고대 중국 불상 조상기와 정토신앙

Abstract

The gilt bronze statue created in the period of Hou zhao(338), one of Sixteen Kingdoms is the first example which has inscription in Chinese Buddha statues. Since the Buddha statue in Southern and Northern dynasties and the Sui and Tang dynasty, a number of Buddha statues with inscription that offers details on how to the Buddha statue, that was left has been created. The inscription of Buddha statue is an important historical material to give information of the social and historical background in those days and of the Buddhist thought. The one fact clarified by this research is that most of the Buddha statues are built for their late parents and late family from the Southern and Northern dynasties and the Sui and Tang dynasty. Creating Buddha statue was for a good deed in order to lead the deceased to the pure land. The research categorizes the wishes in inscriptions as the following: (1) the rebirth in heaven(生天), (2) the rebirth in Tuṣita(生兜率天) where Maitreya stays, (3) the rebirth in Western pure land(生西方淨土), (4) the rebirth in the world combined more than two worlds, (5) the rebirth in the other world. Chinese people in the beginning of Southern and Northern dynasties did not seem to separate the concept between heaven and Tuṣita. That is to say, they might have regarded Tuṣita as the general heaven, and then built the Buddha statue of Sakyamuni and Maitreya to reincarnate in heaven or Tuṣita. Since then, as the belief appeared that the Maitreya will come down from Tuṣita to this world, and thus Buddha statues of Maitreya were built with inscription which had the typical verse that Maitreya will give the dharma talk three times under Bodhi tree(龍華樹下彌勒三會). In addition, the West(西方) did not establish in the Southern and Northern dynasties as the pure land located in the West or the Western pure land where Amitābha Buddha stays in. The West at those days was a temporary place where the deceased stays until Maitreya Buddha advents in this world. The belief of pure land settled down in Sui and Tang dynasty. Amitābha Buddha statue was mainly built and the wishes to go to the Western pure land are found in its inscription from this period.