The main types of painted statues in mogao caves are Buddhist statues of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, disciples, heavenly kings, luxes, monks and so on.
1. Buddha statue
Buddha is the transliteration of the abbreviation of Buddha, which means "enlightened person"; according to Buddhism, it means the perfection of enlightenment and enlightenment, which is the highest state in Buddhist practice. Theravada Buddhists believe that only the master Shakyamuni attained this state, so only Shakyamuni can be called a Buddha. Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand, believes that anyone who can "realize," "enlighten," or "attain perfection" can be called a Buddha. In the Mogao Caves, there are Buddha statues in each cave to offer, and most of them occupy the main position. Its artistic shape is: wearing a robe, the head has a flesh bun, the ears are long and shoulders, there is a pekoe between the eyebrows, there are webs between the fingers, and the mudras vary according to different contents such as sayings, demons, asceticism, meditation, etc. According to the posture, there are standing, knotted sitting, half-sitting, cross-legged sitting, side sitting, leaning sitting, lying on the side and other postures. In the early days, most of the caves were maitreya, Shakya Buddha's teachings, demons, asceticism, meditation, Shakya and Duobao two Buddhas sitting side by side and Lushena Buddha and other images. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, many images such as the three Buddhas, the three-body Buddha, the Amitabha Buddha, the Medicine Buddha, the Seated Maitreya Buddha, and the Shakya Nirvana were added.
Cave 259 sits in the Northern Wei Dynasty, located in the lower niches of the north wall of the cave from the inside to the outside of the third niche, the eyes and left leg have been slightly damaged. The seated Buddha is 0.92 meters tall, with high hair, a rounded face, large ears and shoulders, a straight chest and abdomen, a dignified posture, moderate proportions, legs crossed, knotted and sitting on a rectangular Sumire seat, hands overlapping in front of the abdomen for meditation. The crimson robe covers the body, in front of the knee in the shape of three lotus petals naturally drooping, the yin carved clothing pattern is smooth and dense, close to the body, giving people a tulle through the body, that is, the use of the so-called "Cao yi out of the water" method in the history of painting. The structure of this image is strict, the face and chest are exquisitely carved, making it appear delicate and moist, rich in flesh and blood; especially the eyes that are slightly open under the bent eyebrows, the slightly raised nose wings, the corners of the mouth are slightly upturned and deeply sunken into the two small nests, and the curved lips are like a half-moon shape, all of which show a kind of smile that comes from the depths of the soul. This Buddha fully embodies the characteristics of China's traditional art of writing gods in form, having both lord and subordinate, and having both forms and gods, and is the best work in Dunhuang painted sculptures.
2. Bodhisattva statue
Bodhisattva is a sanskrit transliteration of "Bodhisattva" and means "sentient beings", "path sentient beings", "path mind sentient beings". Practitioners who take it as their duty to liberate sentient beings from suffering, practice the six Mahayana paramitas, seek supreme bodhisattva (enlightenment), and attain Buddhahood in the future can all be called bodhisattvas. In view of the fact that bodhisattvas take the purification of sentient beings as the ultimate goal of their practice, the bodhisattvas in the Mogao Caves are often images of serene appearance, rich skin, flowing clothes, and otherworldly appearances. Most of the bodhisattvas are originally male, but in order to show that the bodhisattvas are compassionate, the painted bodhisattvas are mostly expressed in the female Ana's many postures and gentle kindness. From the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Mongolian Yuan, the painted bodhisattvas also seem to have undergone changes in age, and the sixteen kingdom bodhisattvas were mostly eleven or twelve-year-old girls, and in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, they developed into the images of fifteen or six-year-old young women, and then to the Tang Dynasty into the image of mature noblewomen.
