3 Anyue Reclining Buddha (Wang Yi Photography)
Wang Yiwen/Pictures
Anyue, affiliated to Ziyang City, Sichuan Province, is located in Chengdu (Chengdu) and Chongqing (Chengdu) Chongqing) ancient road hub. The county seat is 130 kilometers away from Chengdu, 120 kilometers away from Chongqing, 82 kilometers away from Neijiang, and 67 kilometers away from Suining. The expressway runs through the entire county, making it a land transportation hub in the heart of the Sichuan Basin. The county is 70.86 kilometers long from north to south and 77.8 kilometers wide from east to west. It has a population of about 1.6 million.
Anyue Stone Carving is the general name for the stone carving art in Anyue County, which is mainly composed of cliff statues. It is a special "temple" built on rocks, which is fundamentally different from the wooden temples in the north. Among them, nine national key cultural relics protection units are represented, including the Reclining Buddha Temple, Yuanjue Cave, Thousand Buddha Village, Pilu Cave, Huayan Cave, Mingshan Temple, Peacock Cave, Xuanmiao Temple and Tapo (not including the stone buildings of Mumen Temple , Tiefo Shouya Tomb Group are two national key cultural relics protection units). Anyue stone carvings began in the Southern Dynasties, developed in the Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, continued in the Five Dynasties, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and extended to the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republic of China. Especially the cliff stone carvings, which are mainly sculptures from the Tang and Song Dynasties, can be called the masterpiece of Chinese stone carving art. The forte symbol wrote a brilliant page in the history of world grotto art from the 8th to the 12th century AD.
Anyue Yuanjue Cave Pure Vase Guanyin (Photography by Wang Yi)
Anyue Reclining Buddha
Suspended and chiseled to create a miracle
Anyue Reclining Buddha is located in Reclining Buddha Town (formerly Bamiao Township), 32 kilometers away from the county seat. This sacred image of Sakyamuni's Nirvana (commonly known as the Reclining Buddha), carved during the Tang Dynasty, stretches across the rock waist and is 21.3 meters long. It is the largest single statue in Anyue stone carvings and is also the oldest full-body stone carving in ancient my country. The head of the Buddha is one of the "aircraft carriers" of stone carvings in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. From its "discovery" in 1982 to its inclusion in the list of key national cultural relics protection units in 1988, it took only six years to create a miracle in China's cultural relics world.
The Anyue Reclining Buddha is a beautiful and wonderful creation. It is not like the reclining Buddha in other places that is carved on the ground. Instead, it is carved into the rockside, that is, a huge space is carved out of the mountainside. This makes the whole group of Nirvana statues majestic, especially the main body of the reclining Buddha lying across the rocky waist, which is quite like a heart-shaking word "one". Comparatively speaking, in Buddhist art, the classics that embody Nirvana include: Dunhuang Reclining Buddha, Zhangye Reclining Buddha, Anyue Reclining Buddha, and Dazu Reclining Buddha. In terms of region, Dunhuang Reclining Buddha and Zhangye Reclining Buddha belong to the northern Nirvana statues, while Anyue Reclining Buddha and Dazu Reclining Buddha belong to the southern Nirvana statues. In terms of texture and distribution, the former are all wooden frames made of clay and molded indoors; the latter are all stone carvings and carved outdoors.
In terms of length and carving time, the Reclining Buddha in Cave 158 of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is 15.8 meters long and was built in the mid-Tang Dynasty; the Reclining Buddha in Zhangye is 34.5 meters long and was built in the first year of Yong'an in Xixia (1098). ), is the largest indoor reclining Buddha statue in China; the Anyue Reclining Buddha is 21.3 meters long and was carved during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. It is the oldest and can be called the "big brother" of the ancient full-body stone carvings of "Nirvana Transformation"; the Big Foot Reclining Buddha is 31 meters long. , engraved in the Southern Song Dynasty, wishes good night to the reclining Buddha for more than 400 years.
In terms of difficulty, it is more difficult to carve out the Anyue Reclining Buddha hanging in the air, because if you inadvertently cause the Reclining Buddha's body to become flat or stiff due to its slenderness; Dunhuang, Zhangye, and Dazu Reclining Buddha (only It is carved up to the knee (that is, from the perspective of completeness, not the whole body, and the right hand is also hidden in the ground), it is all flat and the difficulty of chiseling is relatively low. Since the Anyue Reclining Buddha is carved into the side of a rock that does not touch the sky or touch the ground, the difficulty of creation is far greater than that of Nirvana images in other places, which fully reflects the ingenuity and creativity of ancient craftsmen.
