Buddhist stone pillar

Buddhist stone pillar

Jingchuang: Chuang, originally a banner in ancient Chinese honor guard, is made of silk fabric on the pole, also known as Chuang banner. Due to the introduction of Buddhism, especially the introduction of Tantric Buddhism in the middle of Tang Dynasty, the sutras or Buddha statues were first written on silk banners. In order to keep them indestructible, they were later written on stone pillars. Because the inscriptions were mainly the "Sutra", they were called Jingchuang, which originated from ancient banners. The main body of the building is the body of the building, which is engraved with Buddhist Tantric mantra or scriptures, Buddha statues, etc., and most of them are hexagonal or octagonal. In the Five Dynasties and two Song Dynasties, most of them were placed in thoroughfares, temples and other places, and some were placed in the tomb Road, tomb, and beside the tomb.

Introduction to scenic spots

Wang Aijun's collection of works of Junyou Association: Interpretation of Jingchuang, Jingchuang and Buddhist objects, namely, Jingchuang with Buddhist scriptures. The Buddhist name of the building is dhvaja (India), also known as Ketu. It is built in front of the Buddha with a bamboo pole standing on the ground and a variety of silk jewels at the end of the pole. In general, the "banners" which are called "banners" together with "buildings" have the same function. However, the "banners" with "buildings" have the same function as those with "buildings" on the stigma; the "banners" with "banners" have the same function as those with long silk hanging down. (in China, the flag is used as a banner in military barracks.).

Sutras originated in Tibet, Nepal and India. Buddhism was introduced to China, so they were imitated and founded. But later, in Buddhist temples, Sutras were often hung on silk satin, and on both sides of Buddha and Bodhisattva statues, and banners were also hung at the same time. Hanging in the hall, the lower end of the building is mostly embroidered with gold and silver thread, decorated with flowers and flowing ears. The tower is hollow, but the building is not empty, and there are many levels (three or seven levels) in the tower, but there are no levels in the building. The surface of the false stone building is written with scriptures, so it is named "Jingchuang". The so-called upright building has the heart of advocating the right law, eliminating disasters, worshiping high-level scriptures, developing good faith and respecting Taoism. In front of the famous ancient temples or among the green trees, there are many Buddhist buildings, such as Kaiyuan Temple in Jinjiang, Fujian Province.

Architectural features

Building is a kind of art building with publicity and commemoration. In the form of Indian buildings, various relief carvings are carved on the jade wall commemorating the Buddha. Some of them also have a stone on the left and right in front of the tower, just like a Chinese rectangular stele. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, the wind of building buildings has been prevailing. There are buildings inscribed to build merits and virtues, and tombs built to commemorate eminent monks.

In China, most of the sutras are made of stone, but few of them are made of iron. Generally there are cylindrical, hexagonal and octagonal. It is composed of three parts: the base, the body and the top of the building. The body of the building is engraved with the toronic scriptures, while the base and the top of the building are engraved with flowers, cloud patterns, and statues of Buddha and Bodhisattva.

It refers to the polygonal stone column engraved with scriptures, also known as Shichuang. There are two, three, four and six floors. There are four, six or octagonal forms. Among them, octagonal is the most. The building is built on the three-tier altar, separated by Lotus pedestal and canopy. The lower column is engraved with scriptures, and the upper column is engraved with inscribed forehead or vows. The base altar and the canopy are carved with the carving of heaven and man, lion and arhat.

In general, the most common sutras are the Buddha top Zunsheng Dharma Sutra, followed by the white umbrella cover Dharma Sutra, the great compassion Dharma Sutra, the great freedom Dharma Sutra, the great auspiciousness Dharma Sutra, the Vajra Sutra, the Prajna Sutra, the Maitreya shangsheng Sutra, and the parental grace Sutra.

Historical evolution

According to the origin of the Sutra, the Buddha tells the emperor of heaven that if one can write about the Dharma, he can set up a high building, or set up a high mountain, or set up a tower, or even set up in a block of waves If there are Cuju, cuguni, youposai, youpoyi, family name male, family name female, who are seen or close to the building, and their shadows are reflected on the body, or dust falls on the body when the wind blows on the building of tuoroni, all the sins of those beings should fall into the evil way, hell, beast, Yama Kingdom, Ashura's evil way. They are all aware that they will not be polluted by sin. All these beings, who have been taught by all Buddhas, can not be turned back to the third Bodhi of Altura.

In addition, there were also Sutras in the grottoes of the Five Dynasties and the two Song dynasties in Sichuan, but the Sutras in this period mostly appeared in groups with various Tantric themes. For example, in the 281 Grottoes in Beishan, Dazu, the Sutra building is in the shape of eight columns, with an octagonal pavilion carved on the top of the building, a sitting Buddha carved on each side under the niche, and the Buddha's top Zunsheng Sutra carved on the body of the building. The building is small and exquisite, and is in the same niche with a variety of Tantric statues.

After the Mid Tang Dynasty, this belief became popular in China. For the benefit of all living beings in the past, present and future, Sutras were built in the front of the main hall of Buddhist temples. According to the records in volume 3 of the pilgrimage to the Tang Dynasty written by the Japanese monk Yuan Ren, when Yuan Ren passed siyangling in the fifth year of Tang Wenzong's reign (840 A.D.), he once saw the Zunsheng tuoroni Sutra building, on which the seal characters of Buddha top tuoroni and its preface were written. It can be seen that the construction of the Sutra building began after the translation of Zunsheng Dharma Sutra by Buddha. The custom of building Jingchuang was more popular in the song and Liao dynasties, but then gradually declined.

