Good Luck and Happiness

The portraits of deities of Mogao Grottoes after Tang Dynasty were the portraits of deities in Buddhist world. Some portraits had one deity and others had a set of deities or a special group. In some portraits, the images of attendants, protectors and worshipers were painted, such as Four Gods, Manjusri, Dragon King, Manjusri with thousands of earthen bowls, Tianlongbabu in the period of Cao Family; Kwan-yin, Yaoshi Buddha and Sixteen Arhats in the period of Western Xia; Kwan-yin with thousands of eyes hands, Zhishengguang Buddha, white- cloth Kwan-yin and Ganapati in the period of Yuan Dynasty. The believers believed that the gods had the extraordinary power to clear up their disasters and bring them happiness and lucky. The portraits of deities will be introduced in turn.

Four Gods

In the large-scale central-altar grotto of Cao Family, the portraits of Four Gods were painted in the four angles of the ceiling to protect the grotto, so they were called “Protecting Grotto Four Gods”. The Buddhism thought the center of the world was Xumi Mountain and the sea surrounded it. There were four continents in the four directions, Dongshengshen Continent in east; Nanzhanbu Continent in the south; Xiniuhuo Continent in the west; Beijuluo Continent in the north. The four continents were surrounded with Tiewei Mountain and another world was in the outside of Tiewei Mountain. A mountain named Gandhara with four peaks was in mountainside of Xumi Mountain. Golden Duo was Chiguo God’s station in the east and Chiguo God managed Dongshengshen Continent; Colored Glaze Duo was Chizhang God’s station in the south and Chizhang God managed Nanzhanbu Continent; Silvery Duo was Guangmu God’s station in the west and Guangmu God managed Xiniuhuo Continent; Crystal Duo was Wenduo God’s station in the north and Wenduo God who was Shamen God mentioned above managed Beijuluo Continent. The Four Gods led 28 Yaocha generals to respectively guard a world and protect the Buddhist doctrine. The Yaocha was namely Yaksa who was an atrocious malevolent spirit and was stepped on by the God in the Buddhist paintings and images.

The four angles of central-altar grotto of Cao Family showed the images of Four Gods and their family dependants and Yaksas. For example, in No.100 Grotto, Chiguo God held the golden pestle in right hand and glowered, and his family dependants, Qiandapo and generals were near him; Wenduo God held pagoda with posture of half genuflection and his family dependants, Yaksas and demons were near him; Chizhang God pulled back the bowstring and Guangmu God held the sword in right hand, and the images of family dependants and other deities were painted. The dresses of Four Gods were the images of ancient generals with arms. The blue and green were used more to form the cold-blooded awful expression. The images of Four Gods in No.146 Grotto were used the contrast-tone vermilion and green to increase the vitality of ceiling’s decoration.

The paintings of Four Gods were painted in the four angles of the ceiling to guard the grotto and protect the Buddhist doctrine. The image of main Buddha in the altar had been the center of the grotto and the master of the world. In religion and art, this overall arrangement showed ingenuity with an inventive mind alone.

Manjusri

The No.220 Grotto of Mogao Grottoes was carved in the Early Tang Dynasty. The northern wall of the grotto was covered with the earth and painted the murals. In October 1975, the Dunhuang experts peeled off the murals on the skin and found a mural of Five Dynasties with clear lines and colors (Picture 49).

The center of the mural was that Manjusri was holding the ruyi and riding the black lion. The lion trainer in his left hand wore red brocade hat and vermilion robe and held the halter. “Pu Qian Shou Chi Gong Yang Da Shen Gan De Yu Tian Guo Wang Shi” was above his head. A boy in Manjusri’s right stood with clasp hands. A vow article under Manjusri recorded Jiedu Yayishou Shuijun brainman and Yinqing Guanglu Official Zai Fengda painted Manjusri for all the soul of a deceased person going to Buddhist Pure Land, not falling into the hell, ghosts and animals; for his deceased father and brothers getting rid of disasters in the hell and getting the help; for his mother and all family’s happiness. There was a Kwan-yin in the west of the image of Manjusri and the “Da Shen Manjusri Bodhisattva Image” was in the east. Seven worshipers with official uniforms were painted under Manjusri to represent Zai Fengda’s father, brothers, uncle, grandson and himself. The mural was painted in 3rd year of Tongguang Period after Five Dynasties (A.D.925); Zai Fengda was the famous scholar of Cao Family authorities. Some copied sutras of Buddhist Sutra Grotto were his works.

