Buddhist Grotto Images

Introduction of Buddhism and the Blending of Cultures

Buddhism was introduced into China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Buddhist art spread widely during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and had a far-reaching impact on the development of society. Buddhist art thrived regarding sculpture, painting and industrial arts during the Northern and Southern, during which Buddhist images occupy a leading position. Chinese sculptural art expanded unprecedentedly during this period and surpassed those of the Qin and Han dynasties regarding quantity, scale, artistry and spiritual dimension.

Similar to Buddhist architecture, Chinese Buddhist sculpture falls largely into three types: Grotto images, temple sculptures, and image styles as well as some small scale Buddha and Bodhisattva images. Grotto images were widely engraved after Buddhism entered China. The cutting of Buddhist grottoes had an immediate connection with the Indian Buddhist grottoes. During the Wei, Jin, the Northern and Southern dynasties, craftsmen cut caves and sculpted Buddhist images in quiet mountain areas. These caves were the ashram of Buddhism. Many Buddhist grottoes can be found in western areas of China such as Xinjiang and Gansu. The stone in these places is soft and difficult to carve. Therefore, the grotto images are clay sculptures. In the central plains of China, the stone is hard and sharp, good for engraving. Therefore, the famous Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes can be found here. But these grottoes have few fresco paintings.

The carving of Chinese Buddhist grottoes began during the second year of Jianyuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (366). Buddhist grottoes were distributed in Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangxi, Yunnan and other places from west to east following transportation routes at the time.

The excavation of grottoes reached its peak between the Northern Wei and the Sui and Tang dynasties. After the Tang Dynasty, a few grotto temples and Buddhist grottoes were constructed. With the spread of Buddhism, Buddhist images gradually incorporated aspects of Gandharan Buddhist Arts and combined them with the Buddhist side of Chinese culture. Among several hundred remaining grottoes, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes are collectively known as the four big grottos. They are best known for their scale and historical value as well as their sculptures.

Mogao Grotto images 莫高石窟

Located on the eastern slope of Rattling Sand Mountain (Mingshashan) southeast of Dunhuang County, Gansu Province, the Mogao Grottoes (also known as the Thousand Buddha Cave) is one of three noted grottoes in China. The complex contains the earliest carved grotto in the country. No other grottos took so long to build or have such rich content. The grottoes preserve Buddhist images from the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty. The works of the Buddhist images lasted for nearly 900 years, and the fresco paintings are nearly a thousand years old. The Mogao grottoes have 492 caves with florid murals, and more than 2,000 painted statues. The study on the murals, statues and other cultural relic of Dunhuang Grottoes has become an international subject of study called Dunhuangology.

The Mogao Grottoes in the Wei, Jin, Northern, and Southern Dynasties

The main part of the grottoes is statues, not the murals or colored paintings, and they are magnificent. Murals and colored drawings enrich the themes of the statues. The Buddha and Bodhisattva images during the Wei, Jin, the Northern and Southern Dynasties have strong bodies, rounded faces, high Roman noses. Their posture is a bit stiff and unnatural. The design of the clothes is decorative. Only the neckline and the edge of the clothes are realistically carved.

All these characteristics were adopted from Gandharan images. For example, the Buddha and Bodhisattva images are influenced by the Gandharan style. Although the body sculpture is a little stiff, it has a primitive interest. In time, sculpture and facial appearance began to show the characteristics of Chinese people. In the No.259 Pit, the Buddha at the right niche is generally knowns as the oriental Mona Lisa because its smile changes subtly and unpredictably like Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Buddhist images from the period show the wisdom, mercy, and joyousness of the Buddha and Bodhisattva, improvement and progress in sculptural art.

The earliest images of the Buddha and Bodhisattva come from foreign countries—most believe the originals were the images from the Kushan- Dynasty (45-250) in Gandhara. Buddhist scriptures have strict regulations on sculpture, proportion, posture, gesture, clothing, and ornaments. Many of these changes were made to make Buddhist art more acceptable to Chinese people, who had a hard time accepting the exotic styles and images. The images were sculpted in compliance with Chinese racial features. The combination used during the Wei and Jin dynasties is not natural but a little stiff.

