Study On Intellectuals’ Creation Under Amitabha’s Buddhaksetra Belief In The Tang Dynasty

In the Tang Dynasty, as a kind of ultimate belief, the superiority of Amitabha’s Western Buddhaksetra was repeatedly explained and reinforced by Masters, generally agreed by monks and laymen, especially sincerely worshiped by plebeian class. Western Buddhaksetra belief also got the support of the majority of the rulers of the Tang Dynasty. In this period, the belief affected more commonly and profoundly on intellectuals’ thought and life. In the Tang Dynasty, intellectuals studied Buddhist theory very popularly. Through extensive exchanges with masters of Buddhist sects, they had gradually accepted and mastered deep moral principles of Buddhism and implanted it into their outlook of the world, life and aesthetics. The influence was fully manifested both in the content and form of literary creation. Buddhism became an important force to promote the development of literature. However, intellectuals hold complex mind to the Buddhism and accepted the Western Buddhaksetra belief in different ways for varies cause, also showing different performance. Overall, their Western Buddhaksetra belief thought was mixed, complex and volatile, different from that of true Buddhists. Despite of no uniform standard to measure their belief, Western Buddhaksetra belief had been a part of their thinking and daily life experience. This religious experience was reflected in the literary creation and had obvious influence in it. Therefore, there is lots of Western Buddhaksetra imagery in poetry, showing the unique aesthetic of the pure land features and enhancing the artistic influence of the poems. Many poems express an ethereal consciousness, which only can be get in meditation, as well as the artistic experience of open space and virtual silence similar to that from the depict of pure land in Buddhist scripturesl. The significant number of geya and gatha about Western Buddhaksetra were put into wide application and had also a great influence on literary in the Tang Dynasty. Many literati created verse poems like geya and gatha. Some who hold Western Buddhaksetra belief wrote a large number of eulogied for kinds of Paintings, embroidery images and statues about Western Buddhaksetra. Western Buddhaksetra belief was also reflected in the inscriptions creation in monument towers. The intellectual often used vocabulary and means of expression in Buddhism classical to describe the environment of the monastery, expressing their respect to eminent monk and views to Buddhaksetra belif. The flourish of Western Buddhaksetra belief not only affected the creation of poetry and Prose writing, but also promoted the development of Buddhist fiction in Tang Dynasty. The prevalence and popularity of the dharma of saying the name of Amitabha is embodied notably in novels. At the same time, the process of development and change of the Western Buddhaksetra belief is also reflected in the novel creation...