藝術=art; 佛教藝術=Buddhist art; 中國神祇=Chinese God; 鳥神=bird-God; 人頭鳥=bird with human-head; 迦陵頻伽=Kalavinka
摘要
迦陵頻伽鳥曾是唐宋淨土變中常見之瑞鳥，迄今卻鮮為人知。本研究之目的是冀求對佛教內迦陵頻伽鳥之涵意、象徵，及其圖像之來源、流行於唐代之因素，與對後世之影響等，能有深入了解。 迦陵頻伽鳥之音譯名頗多，意譯名則有好聲鳥、妙音鳥…等，音聲美妙為其最大特色，只有佛音能勝之，故佛教經典中常以其妙音譬喻佛、菩薩說法議論之音。而其於卵中能鳴之特性，則常被用比喻菩提之功德勢力與智慧。此鳥在唐代佛教法界內之特性，可依其所在之世界分為兩類: (一)於娑婆世界者，為中瞋恚、多欲心性之眾生所轉世，其中生於「離險岸天」者，乃因生前曾受雇造作佛教工藝，故受天界享樂之果。(二)於極樂世界中者，則為彌陀所化作，專為彼界眾生說法。佛教藝術中其造型是上半身為人、下半身為鳥之相，目前於中國境內所發現之年代最早者，推定為東魏武定七年(549 A. D.)所作。以之與中、印兩地原有之人頭鳥神比較，發現其圖像乃轉化自印度緊那羅人頭鳥之形，而非源於中土。 至於其圖像何以能興起於盛唐成為「美音說法之鳥」的象徵?乃與西方淨土信仰興起、高僧註經影響、觀想法門需要、西方淨土變盛行、淨土宗傳法方式及樂舞禮佛文化等因素有關。總體言之，隨時代演進，迦陵頻伽鳥之美音等級從姚秦時之「勝餘鳥」、東魏時之「勝一切音聲，唯除佛音」，終提升至隋代之「可譬佛聲」。而其圖像象徵意義則從東魏之鳥神王意函，晉升至明代時之「不異彌陀法身」，臻於法界最高品位。其影響所及，即唐後其圖像流傳至西夏、日本等國並大為風行，宋世以後，方才逐漸式微，趨於消失。
The bird "Kalavinka" was famous in the T'ang and Sung dynasty's paradise mural, but no one knows it now. Thus the purpose of this study is to find out the Kalavinka's meaning, and the symbol and origin of its image; and to explore the factors of its vogue in the T'ang dynasty and its influence. Kalavinka's figure is half human being and half bird. Its name means "wonderful voice." The age of the earliest Kalavinka's image found in China was in the Eastern-Wei dynasty. By comparing its image with the other Chinese and Indian bird Gods, we knew that its image reversed from Indian Kimnaras. The image became the best symbol of the birds saying the Buddhist practice in the T'ang dynasty because of several reasons, such as the western paradise belief, honest monks' sutras explanation, practice necessary, the vogue of the western paradise mural and T'ang culture of music and dance.
