Studies Of Tale Paintings Of Eminent Monks In Dunhuang

The tale paintings of eminent monks in Dunhuang mainly show the miraculous deeds of eminent monks in the history,also including some solemn images painted for local eminent monks.Its development can be presumably divided into three periods.In the early Tang Dynasty,under the background of the prevalence of Buddhist Gantong tales,they are intensively reflected in a series of Buddhist history paintings represented by Dunhuang cave 323,mainly including the tales about the miracles of Kangsenghui,Fotucheng and Shitanyan;During the late Tang and Five Dynasties,influenced by the belief atmosphere in the central plains,the people gradually believed in the miraculous monks such as Liu Sahe,Baozhi,Sengqie,Wanhui,etc.and the phenomenon of drawing these sacred monks to worship appeared.The prevalence of the belief of these eminent monks had a great relationship with the transformation of the role of Kuan-yin incarnation,meanwhile,in the Dunhuang area of Hexi,especially the worship to Liu Sahe had the most local characteristics.Besides,during the same period,the eminent monks' Miaozhenzan were prevalent in Dunhuang,and there was also the phenomenon of making portraits and setting up shadow halls for eminent monks,which reflected the phenomenon of worship to local eminent monks.In the Xixia and Yuan Dynasties,with the emergence and circulation of the Huaben,the image of Xuanzang's Pilgrimage for Buddhist scriptures entered the caves in Guazhou area,the place where Xuanzang once passed on his pilgrimage,which became the main object of the tale paintings of eminent monks in this period.The emergence of tale paintings of eminent monks in Dunhuang not only has its local characteristics,but also shows the characteristics closely related to the changes of the Central Plains' belief,which reflects the interaction between Dunhuang and the Central Plains,although there is a brief separation between Dunhuang and the Central Plains.Meanwhile,the vivid tale paintings of eminent monks in Dunhuang also play a certain role in guiding people to believe in Buddhism and spread the Buddhist concepts.