생태적 위기 속 불교 상징의 문학적 변용: 최성각 ｢약사여래는 오지 않는다｣를 중심으로

초록

This study analyzed how Buddhist symbols were transformed and functioned literarily amid ecological crises, focusing on Choi Sung-gak’s mid-length novel The Medicine Buddha Does Not Come. It examined how the absence and deferral of the Buddhist symbol of the “Medicine Buddha” (Yaksa Yeorae) opened a space for literary reflection and philosophical inquiry. The work detached the problem of suffering and salvation from traditional religious narratives, revealing that the symbol of the Medicine Buddha did not merely declare the absence of salvation but invited readers to reflect on the meaning of suffering and the conditions of existence. Situated at the intersection of Buddhism, ecology, and literature, this study explored how literature could re-conceptualize the problem of salvation and opened new possibilities for the encounter between the Buddhist worldview and literary imagination.

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