투고논문

31 December 2025. pp. 321∼350
Abstract
This study examines the background to the transition in Amitābha Buddha’s epithet from Muryangsu (Immeasurable Life, 無量壽) to Amitā (阿彌陀), from the late Northern Qi–Sui period through the Tang dynasty. As with many shifts in Buddhist nomenclature, this change is unlikely to have resulted from a single cause; rather, it appears to have emerged through the interaction of multiple factors. Accordingly, this paper considers three possible explanations. First, as the Amitābha faith developed and its functions and symbolic meanings expanded, the more comprehensive epithet Amitā may have come to be preferred. Second, as observed in other cases of Buddhist nomenclature, the choices made by translators during the process of scriptural translation, as well as the subsequent influence of particular scriptures, may have contributed to this shift. Third, the widespread diffusion of chengming nianfo (稱名念佛), the practice of repeatedly reciting “Namo Amitābha,” may have played a decisive role in consolidating the use of Amitā.
Among these factors, this study places particular emphasis on the third, namely the influence of chengming nianfo. Because chengming nianfo centers on the repetitive vocalization of Amitābha’s name, its popularization would naturally have shaped both the perception and reception of the epithet. The preference for the Sanskrit-based phonetic form Amitā can further be understood in relation to a broader Chinese Buddhist conviction concerning the sacredness, efficacy, and quasi-magical power of Sanskrit sounds. In dhāraṇī and mantra traditions, semantic translation was deliberately avoided in order to preserve ritual potency, and the retention of original sounds was regarded as essential. In this respect, chengming nianfo, as a repetitive oral practice oriented toward resonance, response, and salvific efficacy, was not fundamentally different from dhāraṇī recitation. Within such a religious milieu, the gradual replacement of the semantic translation Muryangsu with the phonetic transcription Amitā—shorter, easier to pronounce, and believed to retain ritual efficacy—can be understood as a natural historical development.
본 연구는 아미타불의 이름이 6세기 후반 북제~수대를 기점으로 당대에 이르기까지 ‘무량수’에서 ‘아미타’로 전환된 배경을 다양한 관점에서 고찰한 것이다. 일반적으로 변화라는 것은 단일 요인보다 여러 요소가 복합적으로 작용한 결과로 나타나며, 이 경우도 예외는 아니었을 것이다. 이에 본고는 존명 변화의 가능성을 세 가지 측면에서 검토하였다. 첫째, 아미타 신앙이 발전함에 따라 그 기능과 의미가 확장되면서 보다 포괄적 개념을 지닌 ‘아미타’가 선호되었을 가능성, 둘째, 역경 과정에서 번역자의 선택 및 해당 경전의 영향력이 변화에 일정 부분 기여했을 가능성, 셋째, ‘나무아미타불’을 반복적으로 염송하는 칭명염불의 확산이 존명 전환을 실질적으로 공고히 했을 가능성이다.
특히 본 연구는 세 번째 요인인 칭명염불의 파급력에 주목하였다. 칭명염불은 신앙 실천의 기저에서 아미타불 명호의 반복적 염송을 중심에 두고 있었으며, 그 확산은 자연스럽게 ‘아미타’에 대한 인식과 수용 방식에도 영향을 미쳤을 것이다. 나아가 칭명염불 수행에서 ‘아미타’라는 원어를 선택한 이유는 당시 중국 불교 전반에 만연해 있던 산스크리트 원음에 대한 신성성·영험함·주술적 효력 인식과 깊이 연결되어 있을 것이다. 예컨대 다라니·만트라는 그 효력을 극대화하기 위해 의미 번역을 지양하고 원음을 그대로 유지하는 것이 원칙이었다. 어떻게 보면 칭명염불 역시 구술적 행위의 반복성과 감응·가피를 기대하는 수행이라는 점에서 다라니 독송과 다르지 않았을 것이다. 이러한 맥락에서 볼 때, 발음하기 쉽고 간결하며 동시에 주술적 신성함을 담보한다고 여겨진 음역어 ‘아미타’가 의역어 ‘무량수’를 점차 대체하게 된 것은 자연스러운 흐름으로 이해될 수 있을 것이다.
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    ◆ 약호 및 일차 문헌 Abbreviations and Primary Sources

     

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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Association of Buddhist Studies
  • Publisher(Ko) :불교학연구회
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies
  • Journal Title(Ko) :불교학연구
  • Volume : 85
  • Pages :321∼350