Manjusri was the smartest Bodhisattva in the Buddhism. On his life experience, different sutras had different opinions. In many Buddhist sutras, when Sakyamuni was expounding the Buddhist doctrine, Manjusri and Samantabhadra assisted him. So the images of Manjusri and Samantabhadra were arranged side by side in many grottoes. The painting of Manjusri in No.220 Grotto used Khotan King to train the lion for Manjusri. It showed this new-style image of Manjusri was from Khotan. For the studies of Dunhuang artworks, this image was certainly new. Because it had been stored for over 1000 years by Western Xia Dynasty, it kept the vivid colors perfectly. We could see the real murals of Five Dynasties.

Dragon King

Dragon was the supernatural animal in Chinese ancient legend. It was good at controlling rain and cloud and was the token of feudatorial monarch. In Indian Buddhism, dragon was the protector of Buddhism and had many treasure in the sea.

In the northern and southern sides of western wall of No.36 Grotto in Mogao Grottoes, the scene that eight Dragon Kings and their family dependants are going to the Buddhist ceremony was painted. The images of Dragon Kings were human’s bodies and dragons’ Tails, and they are advancing in the sea with offerings in hands. Their family dependants included their girls and Yaksas. Seeing from the inscriptions in the mural, there were Dali Dragon King, Paoxiao Dragon King and Chixiang Dragon Princess. The skins of Dragon Kings were white, ocherous, black and blue. Their bodies were fleshy with big eyes and they showed their piety; the delicate-feature Dragon Princess held the incense burners, like the noble girls. The cliff and pine trees were painted under the dragons. It was an excellent work with vivid colors and contrast to show the Dragon Kings.

Thousands of Earthen Bowls Manjusri

In Flourishing Tang Dynasty, the senior monk Bukong of Mi branch of Buddhism had translated a sutra named Dachengyujiajingangxinghaimanshushiliqianbiqianbodajiaowang Sutra. In this sutra, after expounding Buddhist doctrine in Zhongdi Park in Shewei State, Sakyamuni especially hinted to Manjusri to do magical power to become a 1-zhang-and-6-Chi golden body sitting in the lotus throne with Baibao jade-like-stone clothes and Qibao Buddhist hat. Manjusri had thousands of hand holding a colored-glaze earthen bowl with a Buddha sitting in it. So the image of Thousands of Sakyamuni was formed.

These Thousands of Earthen Bowls Manjusri was one of images of Bodhisattva worshiped by Mi branch of Buddhism. The No.99 Grotto carved in Five Dynasties was a Buddhist Hall Grotto with quadrate filler-shape ceiling and a niche. Thousands of hands and eyes Kwan-yin was painted in the northern wall and the Bukongshuo Kwan-yin and Ruyilun Kwan-yin were painted in the two sides of the eastern wall. They were the pictures worshiped by Mi branch. The image of Manjusri painted in the southern wall was sitting cross the feet and wore the 7-buddha hat with many accouterments such as chaplet, bracelet, bangle and jade-like stone. The uncountable hands extended and show the circle. Each hand had a earthen bowl and each earthen bowls in the middle had a Buddha. The Thousands of Earthen Bowls Manjusri was sitting in a lotus and Xumi Mountain with two dragons, sun and moon, was under this lotus. The boundless universe was under Xumi Mountain and Axiuluo King was standing in the water and he was surrounded by many Bodhisattvas who were consulting the Buddhist doctrine to Manjusri.

