A Study on the Background of Formation in the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statues in Zen Buddhism temples in the Latter Part of the Silla Dynasty
Authors:   The Paek-San Society, Seo jimin 
Published: January 2023

This paper was intended to explain the reason why the Zen Buddhism temples in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty that built Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statues became to believe in Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statues unlike the discipline of the Zen sect that regards the Buddhist sanctuary where Zen masters preach Buddhist teachings so that complete enlightenment can be obtained on behalf of Buddha as the most important space without building the Buddhist sanctum where the main Buddha statue is created and the rituals such as sutra chanting or prayers to Buddha are held.
According to the result of the study, although it has been vaguely assumed that the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha was enshrined in Zen Buddhism temples in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty, when the literature data and excavation investigation results were put together, no clear evidence to conclude such an assumption could be found. In addition, given that the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statue was not enshrined in the main building of the temple, which is the central Buddhist sanctum of the Zen Buddhism temple, but was enshrined in an attached Buddhist temple or created after a considerable period of time after the temple was built, it was found that the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statue did not play the role of the main Buddha statue, which was the main object of worship from the beginning. In particular, it was confirmed that Avatamska Vairocana Buddha was not believed as the main Buddha in Zen Buddhism temples in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty from the mention that the iron Vairocana Buddha statue in Borimsa Temple played the role of decorating the place where Chejing stayed, written in the 「Bojo Zen master Changseong stone monument」.
The Zen masters who created mountain monasteries in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty must have adapted to the Zen Buddhism temple system of the Tang age through studying abroad and thus it is thought that they followed the Buddhism temple architecture presented in the『Baizhang Qinggui (百丈淸規)』 in the Tang age. However, the Zen Buddhism temples in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty enshrined the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statue unlike the Zen Buddhism temples of the Tang age, and it is presumed that they could not but respond to the demand from the royal family because the royal family sponsored the operation of Zen Buddhism temples with political purposes. In the latter part of the Silla Dynasty, the Avatamsaka sutra studies were popular such as the creation of the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statue centered on the royal temple, and it is thought it affected Zen Buddhism temples.
It is understood that in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty, the Zen sect supplemented and developed its ideological system while actively developing ideological exchanges with the Huayan sect. In the atmosphere of the Buddhist world where the Zen sect and the Huayan sect communicate, the original theory of the Zen sect that Buddha statues are not the true form of the Tathagata and therefore do not need to be respected was not followed, and Zen Buddhism temples became to enshrine the Avatamska Vairocana Buddha statue, which was most familiar to Buddhists. By analyzing the mention that Buddha statues could not but be created to convey enlightenment written in the 「Dansoksa Temple Shinhaeng Zen master monument」 and the recognition of Avatamska Vairocana Buddha recorded in 「Borimsa Temple Bozo Zen master Changseong stone monument」 which is in line with the Buddha faith view in 「Avatamsaka sutra」 the reason why Zen Buddhism temples in the latter part of the Silla Dynasty became to believe in Avatamska Vairocana Buddha could be concretely understood.