A Study Of Lotus Blossom Image In The Northern Dynasty

Buddhism is introduced into China in the end of the Western Han Dynasty,it meets in great development and prosperity in Northern and Southern Dynasties.Buddhism in the Northern Dynasties advocates sitting in meditation and viewing Buddha image,rulers of the Northern Dynasties almost use Buddhism to consolidate the regime,led to the excavation of a large number of grottoes.During this period,the society was turbulent,the wars were frequent,and the people lived in hardship,people are looking forward to a better afterlife,the popularity of the Sukhavati thought in the west.Lotus Blossom is the highest level of “sheng” in Buddhist heart,it is also a unique form of existence of Western Sukhavati though.They appear in large numbers in the grottoes of the Northern Dynasties.There are a large number of lotus images in the grottoes of the Northern Dynasties.They have various shapes,and in a variety of locations.Thus,in this paper,the images of lotus in different caves in the Northern Dynasties are selected as the research object.Using the method of archaeological typology,according to the different modeling characteristics,this paper divides Lotus Blossom Image in the grottoes of the Northern Dynasties into four types,such as lotus petals upward,lotus petals downward,lotus petals in a circle,auspicious clouds.Among them,each type of Lotus Blossom Image can be divided into several subtypes,including boy,sitting buddha,bodhisattva,female deve,music-player.Based on the analysis of a large number of Lotus Blossom Image,This paper further summarizes the origin and evolution of the Lotus Blossom Image.With the increasing popularity of Buddhism,Lotus Blossom Image gradually get into people’s darily life.After collecting a lot of data,the author found that abstract lotus petals upward and lotus petals downward appear in the steles of the Southern Dynasties,realistic lotus petals upward and lotus petals downward appear in the graves of the Southern Dynasties,lotus petals in a circle has entered into the tiles since the appearance of Yungang Grottoes.