The Mi branch was fashionable in Mogao Grotto of Flourishing Tang, the No.360 Grotto, No.361 Grotto, No.144 Grotto carved in the Middle Tang Dynasty and No.54 Grotto carved in Late Tang Dynasty had the image of Thousands of Earthen Bowls Manjusri. Because of the magical power, Thousands of Earthen Bowls Manjusri could show mercy to release all flesh. So the believers worshiped it. The image of Thousands of Earthen Bowls Manjusri in No.99 Grotto was used special way and different proportion to describe its power and the scene being worshiped by other deities.

Tianlongbabu

The No.6 Grotto was a Buddhist Hall Grotto of Five Dynasties. A calyx-shape niche was carved in the front wall and Kwan-yin was painted in the center of western wall of the niche with ten prentice in two sides. Eight Bodhisattvas and Tianlongbabu (Picture 50). The eight protectors were dressed in generals’ uniforms on the clouds with bows and swords. They were big fellows with red face or disheveled hair or mustache and glaring eyes. Their stateliness formed the contrast with eight Bodhisattvas’ gentle and quiet. “Jingnaluo King”, “Jielucha King”, “Jiaxiuluo King” and “Axiuluo King” could found in the inscriptions of eight protectors who were followed by other deities.

The mural of No.6 Grotto was accord in with the records of the Buddhist sutra. It was hard to see that arranging the Tianlongbabu together.

Shuiyue Kwan-yin

The No.237 Grotto was carved in middle Tang. After conquering Dunhuang, Western Xia painted many murals in the grottoes. The murals of Dishitian and two fairies and Shuiyue Kwan-yin in the gate of front room were the works of Western Xia.

Shuiyue Kwan-yin meant that Kwan-yin was watching the moon in the water. In the mural, Kwan-yin with holy light circle was leisurely sitting in the water bank and leaned against the rock, and a pure-water bottle was put near him. This mural was fashionable in the Grotto Temples in Dunhuang in Song, Western Xia and Yuan Dynasties. It showed the believers’ love and respect to Shuiyue Kwan-yin. This kind of mural was not the Indian invention but the works of Chinese artists. Famous Paintings of Past Dynasties Record recoded that famous painter of Tang Dynasty Zhou Fang painted a painting of Shuiyue Kwan-yin in Shengguanta Temple in Chang’an and raised his works. The image of Shuiyue Kwan-yin was Zhou Fang’s invention. Compared with other sitting images, this kind of image had the artistic conception mysterious of all space-directions being void. Maybe this was the reason that the people loved it.

Yaoshi Buddha

The Buddhism thought the east was a pure colored glaze world and Yaoshi colored glaze light Buddha was the master, and its name was called Yaoshi Buddha for short. Tradition had it that he was the Bodhisattva before being the Buddha, he vowed to release all fresh. After being the Buddha, the men who worshiped Yaoshi Buddha and piously called his name couldn’t fall into the hell and become the animals in the future life. His capability was to save the hard patient such as deaf, blind, limp, humpback, falling sickness, ugly and asininity. If they called the name of Yaoshi Buddha or hear others calling the name of Yaoshi Buddha, they would fully recover from all illness. In the Buddhist art field, the image of Yaoshi Buddha was a Buddha with medicine bowl and cassock.

There was a image of sitting Yaoshi Buddha of Western Xia in the western side of the southern wall of No.418 Grotto carved in Sui Dynasty. He held the medicine bowl in his left hand and tin stick and stepped on the clouds. The flying fairy and baldachin were above his head, and two prentices and two Bodhisattvas were near him. The No.310 Grotto carved in Sui Dynasty had two images of Yaoshi Buddha which was added in Western Xia painted in the northern and southern sides of the front niche of the front wall. The northern one held the medicine bowl in his left hand and held the tin stick in his right hand. This image showed investigating sufferings and releasing all fresh (Picture 52).

Sixteen Arhats

Many people heard the Eighteen Arhats in the Buddhism and knew the myth “Eighteen Arhats fighting with Sunwukong”. Many people saw the images of Eighteen Arhats in the two sides of the main hall in many temples. But few people knew it developed from Sixteen Arhats.

