An Interpretation Of The Murals Of Cave 3 Of Bingling Temple

As one of the famous cave temples alongside the Silk Road,Bingling Temple,which is located in Liujiaxia,Yongjing County of Gansu Province,can be divided into shangsi(upper temple),xiasi(lower temple),and donggou(trenches).Constructed in the Western Qin Period of Sixteen States,this cave temple enjoys a history around 100 years earlier than that of Dunhuang Caves.At present,it enjoys 216 grottos with around 800 statues,100 well-preserved relics,and the murals covering over 1000 sq.meters.Those masterpieces lasting until today demonstrate the evolving of Buddhist art from India to Longyou area of the west of the Huanghe River.In terms of Tibetan Buddhism,its survival in Bingling Temple,which underwent the creation,mobilization,meridian,and decline,was closely linked to the status quo of Tibetan Buddhism in Tubo Regions,political affiliations of Bingling Temple,and the mainstream ideology at that era.Subject to Sakya,Kagyu,and Gelug,Bingling Cave Temple was mainly influenced by huangjiao(Gelug)during the Yongle’s rein of Ming Dynasty.Right on the center of the third cave of Bingling Temple,there is a stone tower alongside the mountain,which covers an area of 10 sq.meters.With murals on the walls,the eastern wall enjoys a rectangular shrine door,on both sides of which are profiles of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas.Underneath of the shrine,there is a donator’s portrait with the profiles of heavenly king on both sides.On the center of the southern wall,there is a profile of Five Manjushri.On the western wall,there is an image of Water-Moon Avalokitesvara.On the northern wall,there is a profile of Samantabhadra on a white elephant,which is relatively simple.Through the reinterpretation of the murals’ content of the stone tower,this essay present a new point of view about the controversial images of the previous researches.By virtue of the revaluation on the profiles,literature review,and the inscriptions on the stone tower of the third cave,this essay reasonably dates the murals.It analyzes the impact of the beliefs to Manjushri of Mt.Wutai,Avalokitesvara of Mt.Putuo,and Samantabhadra of Mt.E’mei on the artistic style of the murals of this cave.The murals of the third cave of Bingling Temple enjoy a rich content,which are the most intact murals of Tibetan Buddhism in Ming Dynasty.This essay,which employs a research on the profiles of the murals,discovers the controversies in the profile determination of various figures.By means of the revaluation on the controversial profiles,it puts forward an individual proposal.As the date of the murals enjoys a dispute in academia,upon the basis of previous researches,it deducts the period of creation through the history,inscriptions,and the principal deity of the murals.Finally it employs a complimentary analysis on the colors,compositions,and profiles of the murals,summarizing the features of the artistic form of the third cave.