佛壇後壁背面觀音造像?究-從施食的觀點切入

Abstract

Sculptures of the Beizuo Guanyin are commonly found at the back wall of Buddhist alter in the Chinese Buddhism temples, which are also found in Korean temples as a ritualistic design. Up to now, their religious meaning and ritualistic purposes have not yet studied. This paper seeks to make a comparative analysis of the two, based on the studies of the Korean Beizuo Guanyin sculptures on the back walls of Buddhist alters during the Late Joseon period and its comparisons with its Chinese counterparts during the Ming and Qing Dynasties period. The extant early-Song Dynasty sculptures was probably originated from the “Avalokite?vara Repentant Ritual”(qing guanshiyin chanfa) of the Tiantai tradition. But with the propagation of Pure Land tradition and the “Burning-Mouth Hungry Ghost Ritual” during Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was found that the Beizuo Guanyin sculptures are closely related to the Pure Land Buddhist beliefs. The extant post-15th century Late Joseon Beizuo Guanyin sculptures are also intimately tied to the demand of the Pure Land Buddhist beliefs. This implies that the role of the savior of the Naraka spirits, which the Guanyin Bodhisattva takes after the Song Dynasty, is the main prototype inducing the change in its image. Also taken into account is the appearance Vairocana Bodhisattva in the Food-bestowing Ritual of the same era, which is due to fact that the Dorje Guru merges with the Guanyin through visualization methods in the “Ru Guanyin Ding” of the Food-bestowing Ritual, and also that the belief of Huayan tradition that the Guanyin is no different from the Vairocana Buddha. The appearance of the Vairocana Bodhisattva manifests a growing importance of the role of Bodhisattvas in Food-bestowing rituals. One characteristic of the Beizuo Guanyin sculptures of Buddhist alter during the Ming and Qing Dynasties is the numerous Arhats representing the numerous Pratyekabuddhay?na entering the Sam?dhi meditation contemplation on the mountains. The combination of Ganyin and Arhat sculptures likely relates to the characteristic of the Buring-mouth ritual or the Water & Land Fasting Ritual in which both food-bestowing alms-giving are simultaneously performed. The omission of Arhats in the back walls of Buddhist alters during the Late Joseon is related to the Arhat rituals and the adjustments made to the Arhat Sculpture zone.