The sitting cross-legged position of Lady Maya in the middle of the body of Anyue Reclining Buddha brings changes and stories to the Buddha’s tall body, especially the faint smile that overflowed from the corner of Sakyamuni’s mouth when Lady Maya expressed condolences and passed into nirvana. It forms a dual combination of sorrow and joy. The strong man standing at the ankle intercepted part of the too long horizontal line of the Buddha. It not only tells a story, but also has a little line relationship, which makes the whole have rhythm and change, and has a sense of life. That is, it breaks the whole body of the reclining Buddha with great ingenuity. The limitations of the flat body and the long and stiff body make the Buddha's body harmonious as a whole, showing the legacy of the Southern and Northern Dynasties statues of "beautiful bones, clear images, elegance and elegance".
The smile on its slightly pursed mouth is like another "Smile of the Tang Dynasty" after the Great Lusena Buddha, the master of Fengxian Temple in Longmen.
Interestingly, they belong to the same era, highlighting the momentum of the Tang Dynasty, conveying the message of the cultural achievements of the Tang Dynasty, and becoming rare and epoch-making giant sculptures.
Sakyamuni Buddha in Yuanjue Cave, Anyue (Photography by Wang Yi)
Anyue Buddhist Sutras
The swan song of the Southern Engraved Sutras
my country's stone Buddhist scriptures began in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the Fangshan Stone Scriptures in Beijing during the Sui Dynasty are the most complete. From a classification point of view, stone Buddhist scriptures mainly come in four forms: cliffs, stone pillars, scripture pillars, and tablets. The engraved scriptures at Yunju Temple in Fangshan, Beijing, belong to the category of stone scriptures, with the highest number of words in the country. However, as far as Buddhist scriptures carved on cliffs (niches) are concerned, this form of existence is rare due to the difficulty of carving. From the perspective of cliffs, Anyue Reclining Buddha Temple has the most Buddhist scriptures from the Tang Dynasty in the country. These two "best in the country", one in the north and one in the south, one carved on a board and one carved on a niche, are like the Gemini constellations in the starry sky of stone scriptures. They are worth looking up at.
The Anyue Buddhist Sutra is carved in the Reclining Buddha Temple, on the front or between the walls of 15 niches, with an area of ??154 square meters and 320,000 characters. It is the largest Buddhist sutra carved in southern China so far. land. In order to emphasize the beauty in the niche, some scriptures are also equipped with flying apsaras, scripture pillars and other decorations on their foreheads. Especially in Sutra Cave No. 59, sutras are engraved on three sides and decorated with flying apsaras, clouds, gates, tangled grass, spiritual animals, musical instruments and other decorations, which give the static sutra cave a sense of movement and make the static space of the inscriptions appear more vivid. Windy and majestic. The sutra text is divided into two types: regular script and running script. The square grid is straight and the font is powerful and elegant, neat and simple. It can be called "the best in carved writing".
The carvings of these sutras were both planned and selected, and were mostly done by such eminent monks as Kumarajiva of Yao Qin, Bodhiliuzhi of the Later Wei Dynasty, Huiyuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Bodhidharmagupta of the Sui Dynasty, and Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty. The translation covers about 500 years of works from Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. In addition to the name of the sutra, the year of inscription, and the surname of the translator, there is also a list of sutras and the name of the person who edited the sutras. The inscriptions on the scriptures include: the 12th, 15th, 17th, 21st, and 23rd years of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty, which shows that the engraving took more than ten years.
In particular, the "Tan Tripitaka" among the carved scriptures is engraved with the words "Engraved in February of the 15th year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty (727)". It is the earliest engraved scripture discovered so far, and is the earliest Buddhist scripture carved in stone in China. out of print. The "unique" significance of the "Preface to the All Sutras" and the "out-of-print" significance of the "Tanzania Tripitaka" highlight the special value of the Buddhist scriptures engraved in the Anyue niche, so it has the special reputation of "only this moment in the world."
What is unbelievable is that there are still simplified words used in modern times such as "wu", "yi", "ten thousand" and "ge" in the scriptures. Its objective existence has subversive significance for our "explanation and explanation" of ancient Chinese characters.
In addition to the Buddhist scriptures engraved on the niches in the Tang Dynasty in the Reclining Buddha Temple, there are also the "Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra" engraved in the 18th year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty by Xuanmiao Guan Dynasty, and the Buddhist scriptures built behind the Peacock Cave in the Northern Song Dynasty (originally the Daxiong Temple of Baoguo Temple). Outside the hall) there is a high platform with a single eaves in all directions. The pagoda is also called the Wheel Sutra Tibetan Pagoda and is 15 meters high. The tower has a unique and scientific construction, with three floors in all directions, and each floor has 8 columns. The pillar is divided into 8 sides, 6 of which are engraved with Buddhist scriptures. There are 24 pillars on the top floor of the tower, on which 144 Buddhist sutras are engraved. The inscriptions are in regular script, simple and smooth, and are valuable materials for studying ancient Buddhism and calligraphy.
