《乐学轨范》中《鹤·莲花台·处容舞合设》体现的佛教礼仪元素

Buddhist Ceremonial Elements in Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance as Recorded in The Akhak Gwebeom

朝鲜时代王室的音乐文化以儒教的礼乐论为中心,礼乐是治道之本。但是,许多领域的研究表明,在崇儒仰佛思想基调下,王室的佛教信仰和佛教礼仪得以持续发展,这让我们不禁重新思考与之相关的佛教音乐文化的各个方面。尽管佛教的音乐文化和儒家礼乐思想是互相对立的,但两者又是共存的。虽然很少有有关王室佛事的乐舞记录,但是我们在朝鲜前期的音乐文献《乐学轨范》中所介绍的《鹤·莲花台·处容舞合设》中发现了几处有趣的部分。本文首先介绍《乐学轨范》中所记载的《鹤·莲花台·处容舞合设》,然后再梳理这个舞蹈中所包含的佛教礼仪元素。

Ⅰ.Buddhist Ceremonies and Court Music and Dance in the Joseon dynasty During the Joseon dynasty,court music was largely based on Confucian rites which were valued as essential to morality.In the meantime,although Buddhism as the predominant belief weakened to some extent,Buddhist ceremonies passed down from the Goryeo dynasty were still followed,especially in prayers to prevent natural disasters and prayers for health and longevity.In addition,studies in various fields have shown that Buddhist rituals were so popular that Buddhist scriptures were published in large amounts and a large number of temples were built or rebuilt for people to pay tribute to Buddhas.Driven by the popular worship of Confucianism and Buddhism,the court rituals continued to grow and a link between Buddhist music and court music was built,which deserves careful study from various perspectives.Although some people opposed to the setting up of Buddhist shrines in the palace during the reign of King Sejong,which showed the conflict between Buddhism and Confucianism,Buddhist and Confucian music still coexisted.It is a pity that there are very few records of music and dance in Buddhist ceremonies in the court,but we’ve found several interesting parts in The Akhak Gwebeom(The Music Canon)mentioning Combined Hakyeon Hwadaemu(Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance)and Cheoyongmu(Cheoyong dance).Ⅱ.A Brief Introduction to Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Danceand Cheoyong Dance literally means three dances Crane Dance,Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance performed in sequence as a combined dance.Crane Dance is a dance in which dancers dress up as cranes and mimic the movements of cranes on a stage with props of lotus flowers and a lotus pond.Generally,there are two cranes dancing at the same time,and in the end the cranes peck the lotus flowers and the flowers bloom.At this time,a girl hidden in the lotus runs out to the cranes’surprise.This dance belongs to the Hyangak jeongjae,the native part of Korean court dance.Lotus Pedestal Dance is Dangak jeongjae(Tang music and dance)introduced from China during the Goryeo dynasty.Two girls wearing hats decorated with golden bells hide themselves in the lotus flower and then come out to dance.The jingling bells on the hat were alien.Cheoyong Dance originated during the Silla era and is a masquerade dance derived from Song of Cheoyong and the folk custom of putting up portraits of Cheoyong on the door to expel evils and welcome blessings.Originally,Cheoyong Dance was a solo and the dancer wore the mask of Cheoyong.In the early Joseon dynasty,it became a five-person dance and the five dancers wore costumes of different colors.Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance contains three dances and The Music Canon describes two modalities.The Korean scholar Cheng Yu(1439—1504)mentioned'Cheoyong Dance'and'Lotus Dance'in his personal anthology,giving details of dance performance.(1)First,the dancers imitate monks offering to the Buddha and female performers enter from outside,holding musical instruments and singing'Meeting the Buddha and Bodhisattvas on the Holy Mountain.'Two Cranes and five Cheoyongs follow 10 masked people and they chant the song three times together.On the stage,the performers wriggle their bodies and after some time they begin to perform the Lotus Dance.(2)They put up an incense hill and a pond,and then surround them with flowers rising above one person.On the left and right sides hang colorful lanterns,with fringes dangling between the lantern.On the east and west sides of the pond,there are lotus petals and the girls hide in them.(3)Musicians play the tune of Pacing the Void(《步虚子》)and the cranes dance to the music,pecking the lotus.Two girls come out from the lotus,look at each other,and then run and dance playfully.(4)The musicians play another tune(《动动》).The cranes withdraw and the Cheoyongs appear.First the music is slow,and the five Cheoyongs dance with long sleeves in a line.Then,the music gets faster,the Cheoyongs scatter,and finally the music is really fast,the Cheoyongs dance to the tunes Blessed House(《神房曲》and North Hall(《北殿》)and form a line again.