A Study Of Buddhism In Bingzhou During The Northern Dynasties

During the Northern Dynasties,the political status and geographical position of Bingzhou was very important.On the one hand,it was located in the core of the triangle formed by the capital cities of Pingcheng,Luoyang and Yecheng;on the other hand,Jingyang in Bingzhou had always been an important military and political town during this period.Buddhism was prevalent in the Northern Dynasties,and Buddhist activities were very frequent,which was no exception in the Bingzhou.The activities of monks,the construction of monasteries,and the excavation of grottoes in the Bingzhou all have their own regional characteristics that are worthy of study.This articler discusses the Buddhism in Bingzhou of the Northern Dynasties from the following aspects: the translation and compilation of Buddhist sutras by monks,the number and distribution area of Buddhist monasteries in Bingzhou,the number of Buddhist grottoes remaining and the combination and themes of statues,and the influence of the central areas of Buddhism on the development of Buddhism in Bingzhou.Buddhism spread to China during the two Han dynasties,and then to Shanxi.Sutra translation activities were already underway before the Northern Dynasty.During the Northern Dynasties,the translation of sutras became more prosperous with the support of the state,and the activities of writing and annotating Buddhist sutras were carried out.Buddhism gradually moved towards sinicization.During the Northern Wei Dynasty,after Emperor Taiwu太武帝exterminate the Buddha,in order to restore the Dharma,translation activities were carried out in Pingcheng(present-day Datong),Shanxi.Shaman Tuan Yao昙曜organized the activities of translating and writing sutras in Pingcheng,and Tuan Yao made the"Fufazang Yinyuan"付法藏因缘and Tuan Jing昙靖made the"The Sutra of Trapusa and Ballika"提谓波利经,which were adapted to the needs of the development of Buddhism at that time.In particular,’Tiwei Bolijing’was fabricated for believers at home and was a Buddhist sutra recited by folk believers in Shanxi during the Northern dynasty,and had a profound influence on the folk community activities.The Avalokitêsvara Sutra of King Gao高王观世音经of the Eastern Wei Dynasty is a Buddhist sutra that was given the name of Gao Wang by Gao Huan in an attempt to use Buddhist sutra to confirm and consolidate Gao Huan’s divine status.Because the Bodhisattva Guanyin saved people in times of danger,the sutra was widely believed,and there are a large number of Guanyin statues in Bingzhou.Another manifestation of the prosperity of Buddhism in the Northern Dynasties was the large-scale construction of Buddhist temples.The distribution of Buddhist temples in Bingzhou was influenced by many factors,including the history of religion,national policies,the needs of the people’s faith,the natural geographical environment,transportation conditions,economic conditions,population and so on.In addition,from the actual construction and distribution of Buddhist temples in the Bingzhou,we can also see the role of monasteries in the political life of the Northern Dynasties and in various social classes,and we can also understand the influence of various classes on the monasteries.The large-scale excavation of grottoes is another symptom of the development of Buddhism in the Northern Dynasties.The Northern Dynasty was an important historical period for the construction and vigorous development of Buddhist grottoes in northern China.This article examines the distribution of grotto temples in Bingzhou,and discusses the age of representative grottoes in Bingzhou from the evolution of grotto Buddha statues.The combination and theme of grottoes and cliff statues can reflect the characteristics of Buddhism in a certain region.This article investigates grottoes and cliff statues in Bingzhou.The overall composition of the grotto is three walls and three Buddhas;and the wall has the form of two,three,five bodies,etc.The main subjects are the Three Buddhas,in addition to the Thousand Buddhas,the Seven Buddhas,Buddha worship picture,the divine king,Nirvana figure,flying,Vimalakirti and Manjushri,ect.The cave form and statue characteristics of the grottoes were influenced by the grottoes in Pingcheng,Luoyang,and Yecheng,etc.Analysis of the origin and transmission that influenced the statues in Bingzhou shows that where was some variability in different periods,which provides a glimpse of the exchange between the Bingzhou and other regions of Buddhism during the Northern Dynasties.In addition,there are also cliff-carved scriptures in Bingzhou.In particular,the’Avatamsaka Sutra’华严经in Fengyu of Taiyuan and the’Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra’金刚般若波罗蜜经in Xishan are the basis for Emperor Wenxuan Gaoyang文宣帝高洋to seek the basis for the legitimacy of ruling This is not only the background for the appearance of cliff-carved scriptures in the Northern Qi of Bingzhou,but also provides a clue for understanding the politics of the Northern Dynasies.