佛足迹图像的传播与信仰(上)——以印度与中国为中心

The Spread and Religion of Buddha’s Footprint Image (I): with Focuses on India and China

佛足迹图像及其信仰,中古以来广泛波及亚洲佛教流行地区,寄托着人们思念佛陀和希冀佛教繁荣的情怀,生动地反映了当时的文化交流与融合情况。佛足迹图像创始于纪元前后中印度佛陀象征性表现,2-4世纪脱胎于佛陀象征性表现的佛足迹石出现并流行开来,在西北印度和东南印度形成两个各具特征的图像系统。其后,印度佛足迹图像经历了缓慢的发展过程,一直持续到12世纪。中国汉文化地区的佛足迹图像,自7世纪中叶玄奘、王玄策带回中印度粉本之后发展起来,从关中周围扩展到四川盆地和东南沿海。明代汉传佛教寺院佛足迹碑图像流行,佛足迹图像中国化过程最终完成。祈求佛教兴旺和永恒,始终是佛足迹图像的主题,在后世发展中又增加了护法、消灾和超度亡灵等内涵。

The spread and religion of the Buddha’s footprint image has been significant among the Asian areas where Buddhism is popular ever since medieval period, which projects the local people’s longing for the Buddhists and praying for the prosperity of the Buddhism, and clearly reflects the interaction and integration of the cultures of that time. The Buddha’s Footprint image was initiated around the era which symbolized the Buddha’s image in the center of India. Then in the 2nd to 4th centuries, the symbol of Buddha’s image started to appear on the stones called 'Buddha’s footprint stone' and gained popularity. There were two separated image systems with their own characteristics formed in the Northwest India and the Southeast India as a result. Later on, the India Buddha’s Footprint image underwent a gradual and continuous development till 12th century. On the other hand, the Buddha’s footprint image came to spread in the regions of Chinese Han culture from Guanzhong of Shaanxi province to Sichuan basin and Southeastern coasts after Xuanzang and Wang Xuance brought back the draft of the image from the central India in the mid-7th century. By Ming dynasty, the Buddha’s Footprint steles were everywhere in Chinese Buddhist temples, which marked the end of sinicization of the Buddha’s footprint image in China. The theme of the Buddha’s footprint image has always been about hoping prosperity and eternity of Buddhism, other connotations like protecting Buddhist doctrine, removing ill fortune and releasing the souls of the dead were added in the development afterward, which implied that people’s thought was changed from worshipping Buddha to praying for prosperity of Buddhism.