The Sixteen Arhats were the prentices of Sakyamuni. In the Buddhism, they obeyed Buddha’s order not to enter the nirvana. They lived in the world and were worshiped by all fresh, and bring benefit to them. “Daaluohannantimiduoluosuoshuofazhuji” translated by Xian Zang recorded the names of Sixteen Arhats. The “Nantimiduoluo” (free translation into Qingyou) was a famous monk in Lion State (nowadays Sri Lanka) in the 800 years after Buddha’s nirvana. When he was nirvana, he told the Buddhist names and addresses to all fresh.

The name of Sixteen Arhats were, Bindubaluoduozhe, Jialuojiafacuo, Jialuojiabaliduozhe, Supintuo, Luojuluo, Batuoluo, Jialijia, Fazheluofuduoluo, Subojia, Bantuojia, Luoliluo, Najiaxina, Yinjietuo, Fanajiesi, Ashiduo and Zhutubantuojia. After the sutra had been translated, the Sixteen Arhats were respected by Buddhists. Their images and paintings were fashionable in the Grotto temples. In Yanxia Grotto in Hangzhou, there was a set of images of Sixteen Arhats carved by Wuyue King Qian Yuanguang’s brother in law Wu Yanshuang in Five Dynasties. The murals of Sixteen Arhats in Mogao Grottoes were completed in the period of Western Xia.

The No.97 Grotto was a Buddhist Hall Grotto of Tang Dynasty. The images of Sixteen Arhats painted by Western Xia were in the southern, northern and eastern walls were arranged into two layers. Each 6 images were in the northern and southern walls and four images were in the eastern wall. These Arhats were painted in a pane and there was an inscription of name and address near each one. They were accord in with Fazhuji translated by Xuan Zang. Some were thinking with the stick; some were hearing the prentices’ question; some were sitting cross-legged; some were wanted to hit the prentice with the stick. The images showed the different features of characters. Some was old and shaky, and liked a kind senior. Some had high cheekbone and thin jaw, liked the ascetic monk. Some was fat and very modest. Some had high nose and deep eyes, liked the monk from Western Region. The prentices and worshipers accompanied the Arhats. They had the shadow of senior monks of the world and showed rising above this world and entering on a life of security. The effect had been reached that using the mind to communicating the believers.

Bianxiang Painting of Kwan-yin with thousands of eyes and hands

In No.3 Grotto, the Bianxiang Painting of Kwan-yin with thousands of eyes and hands were painted in the southern and northern walls, and it was the excellent work of the murals in Yuan Dynasty. The huge Kwan-yin with thousands of eyes and hands were painted in the center of the murals and the attendants followed her. In the southern one, the Kwan-yin with thousands of eyes and hands had 11 faces, 40 hands. Two big hands held a Buddha and two big hands crossed and two big hands held a bowl. The uncountable hands formed a circle with one eye in each hand. These plastic arts showed the slim skin and vitality. There were two flying fairies in the left and right angles of Bodhisattva. Poshuxian and Jixiangtian were respectively in his two sides, and two protecting Hercules were under him.

Poshuxian was not the Buddhist character at first. Because of he sacrificing the deities by way of killing living beings, he fell into the hell. After Bodhisattva’s domestication, he converted the Buddhism. In the mural, Poshuxian wore lotus-shape hat and green robe, and he clasped hands in front the breast with pious experience. This was an image of Chinese ancient old man.

Jixiangtian, namely Gongdetian, was in charge of nation’s safe and sound and all fresh fortune. She often changed into fairy. It was said that shi was the sister or imperial concubine of Bishamen King. In the mural, she held the lotus, and wore flower hairpin and wide-sleeve robe. Her elegant behavior was the image of fairy in people’s mind.

