吐蕃统治时期敦煌的法华信仰

The Lotus Sutra Belief during the Tibetan Occupation in Dunhuang

吐蕃统治时期(781—848),法华信仰在敦煌仍旧流行。除了敦煌文献中保存有吐蕃时期的《法华经》写卷外,敦煌石窟还保存了这一时期的六铺法华经变,莫高窟第361窟还出现了莲花塔式的多宝塔。这些都说明,中唐时期敦煌的法华信仰非常流行。此时的法华信仰,除了延续盛唐时期的功能之外,还增添了密教色彩,展现出法华信仰的进一步发展。本文通过对中唐敦煌文献和敦煌石窟法华资料的梳理,总结出法华信仰在这一时期的发展与特点。

Throughout the one hundred years of the Tibetan Occupation from 781 to 848,belief in the Lotus sutra remained popular.In addition to manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra written during the occupation and preserved among the Dunhuang documents,six Lotus sutra illustrations were preserved in Dunhuang caves,including an ornate lotus-shaped pagoda in Mogao cave 361.This evidence suggests that Lotus sutra belief was very popular in Dunhuang in the Middle Tang period and inherited the social functions of Buddhism during the High Tang while also exhibiting characteristics of esoteric Buddhism,which indicates the further development and lasting influence of Lotus sutra faith at the time.By examining relevant materials from Dunhuang documents and murals of the same period,this paper summarizes the development and characteristics of Lotus sutra belief during the Tibetan Occupation.