(5)One of actors chants'Namo Amitabha-ya Buddha-ya',followed by others.Finally,they chant the Hymn of Bodhisattva Guanyin three times,and then withdraw.Ⅲ.Buddhist Ritual Elements in Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance The Music Canon records of Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance are a bit different in music and dance movements,but they show its differences from other court music and dances.First,the initial formation is different from other court dances,either Hyangak jeongjae or Dangak jeongjae.The lanterns and flowers,as well as the dancing boys and girls wearing lotus crowns and masks,are all alien.Lanterns and flowers are solemn objects on the Buddhist altar in Buddhist ceremonies.It is derived from the ritual practices on the Holy Mountain in India.In addition,dancing with flowers was also once a Buddhist ritual.Second,in addition to the Dangak and native court music instruments,the performance also includes brass cymbals commonly used in Buddhist rituals.It is worth noting that when the performers enter,they are accompanied by cymbals.Third,all the performers walk around holding musical instruments and dance props,which is rarely seen in other court dances.It is related to the Buddhist ritual in which some participants move clockwise and the rest move counterclockwise in the last step.Fourth,the performers chant Buddhist hymns such as the Hymn of Buddha and Bodhisattva and Hymn of Bodhisattva Guanyin,commonly chanted on the Holy Mountain,which shows the close correlation between Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance and Buddhist ceremonies.Fifth,the movements are different from other court dances,but they resemble the Buddhist rituals like'going around the pagoda with their hands palm-to-palm as recorded in Buddhist scriptures.This proves the close relationship between Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance and Buddhist ritual ceremonies.Sixth,in Cheoyong Dance,the dancers wear costumes of five colors and even the'heavenly dress'.The five colors stand for five Buddhas.In the Buddhist ritual,a Buddha is represented by a flag of a distinctive color and the altars are adorned with flags of five colors.Thus,it is apparent that although the Joseon dynasty was a Confucian kingdom,the court dance Cheoyong Dance was adapted from a one-person dance to a five-person dance,and costumes of five colors were used,according to the Buddhist ritual.In addition,the Cheoyong dancers wear a ribbon called'heavenly dress',which is not seen in any other court dance.The heavenly dress is the symbol of Buddha and Bodhisattva in Buddhist rituals.This is common in Buddhist ceremonial dances.Ⅳ.Historical Evolution of Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance The Buddhist ceremonial elements in the Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance mentioned above are fully embodied in a largescale opening ceremony held by the royal family during the reign of King Sejong.In 1448,in spite of Confucian ministers’strong opposition,King Sejong still built a Buddhist temple in the palace where a golden Buddha statue was erected,and for the Buddha a grand completion ceremony was held.King Sejong had a number of instruments remade to be played by more than 50 musicians,and organized a band of 10 singers,10 dancers and 2 bamboo pole holders for that special occasion.The band was an orchestra of Aak,Dangak,Hyangak and Buddhist instruments played 7 to 9 pieces of music composed by King Sejong himself.Records also show that at that time the dancers held peony and lotus as they danced.Therefore,there is similarity between this opening ceremony and Combined Crane Dance and Lotus Pedestal Dance and Cheoyong Dance in terms of music.From records of Buddhist rituals,it can be inferred that the tradition of music and dance with Buddhist elements had continued in the court during the Joseon dynasty.During the reign of King Jungjong(ruled 1506—1544),the lyrics of the Hymn of Buddha and Bodhisattva and the Hymn of Bodhisattva Guanyin were revised.With the Buddhist element deleted,they transformed into secular odes to the dynasty.Meanwhile,Buddhist rituals were suspended in the court and then music bands which had long been sponsored by the royal family and performed grand dance and music were also dismissed.