Study On The Cicada-Crown Of Bodhisattva Statue In The Northern Dynasties In Qingzhou

Three statues of Bodhisattva wearing Cicada-Crown have been found in Qingzhou,Shandong Province.They are the single Bodhisattva staue of the Eastern Wei dynasty unearthed in Longhua Temple,Boxing County,which is collected by Shandong Museum,the single Bodhisattva statue unearthed in Longxing Temple and collected by Qingzhou Museumthe,and the Bodhisattva statue on the right of the Buddha created by Xing Changzhen in the third year of the Eastern Wei Dynasty.The crowns of the three Bodhisattvas are decorated with a cicada pattern.This paper takes three cicada crowned Bodhisattva statues and the inscription of the Buddha Statue made by Xing Changzhen as the research object,analyzes the reasons for the emergence of the Cicada-Crown of Bodhisattva statues through field investigation,literature research and image analogy,and interprets the features and cultural connotations of the Cicada-Crown.First of all,this paper sorts out the basic situation of the three statues of Bodhisattva wearing Cicada-Crown,and discusses the characteristics of Cicada-Crown.Secondly,through the inscription of the Buddha Statue made by Xing Changzhen,the identity of the statue maker and the religious belief conveyed by the statue are analyzed,and the religious function of Cicada-Crown is discussed.The decorative function of Cicada-Crown is interpreted through the crown shape and cicada stripe,and the symbolic function of the cicada crown is interpreted through the cicada stripe and mountain crest,so as to explore the functional attributes of this kind of statue.This paper explores the deep reasons for the appearance of the statue of Bodhisattva wearing Cicada-Crown from the aspects of the traditional thought in Qingqi area,the belief in immortality in Shandong area under the influence of Taoism,the Buddhist reincarnation belief and the influence of other areas on the Buddha statues in Shandong.Finally,through the collection of the patterns of Bodhisattva crowns in Qingzhou and its surrounding areas during the Northern Dynasty,the overall trend of Bodhisattva statues in this period is summarized,and the design intention of Bodhisattva wearing Cicada-Crown and the reasons for its failure to be popularized are discussed.Through image analysis and literature review,the author believes that Bodhisattva wearing Cicada-Crown is a typical example of the sinicization of Buddhism in Qingzhou area.Influenced by the traditional cicada decoration in Shandong and the cicada image in the Northern Dynasty,the crown style of the treasure is based on the traditional patterns of crown decorated with mink tails and cicadas.The inscription of the statue of the Buddha made by Xing Changzhen confirms that Cicada-Crown is the integration of the Buddhist concept of reincarnation and the belief in immortality,revealing the true history of Buddhism’s Sinicization.