A Study On The Secularization Of Dazu Beishan Rock Carvings

In the world cultural heritage application text of Dazu Rock Carvings(hereinafter referred to Dazu cultural heritage declaration text),the "Dazu Rock Carvings is the model of grotto art merging with everyday life" is included as one of the standards of applying for World Cultural Heritage.Most of the researches that demonstrate the lifelization and nationalization of Dazu Rock Carvings focus on the discussion from the perspective of image and plastic arts.However,it is rare to study the secularization of Dazu Rock Carvings from the perspective of the sponsor inscription.The sponsor inscription is one of the most direct manifestations of secularization and lifelization of Buddhism after its introduction of to China: on the one hand,it expresses the veneration of the Buddha and shows that the sponsors express their piety by presenting inscriptions;on the other hand,it reveals the secular demand and pursuit of sponsor in the real life.Therefore,this thesis intends to proceed from the research on the sponsor inscription to explore the secularization of Dazu Rock Carvings.In this regard,this thesis will be divided into five parts to elaborate:Chapter 1: Introduction.Elaborate the research value related to this subject,define the sponsor inscription,and review the research history.This thesis will take the sponsor inscription of Dazu Beishan rock carvings as the object of study,and take the inscription as the starting point,to explore the relation between Buddhist stone statues of Tang and Song Dynasties and Chinese society,politics,economy,culture,religious beliefs at that time,so as to further clarify the secularization of Buddhism in Dazu Rock Carvings at that period.The research of the sponsor inscription provides new materials and arguments for the study of the secularization of Dazu Rock Carvings so that we can have a deeper understanding of the ecological basis for the richness,prosperity and generation extension of the stone statues in Dazu.Chapter 2: Overview and Source.Introduce Dazu Beishan rock carvings and the sponsor inscription as a whole,and verify the sponsor inscription source.Buddhism spread into China through the Western Regions from India.In this process,a series of Buddhist grotto statues art,mainly worshipped by the monks or the royals,were built,such as the Mogao Grottoes,the Longmen Grottoes and so on.Meanwhile,the sponsor inscription arose concomitantly.Since the late Tang Dynasty,the Sculpting tide of the large-scale grottoes statues in the northern region had gradually weakened,while in Dazu,grottoes excavation and cliff statues were increasingly prosperous,and its creation history is from the late Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty(peak period is from the late Tang Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty).A large number of sponsor inscriptions remain,and only in Dazu Beishan rock carvings,there are 81 sponsor inscriptions,involving 139 sponsors of Tang and Song dynasties.Chapter 3: consecrating.Analyze religious secularization from the perspective of consecrating behavior.There are three phases of consecrating behavior according to Beishan inscription: 1.Late Tang is a personal independent investment sculpting period;2.The Former and Later Shu is the dawn of a joint venture sculpting;3.Song Dynasty is a joint venture sculpting period,and coloring separates from the sculpting.These features arose from the social and history background of that time.In that era,the Buddhist faith gradually spread from the officials and gentry to the general public.The participation of ordinary people promoted the process of secularization of Dazu Beishan rock carvings.Chapter 4: Identities of sponsors.Analyze the religious secularization from the perspective of sponsors’ identities.There are three categories of sponsors according to Beishan inscription: 1.officials and their relatives;2.monks and nuns;3.ordinary people.As for the number of sponsors of each category,the number of ordinary people is more than 80% of the total number,far more than officials as well as monks and nuns,while the number of monks and nuns only takes about 5%,showing that Dazu Beishan has reached a high degree of secularization.At the same time,the growth of the ordinary people sponsors mainly concentrated in The Former and Later Shu as well as the Song Dynasties,especially the Song Dynasty.It can be directly seen that the Buddhist faith was extended and transited from the elite to the mass class,which makes the secularization of Dazu Beishan rock carvings self-evident.Chapter 5: Sponsors’ demands.Analyze the religious secularization from the perspective of sponsors’ demands.There are three categories of sponsors’ demands according to Beishan inscription: 1.sponsor inscription for dead people;2.sponsor inscription for blessing;3.sponsor inscription for propagation of Buddhism.Almost all inscriptions are with a secular wish.Sponsors conveyed their own demands to the Buddha via the inscriptions,which also makes the sponsor inscription carries with a heavy secular atmosphere.