The purpose of this study is to clarify its lyrics composition method and the presentation aspect focusing on a performance method in terms of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭), which had been created and enjoyed during the time from the late Goryeo period to the late Joseon period. Following the foundation of Joseon, Buddhism couldn''t be the ruling ideology of the nation any more and came to be officially oppressed by the state due to a negative effect of the previous generation. Even amidst this situation, Buddhism proceeded with developing diverse cultural activities. As part of this cultural activity, Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) was created and enjoyed.
A lot of the previous researches on this Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) were accumulated, but are not those that were made a discussion in various aspects. Especially, a research on Buddhist Gasa concentrated primarily on the dimension on how the Buddhist thought is reflected in a work. These discussions correspond to a case, which mainly understood Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) as a residual product of religious activity, rather than the outcome of one cultural activity. As an individual work, <Hoesimgok(回心曲)> was discussed the most. In relation to a matter of a writer, <Seowangga(西往歌)> was discussed often. The works other than these works received almost no attention. A discussion in the aspect of literature or in the aspect of performance and distribution is being made a little actively these days, but can be said to be in the real situation of failing to make a definite flow yet.
However, a work of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) is in a very important position within the literary history of the Joseon Dynasty such as ever having an influence upon many adjacent sections, as well as having considerable amount even numerically. The works of Buddhist Gasa, which can be confirmed now, exceed totally 200 pieces. Even if arranging this by different version and by mutual relation, the works of reaching about 100 pieces exist. But it is the real situation that only some parts are being noted with a specific view among these works. Thus, a literary discussion is certainly needed targeting the whole of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭). This literary discussion will result in offering an important implication to the conventional literary history, which has been greatly noted only the Sadaebu literature(士大夫文學) and the popular literature so far.
For this discussion, this study has the whole of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) as a scope of research. To determine the extension of Buddhist Gasa, there is a need to be preceded a decision on the works, which contain the Buddhist doctrines out of <Seowangga(西往歌)> and Naebanggasa(內房歌辭), and on the works, which involve the Buddhist doctrines out of the physical lyrics in the early modern times. <Seowangga(西往歌)>, which is being accepted as what was created in the late Goryeo period, corresponds mostly to a case of being expressed a distinct creative consciousness by Buddhist monk bracket, thereby having been included in the discussion. It is a fact that a case of the works, which contain the Buddhist doctrines out of Naebanggasa(內房歌辭), involve a Buddhism-based color, but have many cases that a writer class is not included in a cultural scope of a Buddhist temple, thereby having been excluded from the discussion.
Also, an analysis on the words in this study was made in two dimensions of clause(節) and paragraph. A discussion related to an analysis of the conventional words had many cases of establishing phrase(句) as the most basic unit. But Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) is not only what is customarily formed the regular ‘phrase(句)’ like oral literature, but also what ‘clause(節)’ is the minimum unit of being completed one consciousness, thereby having had ‘clause(節)’ as basic unit. Also, the connection of this clause leads to forming one paragraph. The paragraph of these words can be considered to be a unit in which a writer’s intention is revealed most clearly. Accordingly, a discussion was developed focusing on these two units.
As for a discussion of the point, first of all, Chapter 2 is a basic work for analyzing the words of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) and arranged the performance of Buddhist Gasa as the cultural activity in order to secure the economy in Buddhist temple and the financial foundation in the late Joseon period. The securement of economic strength in Buddhist temple of the late Joseon period had been made through the temple fraternities, Moyeon(募緣), and Buddhist monks'' productive activity. The temple fraternities, Moyeon(募緣), etc. were positively driven in order to recover the curtailed economic power compared to the previous generation and to restore the impoverished Buddhist temple following the war. The creation and enjoyment of Korean poetry & song(國文詩歌) in the middle of this process can be considered to have been made. Even Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) can be said to be reflected the realistic objective called the securement of this economic strength in addition to the basic aim of a mission work dubbed the propagation of Buddha’s teaching.
The creation and the enjoyment in this Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) were generally made in both sides of the temple space and the ordinary space at the same time. The performance of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) in the temple space had two things such as a case of being made in the form of Eumyeong(吟詠) in the process of a prayer to Buddha primarily amidst a daily ceremony, and a case of being sung with accompanying music in the middle of Buddhist rituals like Jae(齋) rite. The performance of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) in this form has been made even until now, thereby being able to be considered to have an important significance in the successive aspect of tradition. Also, a case of the performance in Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) in the ordinary space includes a case of being sung primarily in the middle of activity such as Moyeon(募緣), and a case of being performed in combination with other religion and faith or being performed in the form of entertainment. This case can be also said to be an important case of proving a point that Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) in those days is not what has a restriction merely to the temple space.
Chapter 3 was addressed a base and a method of the lyrics composition in the Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) works, which had been created and performed with this objective. The foundation of the word composition in Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) was described on three aspects in the Chajeseolbeop(此第說法)-based principle, the Yunhoejeonsaeng(輪廻轉生)-based principle, and the Sipudosong(十牛圖頌)-based principle. Chajeseolbeop(此第說法) indicates Buddha’s sermon itself and was ever developed as the basic speaking method in Buddhism. The principle of Chajeseolbeop(此第說法) in this way offered the basic principle to the creation of the lyrics words for propagation in the aspect of the problem-solving meaning structure. A case of the Yunhoejeonsaeng(輪廻轉生)-based principle was explained focusing on sequency in which the process of ‘birth-old age-sickness- death’ is continuously followed. The Sipudosong(十牛圖頌)-based principle was explained the Seon practice(禪修行) process focusing on the spatial recurrence of moving to the linear boundary in daily life and of returning again to the ordinary space.
Focusing on the foundation of this Buddhist culture, it examined about how the lyrics composition method in the Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) works was made. The lyrics composition method was discussed in four dimensions of the parallel lyrics composition, the sequential lyrics composition, the regressive lyrics composition, and the hybrid lyrics composition centering on the above lyrics composition base. An analysis was made the parallel lyrics composition on the basis of the Chajeseolbeop(此第說法)-based principle, the sequential lyrics composition on the basis of the Yunhoejeonsaeng(輪廻轉生)-based principle, and the regressive lyrics composition on the basis of the Sipudosong(十牛圖頌)-based principle. A case of being shown by mixture without being initiatively indicated any one among these lyrics composition methods was addressed as the hybrid lyrics composition.
Chapter 4 was examined about how these lyrics composition methods are implemented in relation to an actual performance method. The lyrics composition method in Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) is not that one lyrics composition method is shown uniformly in an actually any one work, but is a form that a specific lyrics composition method is indicated initiatively. This is shown in diverse forms depending on a performance method of Buddhist Gasa. This Chapter was figured out how the lyrics are realized according to Buddhist ritual, faith activity, and Gibok(祈福) activity.
In this way, Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) played an important role in the literary history of the Joseon Dynasty with being implemented in diverse forms depending on a performance method. Especially, Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) can be found a significance of the poetry-and-song history in the aspect of having diversely given and received an impact within a section and between sections over the whole of enjoying the Gasa(歌辭) literature, in the aspect of the developmental succession to Buddhist Korean poetry & song, and in the aspect of having a great influence upon the creation and the enjoyment of other mission songs. Amidst the general flows of Buddhist Gasa(佛敎歌辭) in the future, the discussions available for closely examining universality, distinctiveness, and further a poetical history-based value that the individual works have will need to be supplemented.