清宫大白伞盖佛母信仰探析

A Study of the Belief in Sitatapatra in the Qing Dynasty Forbidden City

清代宫廷对白伞盖佛母的崇拜出现了显著的发展,特别在乾隆时期,除在宫中大量制作白伞盖佛母像外,还在北京及其周边地区的各大寺庙制作供奉精美的绘画和雕塑,甚至专门兴建寺院来供奉白伞盖佛母像。其信奉目的和崇拜方式等方面的特点,目前尚很少有专门的论述见诸文献。本文借助清宫档案及现存清代原状佛堂内白伞盖佛母的陈设情况,试图说明清代宫廷是将白伞盖佛母作为重要的福寿保护神来供奉的,并不是简单地继承元代的信仰传统而是另有传承和发展。

The worship of White Tara underwent great development in the Qing Dynasty Forbidden City,especially during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.Apart from the many images of her that were made for the palace,paintings and sculptures of her were placed in many of the large temples and monasteries in Beijing and its environs,and temples were also erected specifically for her.Few works and studies of the aims and modes of this worship have appeared. The author examines the Qing palace archives and remaining temples where spaces are dedicated to her and demonstrates that she was worshipped as a protective deity who conferred happiness and long life,and her worship was not simply a continuation of Yuan Dynasty traditions.