Picture Records Study On Buddhist Sculpture Of Middle Period Of Tang Dynasty

Chang'an area of Guanzhong plain once was the first place for receiving Indian Buddhism that was introduced into the region where the Han nationality lived through the Western Regions and later, the Guanzhong plain had been the place where the Buddhism was prosperous in history. And this was hand in glove with Buddhism development, mode of propagation and the special political status of Chang'an.Pure Land, i.e. the paradise was the concrete expression for religion of eternity while the subject of western pure land was the idea of"yearning life"from the great beyond, being a kind of last solicitudes. The paper, through seeing about the picture of western pure land of Guanzhong, has found that many of Buddhism sculptures of Tang Dynasty in Guanzhong area are representing figure landscape about western Elysium, which was the core of religion on western pure land. And this may be shown by the examples including the three combinations at Dafosi in Binxian County of"three saints in the west"including Buddha Amitabha, the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta. The three saints seemingly simply combined have agglomerated stateliness from the western pure land world, which are symbolizing eternalness, consciousness, richness, comfortableness, getting rid of death, and sunshine and impelling the Buddha from all sides to go to the West for fulfilling their mission to guide mouse and man for living in the western pure land. However, the western pure land can be found in the reality and the real-life world. For example, Buddha Amitabha had been able to bring about to the world the sunshine infinitude and limitless and in the western pure land were full of treasures and treasure tree, virtue water and the lotus in continuing blooming, and even the worldly sky with sun and moon, which had once been the ultimate religion of Buddhism in the period of Sui and Tang dynasties.It was mightiness of the religion of western pure land that made the alchemy Taoist priest lack of confidence in collecting disciples. And so, with some ingredients of western religion on western pure land combined and introjected, the picture always promoted expressing going to live in the western paradise pure land, which may be seen in eight Bodhisattvas combination of three Buddha with two disciples, also being taken as heavy and complicated representation of two Bodhisattvas combination of one Buddha with two disciples and one of the forms for innovation and change of religion on western pure land. And this is fully indicating that religion of the alchemy Taoist priest had full operation significance.It was more like this for Ksitigarbha religion and picture and it indicated that the frequent combination of alchemy Taoist priest and Buddha Amitabha had shown the fact that the Ksitigarbha religion had fully combined with that of western pure land, and even the Sanjie church could not survive without religion of western pure land. This has shown that the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha had been listed into the religion of western pure land. The above have explained that at that time to what extent the people had concentrated their ideology onto the religion of western pure land, which have helped us with verifying that the Chinese Buddhism religion was in the state of"every household sacrificing Avalokitesvara and Buddha Amitabha is sacrificing everywhere."And from this the conclusion may be made that by coordinating Buddhism sculpture for sculpture of chronological record according to annals order, the evolvement of the worshippers from Northern and Southern Dynasty to Tang Dynasty had transferred their religion object from Sakyamuni, Maitreya to Buddha Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, the alchemy Taoist priest and bodhisattvas Ksitigarbha.In seeing about carved stone sculptures of Tang Dynasty on western pure land we have found that the picture of western pure land in Guanzhong plain of Shaanxi province is later than that of Shanxi province. And because of influence by Tan Luan and Dao Chuo, the picture of western pure land considerably matured had practically occurred when religion of western pure land was not broad in Guanzhong plain. And the religion was not prevailing until it was in the period of Suiwen Emperor. And so, the conclusion has been made that the picture and religion of western pure land in Tang Dynasty of Guanzhong plain might be originated from promulgation by shaman group of Tan Luan of Yecheng, Shanxi province. And then the promulgation of religion and picture of western pure land was spreading to the peripheral areas. And this has to be owing to the Suiwen emperor and his son who advocated Buddhism and owing to the influence of Chang'an—the capital for politics, economy and culture of the time of Tang Dynasty.As to the so-called"Chang'an mode"it might be one of the sculpture making styles formed under the influence by the religion tide of western pure land.