Śrāvastī miracles; Twin Miracle; Buddhist texts; votive tablets; Dvāravatī
摘要
The story of the Śrāvastī miracles is one episode of the Buddha’s biography that is depicted in the art forms of Dvāravatī from about the 7th to the 11th centuries CE. The fact that many artefacts were produced—in such variety, over such a long period, and at so many sites—shows the popularity of the scene of the Śrāvastī miracles in the Dvāravatī culture. The objective of this research paper is to analyze the significance of the story of the Śrāvastī miracles that affected the creation of Dvāravatī art in Thailand by examining the textual sources together with the Dvāravatī artefacts. The analysis shows that the stories of the Śrāvastī miracles were significant in various ways, being one of the Buddha’s necessary deeds, a principal miracle only performed by the Buddha, a means of converting others to Buddhism, and a key source for the idea of making Buddha images as an act of merit. These significant features may explain the popularity of the Śrāvastī miracle theme in Dvāravatī culture.
目次
Abstract 1 Keywords 1 1. Introduction 1 2. The Significance of the Śrāvastī Miracles According to Buddhist Texts and Dvāravatī Artefacts 2 2.1. Śrāvastī Miracles as One of the Buddha’s Necessary Deeds 2 2.2. Śrāvastī Miracles as Principal Miracles Performed Only by the Buddha 5 2.3. Śrāvastī Miracles as a Means of Conversion into Buddhism 5 2.3.1. The Miracle of Supernormal Accomplishment 8 2.3.2. The Miracle of Mind‑Reading 9 2.3.3. The Miracle of Exposition 9 a. Prose sermons 9 b. Verse sermons 10 2.3.4 Effects 12 a. The Effect of Seeing the Miracle Display of the Buddha 12 b. The Effect of Hearing the Preaching of the Buddha 12 2.4. Śrāvastī Miracles as Supporting the Idea of Making the Buddha Images as an Act of Merit 18 3. Conclusions and Discussion 21 Abbreviation 23 Notes 24 References 26