In Buddhist images, the sculpture of Buddha Maitreya (the Buddha of the future) requires different skills from those used in other Buddha images. It was created with obvious Chinese characteristics. The creativity is mainly reflected in the sitting position of the Buddha. In ancient India, sitting Buddhas were kneeling and sitting, but the Buddha Maitreya from the Wei and Jin dynasties always sits with two legs crossed. Rulers of the Xianbei Nationality considered this a noble sitting position. In the No. 275 Pit, the main Buddha is the tall Maitreya, and there are four others in the niches.

The prevalence of belief in Maitreya during this period can be attributed to two factors. First, from 266 to 313, Dharmaraksa, a Yueh- Chih Buddhist monk, was the first to translate the Lotus Sutra into Chinese. He translated more than 150 pieces of scriptures and helped disseminate belief in Maitreya. Second, the Maitreya represented a vision for the future. Belief in Maitreya helped overcome the difficult circumstance and chaos caused by war.

Buddhist images gradually incorporated Chinese features, as evidenced by the clothes of the Buddha. The process of Chinese localization among the Xianbei ethnic nationality accelerated the localization of Buddhist art. The Indian gauze was replaced by the dress of an ancient scholar. They Buddhas wear crisscrossed collars with a double-breasted cassock, which gives them a kingly way. The images of Buddha and Bodhisattva shifted from robust and tall and developed an elegant appearance valued during the Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern dynasties.

Generally speaking, the number of Mogao Grottoes during the Wei, Jin, the Northern and Southern dynasties are far less than those during the Tang Dynasty, and sculptures are not as high in quality as those of the Tang.

Mogao Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty

Grottoes account for nearly half of the 500 Mogao Grottoes. They are rich in content, magnificent in appearance and dignified. Dunhuang Grottoes are the biggest of the Tang Dynasty grottoes. More than 670 statues from the Tang Dynasty were preserved.

The image groups of the Mogao Grottoes are usually made of one Buddha, two Buddhist saints, two Bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings and two warrior attendants. The Buddha images are usually rounded and elegant, sitting on the lotus throne, with spiral-shaped coil hairdo and wearing cassocks. The clothes were well matched with the curves of the body. Each Buddha image has its characteristics. Some are wise, some are charitable, some are thoughtful, and others seem simple and cheerful. The most noticeable Buddha image is the sleeping statue of Nirvana Buddha in the No.158 Cave. It shows the death of Sakyamuni. The statue is lying down with two eyes half-closed. It is quiet and peaceful, showing the highest possible and most desirable religious state, Nirvana.

The images of bodhisattvas and heavenly maidens are reminiscent of young girls. Most are plump, elegant, dignified and reserved; they look enchanting but have a sense of dignity, which shows the ideal of feminine beauty during the Tang Statue of Nirvana Buddha, No. 158 of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Tang Dynasty. The images of Bodhisattva from the Tang Dynasty retained the Indian tradition. During the mid and late Tang Period, Bodhisattva images seemed slim and had a common touch that was full of a sense of reality in daily life.

The images of Buddhist Saints were usually those of a young man and an old man. The elder is Kasyapa Buddha, and the younger is Ananda. Buddhist scriptures set out fewer limitations on statues of Buddhist saints. As a result, these statues have a rich flavor of life with distinctive features. For example, the elder Kasyapa Buddha is sculpted as the image of a knowing high priest (in the No. 45 Cave), and the young Ananda is a juvenile image that is babyish and seems lost in thought.

Besides the dignified Buddha images, kind bodhisattvas and thoughtful Buddhist Saints, the heavenly kings and Buddha's warrior attendants are also strong and brave or have ferocious facial expressions. The images of the heavenly king are mighty and full of awe; the Buddha's warrior attendants have bare upper bodies with strong muscle and are full of strength. Two heavenly kings in the No.46 Cave are images of two western people, highlighting the close connection between the Tang Dynasty and the west. The images of warrior attendants in the No.194 Cave show the excellent sculptural technique from the mid-Tang Dynasty. Body structures comply with modem anatomical knowledge. The changes in the muscles and bones in the legs are strong and robust with a very real feel.