Today, the tuoroni building on siyangling is built by later generations, with the inscription of the fourth year of Tiansheng in Song Dynasty (1026 AD). In addition, there is also a Zunsheng tuoluojing building in Kaiyuan Temple in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, with two octagonal floors, standing on the base altar. The lower column is engraved with Tuoluoni, and the upper column is engraved with a Buddhist niche, with inscriptions on the side. According to the inscriptions, it can be seen that this sutra building was built on June 10, the fifth year of emperor Fu Zong of Tang Dynasty (885 A.D.), and rebuilt in May, the fifth year of Emperor Ming Zong of Tang Dynasty (930 A.D.). In addition, there are also Scripture buildings in Lingyin Temple, xiatianzhu temple, Fantian temple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Kaiyuan Temple, fengchong temple, Bolin temple in Zhaozhou, Longxing Temple in Zhengding, Hebei Province.

In the middle of Tang Dynasty, a new type of Buddhist architecture, Jingchuang, was added. "Chuang" originally refers to the pole column decorated with jewels, silk and silk in front of the Buddha statue, which was later changed into stone carving. It is placed in the courtyard in front of the hall and becomes a permanent Buddhist sketch architectural form. The scripture building is generally composed of three parts: the top, the body and the base. The main body is the body, engraved with scriptures and Buddha statues. In the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, the development of Jingchuang reached its peak, with more quantity and more complicated shape. After the Yuan Dynasty, the construction of Jingchuang gradually declined. The original two Jingchuang of Tang Dynasty in Yongchun temple were incomplete.

Classic architecture

Sutra building of Foguang temple in Wutai Mountain

Foguang temple has two Scripture buildings of Tang Dynasty. One was built in the 11th year of Tang Dynasty (857 AD), standing on the middle line of the front steps of the Buddha Hall, with a height of 3.24 meters. The other was built in the fourth year of Qianfu (877 A.D.), between the mountain gate and Manjusri hall, with a height of 4.9 meters. They are octagonal xumizuo, engraved with the Dharma Sutra and the name of the person who erected the building. On the top of the building is a wolf horn shaped cover with tassels on the surface and a lion's head in octagonal shape. Inside the leaves of the mountain banana is a covered bowl, on which there is a lotus covered pearl, and the carving is very good.

Tuoluojing building, Zhaozhou, Hebei

It was built in the fifth year of Jingyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1038). It is about 18 meters high and is the tallest existing stone Scripture building in China. There is a Jin Dynasty Scripture building in Lulong, Hebei Province, which was rebuilt in the ninth year of Dading (1169 A.D.). The building is octagonal, seven stories and 10 meters high. The column body is embossed with Yunlong, the column head is decorated with Yanglian and Shishi, the seventh floor plate is covered with eight giant dragons, and the upper part is a bowl supporting the spherical roof of the building. The carving is extremely exquisite, which is a rare masterpiece of stone carving. The scripture building of Nanxiang temple was built in Xiantong period of Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in Northern Song Dynasty, and engraved with Zunsheng toroni Scripture in Yuan Dynasty. About 8 meters high, it is engraved with lotus petals, Ruyi pattern, Lishi, Tianwang and so on. On six sides of the building, it is engraved with the full text of the toronic scriptures.

Tang Jingchuang, Songjiang, Shanghai

It was built in the 13th year of Tang Dynasty (859 A.D.) and has 21 levels. It is 9.3 meters high and has eight sides. It is engraved with the full text of Zunsheng Dharma Sutra. It is said that there are two ways to build this building. One is that it is the "sea eye" here, and the other is that the government carries out punishment here every autumn, and Buddhists build buildings to pass the souls of the dead. The whole building is tall and beautiful, with the style of prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Wuxi Huishan Tang Song Scripture building

In front of the Mountain Gate of Huishan temple in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, there is the tuoluojing building in the north in the third year of Qianfu reign of Tang Dynasty (AD 876), and the Puli courtyard's Dabai umbrella mantra building in the south in the third year of Xining reign of Song Dynasty (AD 1070). The form and size of the two buildings are basically the same, engraved with "the Sutra of the Buddha's top and the Dharma Sutra.". From the top to the bottom, there are railings, Yanglian, zufo, lion, Yunwen, etc. with gorgeous carvings and beautiful shapes.

Scripture building of Fantian temple in Fenghuangshan, Hangzhou

At the foot of Fenghuang Mountain in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, it was built in the third year of emperor Qiande of Tang Dynasty (965 A.D.). There are two sutras, 15.67 meters high, which are the tallest pair of Sutras in Zhejiang Province. The Scriptures are exquisitely carved, and the canopy is made in the form of waist eaves, which is very unique.

Jingchuang, Anguo temple, Haining, Zhejiang

In the northwest corner of Yanguan Town, Haining, Zhejiang Province, there are three buildings, which were built in 842, 844 and 865 respectively. The building is made of stone and engraved with the Sutra of Buddha's top. In the sixth year of Xiantong reign, the building is 7 meters high and its waist eaves are imitated by wood. It is the earliest stone imitated wooden Sutra building ever found. There are exquisite Buddhist story reliefs on the block.

Jingchuang, Zhangzhou, Fujian

It is commonly known as Xiantong stele. Originally in Kaiyuan Temple of Zhangzhou, it was destroyed by soldiers during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. Xiaolian Lin guangmai moved his home to repair it. At the beginning of the Republic of China, it was moved to Zhongshan Park. Its base is octagonal granite, 0.50 meters long and 0.32 meters high

Chinese PinYin : Jing Zhuang