Cave 290, shaped in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, is located on both sides of the south-facing niches of the central pillar and is well preserved. The statue wears a crown of flowers on its head, the crown is long to a shawl, the body is decorated with a long belt, the shoulder is draped with a heavy towel, and one hand is attached to the chest; the face is beautiful, the skin is white, the eyes are slightly squinted, the nose is small, and the corners of the mouth are slightly upturned with a smile, as if a pure, innocent, and somewhat childish girl. The blue head light behind him and the red shawl on his shoulders make his face more gentle and cute, which is a fine piece of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
3. Disciple portrait
Literally, anyone who follows the master's teachings can be called a disciple. The disciples here refer to those practitioners in Buddhism who, by listening to the Buddha's teachings, practice themselves, and eventually achieve self-realization and liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Unlike bodhisattvas, disciples cannot transcend others, but can only liberate themselves, and their highest fruit is the arhat. As far as statues are concerned, disciples often appear in the form of bhikkhus (i.e., monks). In the Mogao Caves, the bhikkhus who appeared as attendants around Shakya Buddha were both disciples of Gaya and Ananda. Dunhuang's disciple portraits appeared very early, including Cave 272 of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, but there was no such theme in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the Northern Zhou Dynasty re-appeared with statues of disciples. The Sui and Tang dynasties combined painting and sculpture to express, mainly to show the ten disciples, mostly plastic two and painted eight. Five generations later, the caves were painted by the disciples, and the inscriptions have been preserved to this day.
The Ten Great Disciples, the most accomplished of Buddha Shakyamuni's disciples, are known as the Ten Great Disciples, namely Mahakaya (abbreviated as Gaya, touta First), Sariputta (Wisdom First), Megillian (Abbreviation Mulian, Divine Power First), Subhuti (Void First), Fu Lou Na (Saying First), MahakashyaYan (Abbreviated as Kayana, Discussion First), Anaru (also known as AniRuda, Heavenly Eye First), Upanishads (First Dharma), Ananda (Abbreviated as Ananda, Dowen First), Rahu Luo (Tantric First) and ten others who have learned a lot.
4. Statue of the Heavenly King
According to Buddhist legend, there is a mountain called Gandhara on the mountainside of Mount Meru, and there are four peaks on the mountain, and on each peak there is a king who lives and protects the day, called the four heavenly kings. The four heavenly kings are: the Eastern Heavenly King, who is white and holds a pipa in his hand; the Southern Growth Heavenly King, who is green and holds a sword; the Western Guangmu Heavenly King, who is red, with a dragon in his hand, and the Northern Heavenly King, who is green, has a tota in his hand. In the mogao cave painted sculptures, there are many performances after the Middle and Tang Dynasties, and they often appear side by side with lux; in the caves of the Gui rebel period, there are more caves than the four corners of the cave roof, which indicates the meaning of protecting the four sides.
Cave 194 Was the Southern Heavenly King was shaped in Sheng Tang Dynasty and is located on the south side of the main niche of the main chamber. The statue's body is slightly inclined inwards, the physique is extremely strong, wearing silk armor, the head is facing outwards, the left arm is raised upwards, the right arm and right leg are extended outwards, and the foot is stepping on the mountain stone, and the chest is separated by legs. This statue broke through the single program of the fierce god evil of the Heavenly King's statue, and paid attention to the facial expression of the Heavenly King's smile, making the facial muscles of this Heavenly King appear particularly full. His head is in a high bun, his face is plump, his eyebrows are flying, his eyes are slightly squinted, his lips are open and his teeth are exposed, and his smile is cute, and he shows his heroic and generous and kind disposition to the fullest, and he has a lot of fun in it. In terms of coloring, the armor is painted with pomegranate curly grass patterns with stone green and stone blue, which is bright and rich, which plays an auxiliary role in the performance of the character's personality; the white face is painted with ochre color, making its texture soft, fluffy and fluttering. In general, the inner world of the characters is extremely harmonious with the overall dynamics and colors, and the forms and spirits are full and condensed.
5. Lux statue
Lux is the protector god in Buddhism, mostly referring to the Buddhist protector ertian god who is symmetrically guarded on both sides, which is commonly known as the "Second General of Hum Ha". Most of the statues in mogao caves are fierce images of long hair, a bun, a bare upper body, a bulging bone, and a waist-tied battle dress.
