The Study Of Cave 196 Of Mogao Grottoes As An Example Of Bodhisattva Precepts Platform Cave Of Mahayana Buddhism

Bodhisattva Precepts are a important kind of religious disciplines of Mahayana Buddhism.The monks of Chinese Buddhism abide by Dharmagupta-vinaya and together with this precepts of Mahayana Buddhism.The number of Buddhist documents about the Bodhisattva Precepts in the Dunhuang Documents illustrates that Bodhisattva Precepts used to be prevalent in Dunhuang in the mediaeval times.In this dissertation,the 196 th Grotto is chosen as a typical grotto of Bodhisattva Precepts platform in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.I utilize the handed-down Buddhist documents and the Buddhist documents about the Bodhisattva Precepts in the Dunhuang Documents to explain the in-depth connotation of the imges in the 196 th Grotto.The study of the196 th Grotto is beneficial to comprehend the ideological implication of the Bodhisattva Precepts in Dunhuang and the composition of image system of the caves of Bodhisattva Precepts platform in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.The 196 th Grotto was built during the period when Suo Xun took up a position as Jiedushi of the Guijijun Regime.The study of the relationship between Suo Xun and the 196 th Grotto is not only helpful to get more information,but also shows the interaction of the Jiedushi of the Guiyijun Regime and Buddhism.There are four aspects of the contents in this dissertation.First of all,the demonstration of the time of construction of the 196 th grotto,and the relationship between the faith of the contributors and the property of this cave.Second,the Buddhist documents about the Bodhisattva Precepts in the Dunhuang Documents and the sutra paintings about the precepts of Mahayana Buddhism in the Mogao Grottoes and the Yulin Grottoes,to explore the thoughts,the procedure of the ceremony and the images of Bodhisattva Precepts in the Dunhuang Buddhism.Third,the themes of the sutra paintings in the 196 th cave constitute a way to become Buddha of Mahayana Buddhism,a pair of the sutra paintings on the east side of the southern and northern walls in the main cavern grotto about Golden Light Sutra Recitation and Maitreya possibly reflected the political aspiration of Suo Xun.Finally,the images about Bodhisattva precepts in the 196 th grotto make us ensure the property of this grotto.The frescoes reflecting the thoughts of Bodhisattva Precepts of Mahayana Buddhism in the196 th cave,such as the picture that the eminent mank impact the religious disciplines,the images which Buddha go to the dharma assembly and the images of the Thousand Buddha on the roof of the main cavern grotto,the screen paintings of Bodhisattva on the lower part of the southern and the northern walls and the unique paintings of Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva on the both side of the door.These frescoes show that the 196 th cave is a representative cave of Bodhisattva Precepts platform in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.The dragon-designed incription of Suo Xun,a pair of the sutra paintings on the east side of the southern and northern walls in the main cavern grotto about Golden Light Sutra Recitation and Maitreya reflect the close relationship between Suo Xun and the 196 th Grotto.