唐王朝龙门石窟大佛营造意图的考察

Considering the Purpose of Sponsoring the Construction of the Great Buddha Statue at Longmen Grottoes during the Tang Dynasty

本文是对唐代龙门石窟的宾阳南洞、宾阳北洞、潜溪寺洞、奉先寺洞大佛像营造意图进行的考察。唐魏王李泰不仅营造了宾阳南洞像,而且是将未完成的龙门石窟予以竣工的人物,他很有可能继承了'融王权形象于大佛'之北魏大佛的营造意图。宾阳南洞大佛像在形式上可以理解为'既有兼备永远性报身的尊恪,又是应身的阿弥陁';在建造意图上,正如《伊阙碑》碑文反映出的'永远性法身、佛'意识那样,'既是垂迹身又是应身的释迦尊格'。进一步说,由《伊阙碑》所记载大佛像的拖主魏王李泰之亡母文德皇后乃'成佛之存在',可以推测宾阳南洞大佛像即'作为王权象征之文德皇后形象'的再现;而与宾阳南洞大佛像在营造地点、时代、规模部很接近的宾阳北洞、潜溪寺洞大佛像,也像宾阳南洞大佛像那样有着复数尊格重叠的特征。关于奉先寺洞卢舍那像,笔者根据《大卢舍那像龛记》证明其也蕴含着'法身'意识;而从卢舍那大佛像的莲华座小如来坐像来看,笔者认为本像可以解释为《梵网经》之卢舍那像,即'具备法身性格之报身的卢舍那像'是由大佛像的形态予以显现的。通过一系列的考察,笔者指出:唐王朝的掌权者出于对'佛之法身、报身永远性'的重视,在这些大佛像中重叠以自身的'王权形象',是将'出世间、世间的王者性'作为政治的一部分加以利用的。

The major construction period of the Longmen Grottoes during the Tang dynasty was between the mid-7th century and the mid-8th century.The caves,which were opened during this period are situated on the south extension from the Dingding Gate,the main gate of the greater capital city area for the Tang Dynasty.During this period,large sized Buddha images were created in the major caves like the Binyang South and North Caves,Qianqisi Cave,and Fengxiansi Cave.Therefore,the major goal of this article is to explore the purpose of sponsoring such productions.Faguo,as the Chief of Monks Daorentong(a title of the senior religious official)of the Northern Wei dynasty claimed that"The emperor was the Buddha of the present and our time"and Tanyao,who served the Northern Wei emperors in the following years,had opened the grottoes with the Great Buddha image in the suburb of the capital city,Pingcheng.It was also at this time that the capital city was moved down to Luoyang.After this shift of the capital city,Emperor Xuanwu planned to open a cave with a Great Buddha image for his parents at Longmen.But only a portion of his grand plan was finished,which is the Binyang Middle Cave with the Great Buddha statue.Li Tai,Prince of Wei under the Tang dynasty reused this then-unfinished Binyang South Cave.On the votive stele,Yique Fokan Zhi Bei,it states that Empress Wende,his mother and the symbol of power,had already passed away,suggesting that Li Tai is here likely to have inherited the Northern Wei idea of juxtaposition of the image of the ruler on that of the Great Buddha.The content of the inscription on the Yique Fokan Zhi Bei stele suggests that the Great Buddha figure in the Binyang South Cave is understood first to be the fashen(dharmakaya),here with the embodiment of eternity and the reincarnated Sakyamuni.Stylistically,the Great Buddha images of Binyang North and South Caves and Qianxisi Cave can be identified as Amitabha(Amitayus).Amitabha(Amitayus)can be understood as the Baoshen(or sambhogakaya)with its eternality and the visible reincarnation of Fashen and also the Yingshen(or nirmanakaya).Therefore,the Great Buddha images of these caves,Binyang North and South Caves and Qianxisi Cave,are all identified as having all three qualities of the everpresent Fashen,Amitabha(Amitayus)of Baoshen and Yingshen,and the image of regal power on this earth.Vairocana Buddha of the Fengxiansi Cave,on the other hand,has the votive inscription,Da Lushenaxiang Kanji.In this inscription there is a phrase"Buddha is not the one who has anything above."Buddha referred to here is Fashen Buddha as mentioned in the so-called 60-Scroll Avatamsaka Sutra,therefore,the idea of Fashen has clearly been consciously enlisted here.At the same time,the small Buddha figures on the lotus pedestal of the Vairocana statue suggest that the image is also based on the Brahmajala Sutra.Thus the same image is also understood as Vairocana Buddha as Baoshen and having also the Fashen nature and visualized in the form of the Great Buddha image.The rulers of the Tang Dynasty paid special attention to the"eternal nature as exemplified in the Fashen and Baoshen state of Buddha"and superimposed their own images on the statue of this particular Buddha.By so doing,they politically utilized this bi-faced image of"the ruler of both religious and secular natures."(translated by Yatsunami Hirokazu)