A Study Of The Pure Land Imagery Of The Western Xia Grottoes In Dunhuang

The Xixia regime ruled Dunhuang for nearly two centuries.The people of Xixia worshipped Buddhism.The five temples in the Mogao Grottoes,Yulin Grottoes,Dongqian Buddha Caves,and Subei Temples in the Dunhuang Grottoes all built or rebuilt caves of varying numbers.Unlike murals,the mural content includes a lot of pure land images.The Mogao Grottoes are mainly rebuilt and repainted the caves of the previous generation.It is difficult to see the portraits and inscriptions of the donors in the caves.The content is a uniform offering of bodhisattva,sayings and simple forms of pure land.In the Western Xia murals in the five temples of Dongqian Buddha Cave,Yulin Grottoes,and Subei,there are different expressions of Pure Land images.For example,the architectural paintings of the Pure Land Transformation in the western and central areas of the south and north walls of Yulin Cave No.3 Cave are representative works of line drawing art.Based on the arrangement of the pure land image data of the Xixia Grottoes in Dunhuang,this article explores the pure land images in the five temple grottoes of Mogao Grottoes,Yulin Grottoes,Dongqianfo Caves,and Subei Temples.Comb the origin and development of Dunhuang Pure Land image and organize the basic data of Dunhuang Xixia Grotto Pure Land image.The mural art of the Xixia Grottoes in Dunhuang provides valuable data for studying the development of ethnic art in the Northwest,and the Pure Land images are of great significance for studying the development of Xixia art and its regional characteristics,and the religious beliefs of the Xixia people.A lot of content about the music,dance,architecture,clothing,and clothing of the Xixia period were retained in the Pure Land images,which provided important image data for the study of social life in the Xixia period.The images of the Pure Land of Xixia Grottoes in Dunhuang can be divided into Pharmacist Pure Land,Maile Pure Land,and Amitabha Pure Land.Among the images of the Pure Land of Xixia Grottoes in Dunhuang,the Amitabha Pure Land images are the most abundant and the content is the most abundant.Mogao Grottoes are popular for drawing simple Pure Land images.Some caves in.Yulin Grottoes are basically the same as Mogao Grottoes.However,the architectural paintings in the pure land images of the 3rd,29th and 7th Dongqinfodong caves in Yulin Grottoes are very different from the architectural paintings of the Tang and Song dynasties.The composition and layout of the screen,the arrangement of the characters,the shapes of the characters,and the techniques used are all rich on the basis of the previous generation.Comparing the Pure Land images prevailing in the Dunhuang Xixia Grottoes with those of the Tang and Song dynasties,Xixia no longer shows the architecture of the Pure Land World,Kabuki,Treasure Lotus,and strange birds,etc.in the Tang and Song dynasties.Is very simple in all aspects.Compared with the image of the Pure Land in the Xixia Grottoes in Dunhuang,the image of the Pure Land in the Huizhou Grottoes in Shazhou,and the Amitabha Pure Land in Thangka unearthed in Heishui City,it is more standardized and stylized,and the composition is simple,mainly representing the same characters in the Pure Land world.The image of the pure land of the Xixia Grottoes in Dunhuang has a inheritance relationship with the Huizhou Grottoes in Shazhou,and new changes have taken place on the basis of absorption.The Pure Land image in Heishuicheng artwork is far from Dunhuang,showing the different regional styles of Heishuicheng artwork under the influence of Tibetan Buddhism.The image of Longfeng Zaojing in the caves of the Dunhuang Western Xia period should be borrowed from the function of the dragon and phoenix images in the tomb.It is not just a simple auspicious pattern,which reflects the fusion of Pure Land’s belief in ascension and the idea of soul ascension.Explore the function of the cave and the pure land belief of the Xixia people.Due to the lack of written records,the function of the cave can only be inferred from the subject matter of the murals.Xixia Grottoes draw a large number of Pure Land images.The popular views of the Tang and the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasties have not been resentful and the Sixteen Views have not appeared.Obviously,the main content of the Pure Land views has disappeared.disappear.Instead,a simple change of the Pure Land in the picture,almost all the walls are images of Pure Land,a large number of Pure Land images reflect the desire of the people of Xixia to survive,and the cave has become the etiquette center of the people’s belief in the death of the people of Xixia.