云冈石窟开凿的背景略论

On Background of Yungang Grottoes' Excavation

北魏开凿云冈石窟始于文成帝兴安二年(453年),这项工程历时60余年,是佛教中国化的一种表现。昙曜能够在皇权支持下开凿石窟,是特定历史背景下多种因素共同作用的结果。当时全国各地的石窟开凿和佛教造像现象已经广泛流行,无论是达官贵人还是平民百姓均有热衷于佛教造像者,使开凿石窟有了广泛的社会基础。北方僧侣将儒家的伦理道德和礼仪规范融入佛教之中,对教义的变革迎合了皇权的需要,将皇帝地位提高到了佛的高度而受万民敬仰,同时文成帝将佛教视为巩固北魏统治的思想武器,从国家层面对佛教发展给予了支持,这也是石窟能够开凿的根本原因。师贤、昙曜等高僧精于佛教造像艺术,将天子即佛融入到造像艺术之中,迎合了文成帝的政治需要,同时为佛教的发展争得了皇权的庇护和财力支持。

The excavation of Yungang Grottoes in Northern Wei Dynasty began in the second year of Xing'an of Emperor Wencheng (453).This project lasted more than 60years and was a manifestation of the Sinicization of Buddhism.The successful excavation of the Grottoes by Tan Yao under the sup- port of imperial power is a result of multiple factors in a particular historical background.At that time,excavation of grottoes and construction of Buddhist statues were widespread in all parts of the country,and construction of Buddhist statues was popular among both high-ranking officials and ordi- nary people,which provided an extensive social foundation for grotto excavation.The northern monks integrated the Confucian ethics and etiquette into Buddhism.Reform of the doctrine catered to the need of imperial power and raised the status of the emperor to a height of Buddhism,making the em peror respected by all the people.In addition,Emperor Wencheng regarded Buddhism as an ideolog ical weapon to consolidate the rule of the Northern Wei Dynasty and gave policy support to the devel opment of Buddhism from a national level,which was the fundamental reason why the grottoes could be excavated.The eminent monks Shi Xian and Tan Yao were skilled in Buddhist statue art.They in tegrated the idea of "the Son of Heaven is Buddha"into the statue art,which catered to the political needs of Emperor Wencheng,and won the protection of imperial power and the financial support from the government for the development of Buddhism.