Cave 194, shaped in the Sheng Tang Dynasty, is located on the north and south sides outside the main niche of the main chamber. Both figures have their heads tied in buns, their upper bodies stand shirtless, with short skirts around their waists, and they step on Mount Kongo. Standing on the south side, the person standing on the south side has his head held high, his eyebrows are angry, his lips are closed, his arms are raised and his elbows are raised, and his skin is red, showing a rather fierce and brutal temperament; the lux on the north side is waving his fists, pushing his palms, erecting his eyebrows, staring at his eyes, opening his mouth as if he wants to roar, but he seems to be angry and laughing, and his skin is white, and his mighty and heroic personality is naturally revealed. In the shape of the character, the shaper pays attention to the changes in the three movements of the head, chest and lower limbs, and uses the protrusions and tension of muscles and veins to express the endless power that the lux is bursting outward. There is a strong rhythm and rhythm in the overall image, which portrays the spiritual outlook of Lux Force's infinity and the pulling of mountains and rivers to the fullest. In addition, the technique of blending is also used when coloring, with the ups and downs of the human body structure, dyeing the depressions with a slightly darker color, and attacking the yin and yang of the muscles to enhance its three-dimensional sense and realism.
6. Statues of Zen monks and senior monks
Zen is a short term for "Zen Na", which was translated as "contemplation practice" in ancient China, which means to concentrate scattered thoughts and meditate. Zen monks are the monks who sit in meditation, and sitting meditation is also the main way for early Buddhist monks to practice their practice. The statues of Zen monks stored in the Mogao Caves are all statues of Buddhist disciples practicing meditation. It is represented by the two bodies of the north and south niches of the outer gate of Cave 272 of Beiliang (the niches of the north gate are arranged as Cave 273) and the two bodies of the two niches on the north and south sides of the main wall of the main chamber of Cave 285 of Western Wei. The four statues of Zen monks are placed in small niches that can only accommodate the body, which is used to represent meditation in the mountain forest caves. The monks who practice meditation wrap their heads in robes and sit in a posture of meditation, that is, sitting on their knees, and folding their hands on top of each other to make a meditation seal, which reflects the state of mind of concentration and meditation during meditation.
The 285th Cave Zen monk was shaped around 538-539. For the image of a young meditative Zen monk, his hands are in the shape of meditation, wearing a paddy field robe, the color is bright, the head is wrapped around the body, the head is slightly down, the eyes are staring at the emptiness, the lips are lightly closed, and the meditation is quiet. The background color is earth red, the head light is a circle of red and white flames, and the back is decorated with a white triangular backrest decorated with small flowers, which accentuates the tranquility of the Zen monk's sitting meditation. Although he was dressed in robes, he still loomed the rounded body of the Zen monk, showing that the Zen monk who was quiet and accustomed was full of vitality but his heart was like water and not stained with dust. From the overall shape, the top is real and the bottom is virtual, and the shaper pays more attention to the portrayal of the head. Therefore, the face of the statue is particularly delicate, the rosy skin, the full heavenly court, the beautiful eyebrows, the straight nose bridge, and the slightly square lips, so that the monk reveals the wisdom of wisdom, immersion in Meditation, and the untainted world in the handsome face of the monk.
Most of the statues of high monks are commemorative statues of famous local monks and masters in Dunhuang, such as the famous Tibetan Scripture Cave, which has the true face of the rebel monk Hong Zhen.
Hong (?~862?) Also known as Wu Monk Tong, Wu Monk, Tang Sha Prefecture monk. Commonly known as Wu, father Wu Xuzhi, mother Nanyang Zhang. In his early years, he became a monk, proficient in the Language of The Word, translated Buddhist books, studied wisdom, and knew the law and regency professor of Shi Men Du in Da Fan Sha Prefecture for more than ten years, and later served as Professor Shi Men Du; from 832 to 834, he opened the Seven Buddhas Hall in Mogao Grottoes, which is now the 365th Cave, and his inscription is in the altar merit text. There are also "Hokke Terra Pagoda", "Wu Monk Cave" (Cave 16) and Zen Room (Cave 17). In 848, he helped Zhang Yichao to start an incident, and Zhang Yichao sent envoys to the court to worship the table, and Hong Yi also sent his disciple Wu Zhen to follow the action. In 851, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang enshrined Dade at the altar inside and outside the capital, chonghexi Shimendu monks, regent Shazhou monks, and the head of the three schools of law; died about 862, the clan and disciples used the zen room as a shadow hall, and erected the "Monument to the Body".
Source: Dunhuang Research Institute