A Study On The Statues Of The Tang Dynasty In The Tang Dynasty

Tantra,which was derived from India,had been passed to China mainland and Tibet,among which Chang'an and Luoyang served as the centers.In the wake of the prosperity of Tantra,the styles of statues,which had been preached into Chang'an before,enjoyed a certain degree of impact upon the subsequent Buddhism art of Chang'an.Currently,the Tantra statues can be barely seen in Xi'an due to the Buddhist Persecution.This essay concentrates on the collections of Tantra statues in Tang Dynasty of Forest of Stone Steles Museum,reinterpreting the controversial collections of Tantra statues.By virtue of iconology and philology,it aims to reveal the lost details of Tang An'guo Temple,verifying the origins,dates,names,combination and impact.In the year 1959,a collection of 11 stone statues were unearthed in Dianchang Road,Dongjiao of Xi'an.According to the researches,this place is the ruins of Tang An'guo Temple,which,established in 710,is also known as Great An'guo Temple.Located in Dabanfang to the east of Changlefang of Chang' an,Tang An'guo Temple was one of the largest temples at that epoch.The unearthed statues of Tang An'guo Temple include Ratnasambhava,Manjushri,Acalanatha,Trailokya-Vajra,Hayagriva,and Vajrapani,which enjoy rich profiles,and provide references to the research on the Buddhist statues of China.At present,there are different interpretations on the profiles of the unearthed statues.On the basis of a further research on the origins of the white stones of those statues,this essay differentiates and analyzes the statues with the comparison of other concerning statues,thus distinguishing the artistic styles.As the School of Communication of Air Forces was about to construct the institutes in Xijiao,Xi'an in the year 1978,a hidden collection of carved stones were unearthed,including over 40 Buddha and Bodhisattva heads.As shown in a research,this place is the ruins of Leshanni Temple.Amongst the unearthed relics,the 11-Face Avalokitesvara Head,which was made of white stones with unique modeling,was now collected in Forest of Stone Steles Museum.Based upon the previous researches,this essay systematically determines the statue system to which the 11-Face Avalokitesvara Head belongs.Through the review of the concerning scriptures,this essay preliminarily reconstructed the 11-face Buddha head on the assumption of the arrangement of the faces.Moreover,it further discusses the differences and similarities between the 11-Face Avalokitesvara Head and that of other regions,thus a deepening understanding of the artistic style of the 111-Face Avalokitesvara Head in Xi'an.In the eastward process of Tantra,the Tantra statues of China had been passed to other countries including Japan,and had been inherited and carried forward in Japan.Later on,Shingon Buddhism,which can be called as Mitsu,was emerged.With the comparison of the Tantra statues of Forest of Stone Steles Museum and the Tantra statues in Japan,it finds the relations and differences between the above two in artistic forms.Specifically,the statues of Japan were influenced by that of China,while integrated with the folk art of Buddhism in Japan,thus a unique artistic form.