初唐时期西方净土变与《观无量寿经》

Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra and the Paintings of the Pure Land of Amitābha in the Tang Dynasty

序敦煌莫高窟的西方净土变1,至唐代开始出现描绘阿弥陀西方极乐世界的通壁巨幅画。对此我们今天的普遍认识是以松本荣一先生的《敦煌画的研究》2为基础,即描绘阿弥陀西方极乐净土庄严相的"阿弥陀净土变相"是依据《阿弥陀经》和《无量寿经》而画的,在此之上添加《观无量寿经》(以下简称《观经》)要素的则是"观经变相"。

The common understanding of the paintings that depict the Pure Land of Amitabha is based on the great work of Matsumoto Ei-ichi 松本荣一,Tonko ga no kenkyu 敦煌画の研究 published in 1937.Matsumoto demonstrated(or established) that the paintings of the Pure Land of Amitabha(阿弥陀净土变相)were illustrations of the Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra(阿弥陀经)and the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra(无量寿经).In other words,he recognized that the representations of the Pure Land of Amitabha have in principle no relationship to the Amitayurdhyana Sutra(观无量寿佛经).Matsumoto then showed that the paintings of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra(观经变相)are paintings of the Pure Land of Amitabha with additional details as extraneous elements based on the Amitayurdhyana Sutra.In succession to Matsumoto’s research,today the Dunhuang Academy has adopted the term Amituo Jingbian阿弥陀经变 instead of Amida Jodo henso 阿弥陀净土变相,and Guanjingbian 观经变 instead of Kangyo henso 观经变相.On this basis,in recent years Shi Pingting 施萍婷 propounded a new idea to subdivide the paintings into those of the Longer Sukhvativyuha Sutra(无量寿经变),which depict reborn figures,and those of the Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra(阿弥陀经变),which do not depict reborn figures.Nevertheless,the most detailed sutra that describes the vision of Amitabha’s Pure Land is the Amitayurdhyana Sutra,and the purpose of this sutra is to show how to contemplate and visualize the splendid scene of the Pure Land of Amitabha so that one can attain rebirth into this Pure Land.Moreover,we can find distinguishing motifs described uniquely in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra within the extant paintings of the Pure Land of Amitabha in the Mogao Grottos,including in the works that used to be thought to have no relationship to this sutra.Furthermore,the paintings of the Pure Land of Amitabha are visualized works depicting the vision of that Pure Land.Therefore,we can infer that the Amitayurdhyana Sutra and the paintings of the Pure Land of Amitabha essentially have a common religious aim,though their forms of expression are different,one as text and the other as painting.Contrary to common understanding,the Amitayurdhyana Sutra was possibly the most significant sutra to function as a literally resource for visualization this Pure Land.