佛足迹图像的传播与信仰(下)——以印度与中国为中心

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

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。在日本,奈良时代来源于王玄策粉本的药师寺佛足迹石图像,对江户时代及其以后日本佛足迹图像产生了深远影响。

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 drawing 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 that Buddha's footprint image was finally sinicized 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.In Japan,the image of Buddha's footprint stone derived from Wang Xuance's drawing during Nara period(710-794)remain preserved in the Druggist Temple(literally Yao Shi Temple),which has far-reaching influence upon the images of the Japanese Buddha's footprint stone in and after the Edo period in history.