Study Of The Thousand-armed Guanyin Shapes Between Dunhuang 3th Cave And Vietnam But Thap Temple

The image of the Guanyin Bodhisattva is one of the most popular themes in the long stream of Buddhist art history. Guanyin is also well known for the diversity over time in expression of figure and shape. The most unique expression is the Thousand-armed and Thousandeyed Guanyin.China and Vietnam have been closely linked since ancient times. From a geographical and historical point of view, it is clear that both nations have shared artistic perspectives and culture for a long time. Buddhism penetrated in Vietnam and China from Ancient India, who was practised before and after the birth of Christ. After the long time spreading Buddhism, China and Vietnam both developed as Buddhist nations with particular characteristics. The ancient Buddhist centers of China are Luoyang and Pengcheng(Xuzhou). The ancient Buddhist center of Vietnam is at Luy Lau, it was established during the second century A.D. Unfortunately the memory of this ancient religion in Vietnam has suffered from a long history of brutal war, as well as factors of geography and climate.The first literature concerning the Thousand-armed Guanyin was uncovered in Vietnam in the Tran dynasty. The belief in Guanyin also reached its golden age in China during the Tang dynasty. At the early Tang dynasty, the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Guanyin was introduced from the Western Regions to the central plains of China. Buddhism was always a cultural link between China and Vietnam; the history of Buddhism began at the same time in both places. It had Indian origins, but eventually Buddhism influenced the development of both Vietnam and China.The purpose of this study is to compare the shapes of Chinese and Vietnamese Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Guanyin, and to highlight the differences. The images of Thousand-armed Guanyin from China will come from the third cave of the Dunhuang Mogao grottoes. A comparison with the But Thap temple of Vietnam will provide material for an objective study on artistic expression and processing. A comparison will be made regarding the shape and the local modeling, highlighting some important similarities, as well as how some elements have influenced one another. Differences in age, geography, ethnicity, culture, indigenous and religious belief have all influenced the differences in shape and composition. A brief summary of the changes in shape of the Thousand-armed Guanyin in China and Vietnam will be made. Finally, a conclusion regarding the characteristics and overall value of the modeling in Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Guanyin.