唐宋长寿王菩萨像及相关问题

Statues of the Longevity King Bodhisattva in the Tang and Song Dynasties

长寿王菩萨像最早出现于晚唐,流行至北宋,是唐宋时期新出现的题材,以四川安岳石窟发现数量最多。该菩萨具有愿民长寿的本质,晚唐五代时期,受延寿信仰的影响被直接附加“延寿命”的功能。宋初《佛说受生经》出现后,被赋予更多新功能,图像粉本源于成都。长寿王菩萨最初的图像创作具有观音的特征,反映出观音信仰对佛教中国化、世俗化进程影响之甚。

The statue of the Longevity King Bodhisattva(Changshou Wang Pusa长寿王菩萨)first appeared in the late Tang dynasty and remained popular till the Northern Song dynasty.The draft of the image depicted in the statues originated in Chengdu,Sichuan province,and the nearby Anyue Grottoes in the same province contains the largest number of the extant statues.The Longevity King Bodhisattva was born with the ability of extending the lifespans of living beings,and under the influence of Buddhist belief in life-extension in the late Tang and Five Dynasties,it became endowed with the ability to grant people longevity.After the emergence of the Foshuo Shousheng Jing(佛说受生经)in the early Song dynasty,the Longevity King Bodhisattva gained even more new functions.Early images of Longevity King Bodhisattva took on many characteristics of Guanyin(Avalokitesvara),which further reflects the pervading influence of Guanyin in the sinicization and secularization of Buddhism.