Philosophy Of Life Represented In Dunhuang Caves

Dunhuang, located in the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, was once a stage for nomadic people as well as a base that the Central Plains Dynasty operated in the Western Regions. It plays a vital role in cultural communication between Chinese and Western along the Silk Road.The art of the Dunhuang Caves and the buddhist texts(the paper is yellow while the axis of the book is red) which are excavated from Library Cave are monumental works in the history of Dunhuang. In 2013, under the active advocation of Fan Peng, Yang Limin and many other researchers, the philosophy of Dunhuang complies with the trend of development of Dunhuang Studies, and gets a rapidly progress. Based on the research of the ninety-eighth caves in Mogao Grottoes, this paper analyzes its philosophical thoughts of life and does a textual research on cave digging, including its reasons, functions and background such as times, society and so on. Regarded three questions——Where do I come from? Why should I go? Where should I go?—— as starting point, this paper gives a solution to these questions: what’s the human’s nature? What’s the ultimate aim that human pursues?What are views of nature, values and thanotology of human? The author compares the interpretations given by the original Buddhist philosophy of life and Chinese traditional life philosophy, and analyzes the mural in the ninety-eighth caves and its background of opening.There are five conclusions we can get: 1. Abut human’s nature. Everything in the world is equal. However, the human nature unfolds gradually. 2. About ultimate aim. Human strive for the goal in each stage, and finally arrive in the Pure Land during their life. 3. About the relationship between Heaven and Man. It seems that the God helps to fulfill human’s desire. 4.About value orientation. As a saying said:“I believe that helping others will benefit yourself as well.” 5. About concept of life and death. Be afraid of death and long for survival.