选择性忽略——关于敦煌法华经变·提婆达多品画面的几个问题

Selective Neglect--Several Issues Concerning the Stories of Devadatta in Lotus Sutra Illustrations at Dunhuang

本文对敦煌石窟法华经变·提婆达多品表现释迦于过去世与提婆达多因缘的画面、“海涌菩萨赴法华会”的画面和与“龙女成佛”故事相关的画面中此前不为学界所关注的一些细节表现做了重新识读与定名;同时,通过与日本等海外所藏相关佛经插画的比较,认为二者间在画面表现上有相当大的不同。在此基础上,对敦煌提婆达多品画面特色形成的原因进行了探讨,认为主要根源在于中国佛教信众对于提婆达多角色认知的不一致性相关。

This paper reexamines the titles and some details of various Buddhist stories about Devadatta,including a story of karma between Sakyamuni and Devadatta from their previous lives,an account of bodhisattvas surging from the ocean to attend the Chinese Buddhist Fahua assembly,and a story about the Dragon-Lady becoming a buddha.These stories are depicted in illustrations of the Lotus Sutra in the Dunhuang Caves and have previously been overlooked by scholars.At the same time,by comparing these illustrations with relevant depictions in Buddhist scriptures held in overseas collections of manuscripts,the authors conclude that the illustrations in the artwork from Dunhuang is noticeably different in several ways.On this basis,this paper discusses the reasons for the unique visual features in stories about Devadatta in the Lotus Sutra illustrations at Dunhuang and concludes that it was mainly because Chinese Buddhist followers had a different understanding of the role of Devadatta in Buddhist theology.