從“法華觀音”到“華嚴觀音” - 莫高窟第464窟后室壁畫定名及其與前室壁畫之關系考論=The Transformation of Avalokitesvara from the Lotus Sutra to the Garland Sutra - A Study on the Identification of the Murals in the Main Chamber of Mogao Cave 464 and the Relation of the Painting with the Antechamber
For many years, a painting depicting the “Manifestation of Avalokitesvara” in the main chamber of Mogao cave 464 has widely been regarded as an illustration of Avalokitesvara. In recent years, however, some researchers have come to believe that this mural was actually painted based on the Avalokitesvara Guzakarazdavyuha Sutra. They therefore conclude that the primary subject is Avalokitesvara-Guzakarazdavyuha and infer that the image of the “master” is most likely Asura, who is mentioned in the sutra, while the figures wearing crowns represent various deities such as the sun and the moon. By carefully comparing and analyzing these analyses together with the block-printed version of the Avalokitesvara Sutra in Tangut script discovered in Dunhuang, the author comes to the conclusion that the “Manifestation of Avalokitesvara” in the main chamber was created according to the Chapter of the Universal Gate from the Lotus Sutra. In addition, analysis of the history of the cave leads to the inference that the illustration does depict Avalokitesvara, but that the figure of the “master” or royal preceptor in the painting was likely associated with the donor who sponsored the construction of the cave. On this basis, it can be concluded that only the antechamber and the corridor were repainted in later times because the cave donor wanted to maintain certain thematic similarities between the “Manifestation of Avalokitesvara” and “Sudhana Visiting the Fifty-three Kalyānamitra” scenes in Buddhist scripture. During later renovation of the cave, the original mural containing Avalokitesvara as he appears in the Lotus Sutra was replaced by a depiction more closely in line with his form in the Garland Sutra.
