祖師傳承說的石刻例證 -- 龍門看經寺洞羅漢群像考=The Legendary Lineage of Ch'an Partriarches Euidenced by Reliefs: A Study of the 29 Arahant Images in the K'an-ching-szu Cave of Lung-men Grottoes
The 29 arahant reliefs carved in the K'an-cning-szu cave of Lung-men grottoes have veryspecial significance in the history of Chinese Buddhist arts, the history of statue-making in stone cave , and the history of Buddhist thought. This paper tries to make an investigation from three aspects.
The 29 arahant reliefs in K'ang-cning-szu cave are the products of the reign between Empress WuCheh-tien and Emperor T'ang Hsuan-chung. This is the second peak period of Chinese Buddhist sculpture art after the prominent period of Northern Wei Dynesty.In this period , the reslistic style of the region west of Tun-huang integrated with the traditionalskill of elegant line-sculpture , fully manifesting the style of prominent T'ang Dynasty.
Firstly , the artistic style. The 29 arahant reliefs show 29 styles of bhikkhu. Some are old,some are young. Some are in deep thinking , some are looking upward. They all have rich facial expression. Some palm their hands in showing respects, some hold lotus or rosary in their hands.They put on monk robe , showing the image of the eminent monks in T'ang Dynasty. They are the representative works of figures in prominent T'ang Dynasty.
Secondly , the motifs of Chinese Buddhist figures. Before T'ang Dynasty , Buddhas andBodhisattvas were the main motifs of Buddhist sculpture. Arahants are the minor motifs. In most cases, there are only Kaseayapa and Ananda flanking Sakyamuni Buddha. In only one or two cases, there is exception. For example , the Sakyamuni Buddha's ten major disciples appear in the 18th cave of Yun-gang grottoes.
Entering the T'ang Dynasty , the creation of arahant statue increases gradually. The arahantsappeared to be the standing bhikkhus waiting on Skyamuni Buddha, or the audience in dharma lecture,or the virtuous people reborn in Western Pure Land,or the crying disciples by the side of the dying Sakyamuni Buddha. However , these arahants don't occupy major status just like the arahants in K'an-ching-szu cave. The arahant reliefs ofK'an-ching-szu cave are not only the pioneer of making arahants the major motif in Buddhist sculpture but also the beginning of multi-arahant sculpture in late T'ang and Sung Dynasties.
Thirdly , in general the scholars believe that 29 arahant motifs in K'an-ching-szu were sculpturedfollowing the account of 29 patriarches in "Li Dai Fa Bao Chi" (Book of the Dharma Jewels in All Generations) and therefore have relationship with the lineage of ch'an school.
The lineage of ch'an patriarches from India to China has different accounts. Since Southern andNorthern Dynasties, there were various versions regarding the number of patriarch：53 , 54 , 28 , 29,or 8. When "Ching Teh Chuan Teng Lu" (Book of the Great Virtuous Lamp-transmitting) was completed in early Sung Dynasty , the account of 28 patriarches was universally accepted until today. However, according to the investigation of modern scholars,it seems that the legend of 28 patriarches is not reliable. The question is when this legendoriginates. Some consider that it originated from "Bao Lin Ch'uang" (Biography of Precious Forest)which was finished in 801 A.D. However , Dr. Hu Hsih believed that it was invented by the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng's disciple Shen Hui just before he died in762 A.D. Riv. Yin-shuen regards that it was completed in 730 A.D.
The 29 arahant reliefs of K'an-ching-szu clearly shows that there was already the legend of29 patriarches in late 7th and early 8th century,i.e. earlier than Dr. Hu Hsih's claim. In other words, is Riv. Yin-shuen and Dr. Hu Hsih's conclusion refuted?
Since Sung Dynasty , people believed that there were 28 patriarches in India. But , there are 29patriarches in K'an-ching-szu reliefs. What is the basis of the legend? Is it "Li Dai Fa Bao Chi" which definitely says that there are 29 patriarches in India? But "Li Dai Fa Bao Chi" was finished by 775 A.D. How can it be the basis of the relif motifs in K'an-ching-szu cave?<
