解冤释结:川渝地区解冤结菩萨造像研究

Removing Enmity: A Study on Bodhisattva Sculpture Expressing the Removal of Hate in Sichuan and Chongqing

解冤结菩萨造像的标志性特征为菩萨座下造一牛,呈骑牛状,集中分布于今四川安岳、重庆大足地区,从五代延续至南宋,具有较强的地域性。此造像题材的产生是唐末五代解冤结信仰急剧发展的结果,是佛教世俗化、民间化的产物。解冤结菩萨的主要功能为解冤释结,使得"冤家不相遇会",时至北宋末年其功能已相当完备。解冤结菩萨骑牛形象很可能是蜀地炽盛光佛乘牛车简化后的形象,图像的粉本来源于当时川渝地区的佛教中心成都寺院。

The symbolic feature of Buddhist statuary used to express the removal of enmity is a Bodhisattva sat atop a cow.This theme is mainly found in Buddhist art dating from the Five Dynasties to the Southern Song dynasty in Anyue, Sichuan province, and Dazu, Chongqing, and generally exhibits strong regional characteristics. The theme of removing enmity appeared as a result of the rapid development during the late Tang dynasty and Five Dynasties of a belief in the importance of cleansing one’s heart and conscience, which arose primarily as a byproduct of the secularization and popularization of Buddhism. The main function of this enmity-removing Bodhisattva was to remove the source of hate between two enemies and cause them to never meet again. By the end of the Northern Song dynasty, both the form and function of this Bodhisattva figure were complete. The image of a Bodhisattva riding a cow was likely borrowed from a simplified image of the Tejaprabha Buddha riding an ox cart that was already popular in the Sichuan region. The draft used to standardize the theme came from Chengdu Temple, which was the center of Buddhist activity in Sichuan and Chongqing at that time.