Statues in the Mogao Grottoes from the Tang Dynasty and others in the temple are not just standalone statues, but the group is important as a whole. Everything works despite their independence, and the group does not hinder the overall sense of the works but increase their diversity. Different artists working in different styles produce different works, and thus, images of the same name do not have the same appearance and ethos. Expressions and changes in posture are not identical. The images from the Dunhuang Grottoes give a good idea of the wealth of the Tang Dynasty Buddhism, which not only impacted the central plains but, along with Tibetan Buddhism, impacted Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries.

Maijishan Grotto images 麦积山石窟

Maiji Mountain is about 45km southeast of Tianshui City, Gansu Province. Although the mountain is only 142 meters tall, it is shaped like a haystack, so it gets its name for the Chinese word for haystack, Maiji. The excavation of Maiji Mountain started during the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (after 386) and continued through the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. More than 7,000 clay Buddhist statues and stone carvings were done over 1,500 years. The stone here is similar to that of Dunhuang, which is difficult to carve. Therefore, many works are painted clay sculptures. Stone carvings here required stone from elsewhere. The clay sculptures are only popular in China because they can be preserved for more than a thousand years after firing.

The sculptural style found in the Maijishan grottoes has an obvious tendency towards the unreligious. Except for the Gandharan style in the early works, most Buddha images are amiably bowing their head. Han Dynasty characteristics are visible in the figures and clothes of the statues.

The Buddha and Bodhisattva images are beautiful and display kind smiles. Their clothes don't display the restrictions of Buddhist rites. The earlier clay sculptures in the Maijishan grottoes are more changeable and skillful; they are more simple and elegant and better suit the aesthetic values of Chinese people.

The Buddha and Bodhisattva images from the Northern Dynasties are elegant and pretty, while the Buddha's warrior attendants are strong and powerful. Two warrior attendants in the No. 122 Cave are outstanding works. One has his hair bristled up in anger. Another is awful and contrasts clearly with the images of Buddha and Boddhisattva, another universal rule of the sculptures of the grottoes.

Due to the long time they took to construct, the Buddha images of Maijishan show various changes. No.13 Grotto is the most eye-catching cliff-side image, at the center of the eastern cliff. The main Buddha Sanhualou or Shangqi Buddha Pavilion is the highest, largest and most beautiful grotto of the Maijishan. The grotto was built at the highest layer of cliffside statues, No. 13 shrine of Maiji Mountain Grottoes, Sui Dynasty. The east cliff of Maiji Mountain in the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557-581). It was rebuilt in the Sui, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties.

No.165 Grotto is famous for its sculptures in the style of the Song Dynasty. The extant sculptures were constructed during the Northern Song. The bodhisattva statue sits on the throne cross-legged with one attendant on each side. These bodhisattva statues and attendants have round faces with long bent eyebrows, narrow eyes, small and delicate mouths, and dignified appearances. The muscles on the face are full of a sense of trueness. The hairline on the attendants is extremely thin. The skin is finely textured, and the drapery is refined and skillful. This could be considered the classical work of the Song Dynasty.

As a whole, the Maijishan Grottoes are elegant, simple and closer to reality than the Dunhuang grottoes. Many bodhisattva images look like the young girls from the northwest, kindly and joyful. Some statues reflect the humane ideology of Confucius.

Yungang Grotto images 云冈石窟

The Yungang Grottoes punctuate the north cliff of Wuzhou Mountain, Datong City, Shanxi Province. The area was excavated along 1km from east to west and includes 53 caves and over 51,000 stone statues.

Started during the Northern Wei Dynasty (460-470), the famous monk Tan Yao created the Tanyao Five Grottos (Caves 16-20). Other caves were built after the 18th year (494) of the Taihe reign of the Northern Wei, more than 1,500 years ago. The caves can be divided into early, middle and late caves based on when they were cut.

The early Five Caves are full of power and grandeur. They are dignified and simple in the style of Xiyu, a western region in ancient China.

The grottoes from the middle period are delicate and gorgeous, complicated and changeable with Chinese characteristics. The sculpting of the faces and clothes of the Buddha tends towards realism. The typical dress of "loose clothes and broad strap" appeared and became popular in the central plains of China. The Buddha image is smaller and is more amiable. These practices in sculpture better suit the characteristics of Chinese culture.

