“太陽崇拜”圖像傳統的延續 - 莫高窟第249窟、第285窟“天人守護蓮華摩尼寶珠”圖像及其源流=Continuation of the Iconographical Traditions of Sun Worship - On the Origin and Images of Celestial Beings Guarding a Lotus Cintamani in Mogao Caves 249 and 285
This paper first reinterprets two images of a lotus cintamani （a legendary magical jewel） depicted on the east slope of the ceiling in Mogao caves 249 and 285, and concludes that the images frequently interpreted as depicting “celestial beings/guardians holding the lotus cintamani” should rather be identified as “celestial beings guarding the lotus cintamani.” Based on previous research and consultation of relevant Buddhist texts, the author considers that the two images are also related to the ancient theme of sun worship. Finally, by comparing the two images with similar depictions of sun worship from ancient Egyptian and West Asian civilizations, the author concludes that the style of these images can be traced back to an ancient iconographical tradition of “deities guarding the Sun God on a lotus or in the tree of life.” The practices of this tradition later combined with sun worship images from Chinese traditional culture in the Dunhuang caves and gave birth to a unique style of imagery. The author also discusses the route by which this style was disseminated by comparing these two images with other pictures in the caves, eventually reaching the conclusion that this tradition was very likely to have been disseminated by the Sogdians who came to China during the Northern Dynasties.