Zhishengguang Buddha

In the southern wall of No.61 Grotto’s corridor carved in Five Dynasties, the images of Zhishengguang Buddha and his attendants were painted. He held the golden wheel and rode the two-wheel carriage with the dragon-vein flags, and he was surrounded by nine-sun gods. 28 constellations arranged in the cloud and ecliptic 12 Gongs formed a long parade of Buddha and deities. Zhishengguang Buddha was called Golden Wheel Zhishengguang Buddha. According to Foshuodaweidejinlunfodingzhishengguangrulaixiaochuyiqiezhainantuoluoni Sutra, this Buddha gave out light from his all body and his duty was to release all fresh. In the middle age of Yuan Dynasty, the various disasters extended all over the country, Xining King Sulaiman managed to carve “Huangqing Temple” in front of No.61 Grotto. This painting of Zhishengguang Buddha was related to the ruler of Yuan Dynasty’ purpose to eliminate the disasters.

White-clothes Kwan-yin

There were two images of standing Bodhisattva in the northern and southern wall of No.3 Grotto. And two images of standing Bodhisattva were also painted in the northern and southern sides out of the niche of western wall. The feature of those Bodhisattvas was simple but elegant; the individual one wore the pea green or yellow, and stepped on the lotus. Some wore the white hat. They showed White-clothes Kwan-yin or other Bodhisattvas affected by White-clothes Kwan-yin.

The White-clothes Kwan-yin was a kind of Kwan-yin worshiped by Mi branch. In Bukongsuoshenbianzhenyan Sutra, there was White-clothes Kwan-yin in the north of Mantuluo altar. There was also White-clothes Kwan-yin in the north of eastern gate of Jinaizengyifamantuluo in Haihuiwubumantuluoyigui. Tuoluonizhaji described White-clothes Kwan-yin that she was sitting in the lotus throne to help all fresh not to fall into hell and become animals, and to satisfy people’s wishes. So, the believers worshiped White-clothes Kwan-yin. After Five Dynasties, the grottoes of Sichuan kept many similar images. Being careful a little, we could find the worshiped Kwan-yin nowadays was the image of white clothes and white hat.

Ganapati

For intensifying the believers to understand the doctrine, the Buddhism liked to use the way of compare. For example, there were the direct-narrating stories and parables in many sutras. Similarly, in the images, there were the intuitionistic image and allegoric image. Ganapati was an allegoric image in Mi branch of Buddhism.

Ganapati was the most advanced main Buddha of Mi branch, not a special Buddha but the Buddha and Bodhisattva who used the female to cultivate themselves, such as Shangle Vajra, Daweide Vajra, Miji Vajra, Shilun Vajra, Huanxi Vajra, Yuzhu Vajra and Matou Vajra. All single-body or two-body Vajra were stark naked. The two-body Vajra was the image of making love. So many people thought Huanxi meant debauch. Was it the real situation?

In fact, Ganapati stemmed from the Mi branch of Japanese Tiantai, but it was called Huanxitian in Tibetan Mi branch; it was called “Yanmandejia” and the two-body was called “Binayejia” in Indian Mi branch. The Huanxi of Ganapati didn’t mean debauch but meant the fearless spirit, fierce power and brutal means to capture the heathenry. The happiness in their minds was because of the large victory. The image of making love was the figurative image of this happiness. at the same time, images of naked male and female embrace was that male meant the cultivation ways and the female meant the brightness. The combination of ways and brightness could form the Buddhism.

There were several images of Ganapati painted in Yuan Dynasty in the murals of main room of No.465 Grotto in Mogao Grotto. The two-body image was in the center of the western wall and the two single-body female images were in the both sides. The left image which pig head was in side face was Vajrahaimu and the imperial concubine of Shangle Vajra. So the image in the center might be Shangle Vajra. The three two-body Ganapati in the southern wall might be Shilun Vajra. The northern wall was the same as the western wall. A two-body image was in the center and the two single-body images were in the both sides. The male of the central image had 16 hands with a skull bowl in each hand, and the images, elephant, deer, donkey, bull, camel and cat in the bowl. The death's-head were hung his body and he stepped a devil. It was the image of Huanxi Vajra. His body was blue and he had 8 faces and three eyes. The female body embraced by him was his imperial concubine Vajrawuwofomu.

Translated by Beijing Star-light Translation Center
Compiled by Historical Department of www.travel-silkroad.com
January 10th, 2000