| The Turpan Basin,where many ethnic groups create jointly a unique oasis culture in local in history, is an important channel along the Silk Road to connect economy and culture between the East and the West. Among the existed ancient ruins in Tupan, the Bezeklik Grottoes is famously. The cave-temples, which located on the west cliffs in the Murduq Gully of Flaming Mountain, about 40 kilometers northeast of Turpan City, not only kept a lot of colorful ancient murals, but also unearthed many precious cultural relics. In October 1980 to July 1981, when clean up the bulk of the earth and sand in front the cliff, some new caves were found in Bezeklik, and many scriptures, printed matter in Chinese and Uighurian and other cultural relics, which could be dated in the scope from the Western Jin Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty, unearthed. These old documents involved a wide range of Sutra, Vinaya and Abhidharma of Buddhism based on the contents. In this paper, aimed at the unearthed Chinese Buddhist texts, the author combined with the historical and cultural changes of the Turpan Basin to discuss in many fields.After study, the following conclusions could be draw:Ⅰ. In term of the details of the appearance, these Chinese Buddhist documents that unearthed from Bezeklik Grottoes have no difference with those scriptures found in local in history. The calligraphy of scriptures in different historical periods, including the Sixteen Kingdoms, Gaochang kingdoms and Xizhou of Tang Dynasty, show different characteristics. The appearance of a variety of chirography, reflected the frequent cultural exchanges between Turpan Basin and the outside area, which traced out a historical picture of the Buddhist culture spreading strong and lastingly along the Silk Road for economic and cultural exchanges.Ⅱ. The defending-state texts of Buddhism unearthed from the Bezeklik Grottoes, such as Sutra of Golden Light and Sutra for Humane Kings, especially favored by the Gaochang Kings of Qu family. The Qu family selected the two texts mentioned above,which is full of defending-state idea, as their donated Buddhist texts, not only for the deep social and political background, but also the agreement of rich principles of Buddhism, which reflects the predicament of kingdom of Qu family, a small kingdom in the Western Regions, and also the subtle psychological conditions between the major powers.Ⅲ. The discovery of numerous and various-version fragments, including those unearthed from the Bezeklik Grottoes, manifested that The Diamond Sutra, which especially Kumarajiva’s translation is popular, spread in Turpan from the Northern Wei Dynasty to Sui and Tang Dynasties. The reason why The Diamond Sutra spread is that, related with not only the theory it preached, but also Kumarajiva’s translating technique. Meanwhile, the unique tradition of Chinese culture in Gao Chang has provided the soil for the faith of The Diamond Sutra spread further in local in the Tang Dynasty.Ⅳ. The existence of Chinese and Uighurian fragments and artworks concerned The Sutra of Maitreya’s Ascension, outlined the trajectory of the faith of Maitreya’s Ascension, which was from prosperity to decline from Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty in local, and thriving again in the period of Gaochang Uighurian. But, the development and evolution in Gaochang, which has its own regional characteristics, are not synchronized with those in the Central Plains region.Ⅴ. During the five to nine centuries, the thought of the Western Pure Land spread in some towns of military importance, including Gaochang and Qiuci, and show different forms in the different regions, which were influenced by the Chinese culture of the Central Plains. Under the historical and cultural background of the Tang Dynasty strongly building Chinese temples, owing to the important intermediary role of the monks who received order from Chang’an to built temples, the Chang’an-style of Western Pure Land Art most probably has been directly transplanted to the Chinese temples in the Western Regions, where the effect of Changan Buddhist culture represented.Ⅵ. The Lotus Sutra was spread for a long time and dominated because of its large quantity in Chinese Buddhist scriptures in the Turpan Basin. In fact, this could be also treated as a popular microcosm of the sutra in China. Apart from the promoting theory of Three Yanas actually in One Yana, Kumarajiva’s superb translating technique is also a good other reason.Ⅶ. Shortly after translated and compiled, The wise and foolish was took to the Hexi Corridor, where provided new contents for the murals in Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. In the North Liang Dynasty, the concerned contents appeared in the murals of the Tuyuq Grottoes. The caves in Gaochang and Dunhuang in this period have many common aspects in not only cave-shape, layout and content of the mural, character modeling, painting techniques but also the reflected Buddhist faith. This strange cultural phenomenon reflected a two-way interactive relationship of Buddhist art existed between the Western Regions and Hexi in the Medieval Age.Ⅷ. The Tantrist texts that unearthed from the Bezeklik Grottoes, belongs to the system of Mahavairocana Tantra and Vajrasekhara Sutra are few, while the quantity of texts, which advocated to attain the merits by reading, copying with the Dharani spell, are dominantly. This phenomenon suggested that, in the several hundred years of the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Tang and Song Dynasties, compared with the Mahavairocana Tantra and Vajrasekhara Sutra, which advocated the complex fundamental theory of Tantrism, the Dharani texts, which emphasized the secular and future interests, were favored to be accepted by the majority of believers in the Turpan Basin. It reflected Chinese Buddhist distinctive features in local.Ⅸ. The discovery of lots of fragments of The Vimalakirti Sutra, especially including Kumarajiva’s translation, manifested that the text was very popular in the Tang Dynasty in the Turpan Basin. In the period of Uighurian Gaochang, The Vimalakirti Sutra in Uighurian, which was translated based on Kumarajiva’s translation, was unearthed a few in local. The reason why the transformation(经变) that drew based on The Vimalakirti Sutra appeared in the mural of Cave 3, a Tantrist cave, Baxiha, on the hand, is affected by Dunhuang Buddhist art, on the other hand, is related with the meeting point of the supernatural enlightenment beings that preached in The Vimalakirti Sutra and superpower being focused on in Tantrism.Ⅹ. The Chinese Tripitaka was spread in Ancient Turpan, not only could be found in historical literature, but also could be confirmed by the unearthed Buddhist Fragments in local. Both of manuscripts and printed forms existed. Among them, the manuscript Tripitaka, which was bestowed by Tang court and organized in accordance with Catalogue of Buddhist Works in the Great T’ang(《大唐内典录》),was very popular until the beginning of Northern Song Dynasty. After Northern Song, many block-printed editions, including Kai Bao Zang(《开宝藏》), Jing Zang(《金藏》), Khitan Zang(《契丹藏》), Pi Lu Zang(《毗卢藏》), Chong Ning Zang(《崇宁藏》) and Qi Sha Zang(《碛砂藏》), appeared in local. The collection of northern, southern and central systems of Tripitaka, offered a glimpse of flourished Buddhist culture. Even in the Yuan Dynasty, the Uighurian Gaochang already had the ability to publish Buddhist Tripitaka. |
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