A Small Test Of The Baiyi Buddha In The Northern Dynasties Of Dunhuang Grottoes

In Mo Kao Grotto,there are five white Buddha images in the murals of the Northern Dynasties,which only exist in Chinese Buddhist art.The essay points out a new idea about the source and significance of white Buddha images through a comprehensive investigation of five white Buddha images and their ideological background.The author think they are a kind of patterns of India Buddha statues.The white Buddha images are copies of Shakya Mani statue,their white clothes and bodies are caused by geographical conditions of Dunhuang caves.In chapter one,there are summary of distribution and situation and statistics on size,style and surrounding pattern of white Buddha images.Besides,the author also lists existing ideas of white Buddha images and raises questions about the above views.In chapter two,the author makes the movement of translation of sutra as the starting point,and finds that the movement had affected the caves of the Northern Dynasties.The main point is that the white Buddha images are from India Gandhara art,which is established by comparing the white Buddha images in Dunhuang and white Buddha image in Ajanta.To reinforce the point,the author also investigates the images of India Buddha and silk paintings collected by Stein.In chapter three,the author takes the No.254 cave for instance to expound and prove the white Buddha images are copies of Shakya Mani statue,and analyses the special geographical conditions of Dunhuang and the limit of production capacity of the Northern Dynasties.