Yuanjue Cave (Photography by Wang Yi)
Yuanjue Cave
Feitian is comparable to Dunhuang murals
Yuanjue Cave is located in Anyue To the east of the county seat, about two kilometers away from the county seat, the full name is "Yuanjue Cave of Zhenzhen Temple". It has 108 niches, 1933 statues and 25 inscriptions. The Truth Temple is in the sun of the mountain, and the Yuanjue Cave is in the shadow of the mountain. However, local people are accustomed to collectively refer to it as Yuanjue Cave. From the chronology of the inscription, we know that the carvings here began around the 20th year of the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, and were as late as the Southern Song Dynasty, lasting hundreds of years.
Yuanjue Cave was built in the Northern Song Dynasty under the leadership of the chief monk Liao Yue. It was carved according to the Buddhist scripture "Da Fang Guang Yuan Jue Zhi Yi Sutra" and was named after the twelve carved images of Yuan Jue. The entrance of the cave resembles a dome, with a depth of 10 meters, a width of 4.8 meters, and a height of 4.5 meters. There is a statue of the third Buddha more than two meters high on the wall of the cave, with six disciples nearly two meters high sitting in meditation on each side. The disciples sit either with their legs crossed or with one leg facing each other, thus covering the seat and reflecting the beauty of symmetry.
The stone carving art inside Yuanjue Cave is certainly breathtaking, but the Western Three Saints outside the cave is even more eye-catching.
The so-called Three Saints of the West, also known as the Three Amitabhas, are the three highest-status gods in the Western Paradise. They are composed of Amitabha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Shizhi Bodhisattva. Amitabha Buddha is in the middle, showing his enlightenment in practice and his majestic demeanor as the originator of the world. Although Guanyin Bodhisattva and Shizhi Bodhisattva are on the left and right respectively as attendants of the Buddha, they are alone on both sides of Amitabha Buddha's cave, enjoying the privacy of being surrounded by devotees and believers. The position of worship.
The Pure Vase Guanyin is 6.7 meters high. It leans on the colorful Buddha light like an axle. A pair of beautiful feet lightly steps on the lotus stamens, forming an inverted "eight" shape. It holds a poplar branch in its right hand, as if to brush away the secular world. dust; the left hand holds the pure vase, as if it wants to spread the nectar in the vase all over the world. The expression of saving all sentient beings and cherishing the world is best reflected in its slightly drooped eyes.
Sakyamuni Buddha, 6 meters high. His face is plump and round, with white eyebrows between his eyebrows, his hair is high in a bun, his ears hang down from his shoulders, and he has a smile at the corners of his mouth but does not open his mouth. It is just like what is described in the Book of Songs: "A beautiful smile, beautiful eyes looking forward to it." I can't help but think of greatness. The sculptor Rodin said when describing another outstanding sculpture "Venus of the Medici": "When you touch this statue, you almost feel that it is warm." His left hand is raised in front of his chest and abdomen, and his right hand is saying Dharma. Make a seal and hold a bipolar fruit between your thumb and index finger. His smile while holding flowers is reminiscent of the smile of the Great Lushena Buddha, the main stone carving at Fengxian Temple in Longmen Grottoes, and seems more vivid. If the Great Lusena Buddha expresses the "smile of the Tang Dynasty", then it can be said that the Sakyamuni Buddha in front of us expresses the "smile of the Song Dynasty".
The lotus-hand Guanyin Bodhisattva in the right niche is 6.5 meters tall. It wears a dense golden corolla with a small Buddha statue embedded in the crown. His chest is decorated with necklaces, his elbows hang from his waist, and his feet stand on a lotus platform, reflecting his handsome face and slight smile. The flower buds weigh up to a hundred kilograms and have survived for thousands of years. This is because the sculptor used the principles of mechanics to hollow out the space between the hands, the flower buds, and the flower branches, and skillfully supported the weight of the flower buds and flower branches on the cassock.
In addition to flying heavens, the side walls of the two niches of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Sakyamuni Buddha are also engraved with patterns of plants and flowers. On the side of the flower and grass patterns, the flying figures are in all directions, holding lotus roots and bouquets, or spreading raindrops. They are like dancing stars with unique skills creating beauty in movement, making people feel the potential vitality from the static Buddhist niche. The floating ribbons of the flying sky are in colors of blue, green, orange and yellow. The color is no less than that of the flying sky in the Dunhuang murals, and even better in terms of stone carvings. In contrast, the quiet and elegant Sakyamuni Buddha, the slightly worried-minded Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and the indulgent and elegant or fast-moving Feitian have different tastes, but they all show the beauty of perfect enlightenment.