重重帝網：夏荊山水陸畫的人文關懷與美學意蘊=Endlessly Multi-meshed Net of Indra: Compassion for Humanity and Aesthetic Implications in Xia Jing Shan’s Water-Land Ritual Paintings
There have been prolific studies on Xia’s Buddhist paintings, including his pursuit of perfection with depictions of the Gautama Buddha and Avalokiteśvara, the anchoret ethos expressed in his landscape and character paintings, and the unique personalities portrayed in his depictions of Zhong Kui and arhats; however, his Water-Land Ritual paintings, which reflect the spiritual side of the unison of art and Taoism, have not received much recognition. The otherworldly transcendental quality in Xia’s Buddhist paintings must be contrastingly observed alongside with the care and attention towards humanity which are conveyed in his Water-Land Ritual paintings, which will allow a well-rounded view of his entire aestheticism and lead to an understanding for Xia’s complete cultivation base. This paper examines Xia’s all-embracing compassion for humanity and the magnificent and complex aesthetic implications in his art by referencing the differences, paradoxes, and oppositions observed in the ultimately harmonious aestheticism preached by the Flower Garland school of Buddhism. It is observed that sentient suffering and even imaginative topics such as hell are sanctified because of “the unobstructedness of specifics in principles”. Xia’s profound empathy for humanity is reflected in how mortal requests are conveyed to deities through the state of the “One True Dharma Realm”, with Xia’s own spirituality also comprehensively presented. He departed from the idea of dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda and then used the meticulous gonbi style ink brushwork to freely express and harmoniously combine, and then through “mutual unobstructedness among phenomena”, possibilities of art were masterfully excavated, which transcended Water-Land Ritual paintings from ritual props placed on formidable altars to treasures of art that are rich with aesthetic implications.
