A Comparative Study Of Architecture Between Chinese Buddhism And Tibetan Buddhism

Buddhism has spread into the central plains at the beginning of Christian era and into Tubo Dynasty, Tibet, in the7th century. Buddhist culture comes to strike roots in the land of China by degrees in the course of centuries of evolvement and spread. Along with sinicization itself, Buddhist culture penetrates into and affects many walks of Chinese culture, and ultimately becomes an indispensable part of Chinese traditional culture."The concrete configuration of thoughts is tangible." Buddhism architecture is the tangible material carrier as well as the place of preaching and benefiting people. Buddhism architecture, in the course of centuries of evolvement, takes Buddhist thought as an origin and combines with the characteristics of the times and different cultural, regional and natural environmental characteristics to form a unique architectural type which also remain connected with the past. It fully reflects the architectural concept of being in line with local conditions, changing with times and conforming to Buddhist doctrine and general architectural theories.The thesis primarily focuses on development and fundamental features of Buddhism architecture of Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism and conducts a simple comparative study of their architecture in terms of distribution and functions to probe into the laws and features of its development.The thesis consists of five chapters:in chapter one, the topic of the thesis and thesis writing are introduced; in chapter two, it makes an account of historical development and evolution characteristics of architecture of Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism; in chapter three, it carries out a comparative study of site election, distribution and space of Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist temples; in chapter four does it make contrast between Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist temples from the aspect of function, and draws a conclusion in the end.