The Investigation And Research On The Sutra Paintings In Bingling Temple Grottoes

The existing murals in Bingling Temple are about 900 square meters with various kinds of Dharma preaching paintings,Buddha statue painting,Buddhist story paintings,etc.,which fully reflect the development of Buddhist belief from Western Qin Kingdom to Ming and Qing Dynasties.Among a good deal of details,the Sutra painting is one of the important expressive subject matters.The current identified Sutra paintings in Bingling Temple Grottoes include 4 Vimalakirti Sutra paintings,3 Western Pure Land Illustration paintings,3 Narratives from the Lotus Sutra paintings,1 KWAN-YIN Sutra painting,1 Thousand-Arm and Thousand-Bowl Manjusri Sutra painting,1 Nirvana Sutra painting,totally 6 themes of Sutra painting,adding up to 13 murals.Therein to,7 of them were painted in the Western Kingdom,1 in the Sui Dynasty and the other 5 in Ming and Qing Dynasties.Through the interpretation and analysis of the Sutra paintings in the Bingling Temple Grottoes,it can be known that the Sutra paintings drawn in the Western Qin Dynasty only show important figures or scenes of a certain content in the Buddhist scriptures.The plot is simple and can only be called It is the budding work of Sutra paintings.The sutra paintings of the Bingling Temple Grottoes were gradually perfected in the Sui Dynasty.Taking the Vimalakirti Sutra,the most representative of the Sui Grottoes,the 8th cave,it can be said that the scene is magnificent and the Buddhist scriptures are continuously displayed on the four walls.The content is a big picture.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,Tibetan Buddhism occupied a dominant position in the Bingling Temple Grottoes,and the Sutra paintings had strong Tibetan Buddhism characteristics.For example,many of the figures painted are multi-faceted and multi-armed,and some Tibetan Buddhist figures such as Tsongkhapa are added to some of the pictures.The Sutra paintings of Bingling Temple Grottoes also showed different painting styles and aesthetic characteristics in terms of composition and color.From the Western Qin Dynasty to highlighting only the main characters and important plots of a certain Buddhist scripture,without seeking a balanced layout,to the Sui Dynasty’s pursuit of symmetry and staggered structure between the figures in the pictures and between the two walls of the pictures,and then to the Ming and Qing Dynasties,The balanced beauty of the picture is displayed in a way that the central figure of the main deity is enlarged and the other figures on both sides are arranged symmetrically.In terms of color,from the Western Qin Dynasty to the expression of fresh and elegant styles such as stone green,ocher,white,and brown,to the combination of dark gray,black,and brown with bright blue,green,and white in the Sui Dynasty.Show the silence and liveliness of the murals.In the Ming and Qing dynasties,the bold and exaggerated painting pursuits of Tibetan Buddhism were displayed in bright colors such as stone green and red.Since nearly two-thirds of the frescoes in the Bingling Temple Grottoes were repainted during the Ming and Qing dynasties,it is difficult to know whether there were any sutra paintings left before repainting.The more than ten existing Sutra paintings are very precious.They are of great significance for understanding the choice of themes and the differences in drawing styles of the Sutra paintings of the Bingling Temple Grottoes.It also helps to understand the beliefs of the local people and monks in different periods.