原) 모습에 가깝게 복원되기를 바라는 화엄사 산중대덕(山中大德)들의 기대가 불상조성에 영향을 주었을 것으로 생각된다. 이와 같은 관점에서 화엄사 삼신불상의 노사나불상은 고려시대 비로자나삼신불상과 도상적으로 연결될 수 있으며 고려시대의 화엄사에 이와 유사한 도상과 양식의 비로자나삼신불상이 봉안되어 있었을 가능성을 상정해 볼 수 있다. 만우 휘헌의 『화엄사지』(1924)에 따르면, 화엄사는 고려 왕실의 축성의례를 거행해온 사찰로 여겨지는데, 이 전통이 조선후기까지 이어져 화엄사 재건 불사에서 새로 조성된 대웅전 비로자나삼신불상 역시 조선왕실의 축성의례를 위한 예배대상이었을 가능성이 크다. 따라서 화엄사 재건에 왕실과 종친이 시주자로 참여한 점도 이와 관련이 있을 것으로 생각된다.