论延光四年佛像的史学意义

On the Historical Significance of Buddha Figure in Yanguang Four Years

长江三峡出土的延光四年摇钱树佛像,是目前所知的中国第一尊古佛像。该佛像举右手施无畏印,高肉髻,与四川其他各摇钱树大致属于同一类型。惟该佛像身着交领衣,显示了当时中国信众对佛像仪轨并不十分熟悉,是佛像初传中国时期的常有现象。就中印两国佛像艺术传播与交流的角度看,这尊佛像,作为一个有力的证据,可以缩小古印度佛像初创时期的争议范围,也可以缩小贵霜王朝迦腻色伽即位年代的争论范围,对探究佛教造像在古印度的起源有重大意义。同时,该佛像可以证明中国古籍记载的早期佛教造像虽有夸饰之词却是有事实依据为基础的。

The Buddha of money tree in Yangguang Four Years dug out in the Yangtze three gorges has been China first ancient Buddha figure that belongs to the same kind as the other Buddhas in Sichuan. But this figure of Buddha is dressed in a different way that shows the Chinese believers at that time were not very familiar with the ritual of the figure of Buddha, which was a very common phenominon when Buddha figure was first in- troduced to China. From the perspective of Buddha figure art transmission and communication, This Buddha fig- ure taken as a foreceful evidence can reduce the controversy of ancient Indian buddha figure in the start - up pe- riod, which is of great significance to the origin of making buddha figures. At the same time, this Buddha figure proves that the early recorded buddha figures in Chinese ancient books are based on the facts.