In the late period, the statues are beautifully created and slim. They are moderate in size and closer to real features. The images begin to show features of people from the central plains. During this period, the excavation center of the Buddha statue was transferred to Longmen of Luoyang. Chinese Buddhist art began to show its characteristics, and the images ensured the spread of Buddhism.

It is possible to see the historical path from the Indian and Central Asian Buddha to the Chinese Buddha. The Buddha statues were gradually secularized in China. Regarding engraving skills, they combined the skills of the Statue of sitting Sakyamuni Buddha, No. 20 of Chinese Qin and Han Dynasty and Gandhara art to create unique art, an important step in the history of Chinese sculpture.

Longmen Grotto images 龙门石窟

Located south of Luoyang, Henan Province, the Longmen Grottoes are concentrated on the east and west cliffs of the Yishui River (known as Yique in ancient times). The grottoes were started around the year 494 when Emperor Xiao-wen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. They were continuously built for 400 years until the Northern Song Dynasty. The scene is 1,000 meters from north to south where there are over 2,345 holes and niches and 100,000 statues. Most of them are the works from the Northern Wei Dynasty and the flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty.

Lots of historical material concerning art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture are kept in Longmen Grottoes.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the excellent representatives of the Longmen Grottoes were the Binyang Grotto and its internal decoration. During the Tang Dynasty, the gigantic Buddha sculpture in the Fengxian Temple was the biggest and best part of the Longmen Grottoes. It represented the highest sculpturing achievement of the Tang Dynasty.

Binyang Grotto 宾阳中洞

The Binyang Grotto is one of the most representative grottoes of the Longmen Grottoes. It is divided into the North Binyang Cave, Middle Binyang Cave, and South Binyang Cave. Started during the Northern Wei Dynasty, the cave was not completed until the Tang.

The Middle Binyang Grotto is the representative work of the Northern Wei. In this cave, the entire design is coherent in thought and stylistically uniform. The exquisite decoration echoes the solemn Buddha statues, showing the magnificence and mystery of Buddhism. The carving of the whole cave engenders a feeling of sublimity, symmetry, and orderliness. A Buddhist fairyland was engraved including beautiful lotus and weed wine on the ground, the smooth garments of Buddha and bodhisattvas, gorgeous backlight and clouds and the Flying Grottoes.

The statue of Sakyamuni, the major one in the grotto, has big eyes and a rounded nose. The statute is slim and kindly. The body is well proportioned. The Buddha and Bodhisattva images in the cave are slim and elegant with angel sleeves. The style influenced the Buddha images of the late Northern Wei period. As the center of the culture of the central plains, Longmen had notable differences from the artistic style of the Yungang Grottoes. The bold and generous style reflected in Yungang art was replaced by the pretty and amiable style of the Longmen Grottoes, another example of how China adopted Buddhist art.

Fengxian Temple 奉先寺

The Fengxian Temple was built during the Tang Dynasty. It is the largest grotto in Longmen Temple. The grotto was started under the reign of Empress Wu Zetian (624-705). The faces of the statues are large and their expressions quiet and kind hinting at Buddhist tendencies in Tang Dynasty art.

The most impressive figure is the statue of Vairocana Buddha. It is 17.14 meters tall. The Buddha has a well-filled figure, a sacred and kindly expression and an elegant smile. The drapery is smoothly designed. The statue is the best example, Statue of Vairochana Buddha, Fengxian of a Buddha sculpture from the Tang Temple, Longmen Grottoes, Tang Dynasty.

The layout of the Fengxian Temple is also the best one among the Buddha sculptures of the Tang Dynasty. The arrangement is completed with clearly demarcated primary and secondary. Two attendants on both sides of the Vairocana Buddha, Ananda and Kasyapa Buddha, are gentle and religious with divine grace and a benevolent appearance. The guardian king sits the throne with a martial and cautious expression; the warrior attendants have big staring eyes and appear mighty. They give off a strong sense of integrity.

China's large-scale grotto statues were sculpted during the Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Although Buddhists were regularly persecuted, grotto statues still prospered and matured while developing richer content. Following their introduction into China, they started combining aspects from northern nomad nationalities and characteristics of the culture of the central plains as Chinese gradually absorbed western Buddhism.