敦煌壁画西方净土变与药师净土变对置成因分析

On the Contraposition of the Illustrations of the Western Paradise Sutra and of the Bhaisajya-guru Sutra in Dunhuang Wall Paintings

初唐以降,敦煌石窟诸多经变在绘制位置上日趋固定,某些经变相互间逐渐形成一种空间搭配关系。其中西方净土变与药师净土变即是一例,二经变多绘于主室南、北壁,呈对置之势。此格局被后期诸窟所沿用,并最终形成一种流行范式。这种范式既表达了弥陀与药师二法门的有机融摄和互补,又彰显了佛教对世俗凡众死生两极的无微关怀。

Since the early Tang dynasty, the locations of many sutra illustrations had become more fixed in Dunhuang caves, and some of these illustrations appeared in opposed pairs, such as the illustrations of both the Western Pure Land and the Bhaisajya-guru＇ s Pure Land, which were usually painted on the south and north walls, respectively, in the main chamber. This tradition was followed in later times and became a fixed model, not only expressing their mutual complementarity, but also emphasizing the meticulous care of Buddhism for the life and death of humans.