Study On The Image Of The Four Heavenly Kings And The Types Of Objects They Hold

The image of The Four Heavenly Kings has changed obviously since it was introduced into China.The statues of The Four Heavenly Kings appeared earlier in India,mainly in the form of "The Four Heavenly Kings serving bowls",and similar themes have appeared in China.But the relatively independent image of the king of four appeared relatively late.In the development of China,the image of The Four Heavenly Kings is gradually three-dimensional,and the meaning of divinity is gradually complex.There are many accounts about the combination of The Four Heavenly Kings in the Buddhist sutras of all dynasties.With the passage of time,the image of The Four Heavenly Kings in the text has developed from the initial protection of the dharma to the protection of the country and people,and even to the benefit of all living beings.In reality,the image of The Four Heavenly Kings also developed a relatively independent and complete image from the original "The Four Heavenly Kings carrying a bowl" in India.In the early stage,the images of The Four Heavenly Kings were mixed with the images of The Four Heavenly Kings.In the later stage,there appeared the images of The Two Heavenly Kings and The Four Heavenly Kings,and for a period of time,the two heavenly Kings and The Four Heavenly Kings coexisted.The development of The Four Heavenly Kings combination itself is uneven.The emergence of the belief of The Four Heavenly Kings in the tang and song dynasties made the belief of The Four Heavenly Kings an independent existence in the belief of The Four Heavenly Kings,and in the subsequent development,to a large extent,influenced the belief of The Four Heavenly Kings combination.Holding objects is an important basis for identifying the identities of The Four Heavenly Kings,and the meaning of holding objects also affects the cognition of the belief and worship of The Four Heavenly Kings.Different object holding systems represent different beliefs and worship,such as guardian belief,wealth belief,agricultural worship and so on.By studying the images of The Four Heavenly Kings in the Buddhist scripturesof all dynasties and the local areas of China,and analyzing the combination system and its relationship with the system of the heavens,the development of The Four Heavenly Kings combination in the Buddhist scriptures is studied.Secondly,it sorts out the statues of The Four Heavenly Kings in reality,studies the process of their prosperity and development,analyzes the main types of objects they hold,studies the belief significance of The Four Heavenly Kings’ combination in realistic statues,and analyzes the evolution of the image of The Four Heavenly Kings in China.