Each era has its own aesthetics and artistic creations. In the Dunhuang murals, the elder statue of Manjusri is very common; and in the Chongshan Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi, and the Ancient Manjusri Temple in Mount Wutai, there are statues of Manjusri with a thousand arms and a thousand bowls, expressing the infinite wisdom of Manjusri.
Mr. Chang Shuhong once copied the sutra painting "The Sutra of the Vajra Dharani" in Cave 217 of Mogao Grottoes using Li Sixun's green landscape painting method, a historical painting of Buddhapāli's visit to China. This painting features an image of a white-robed elder of Manjushri Bodhisattva, which is exactly the same as the white-robed elder in the "Map of Mount Wutai" in Cave 61 of Dunhuang, except that Buddhapāli's clothes are different.
Chang Shuhong copied the Dunhuang historical painting of "The Sutra of the Buddha's Crown of Victory Dharani"
Sutra paintings often choose the most critical plots to express the important content of the classics; historical paintings often choose the most critical nodes in history to express historical scenes. The historical scene of Buddhapāli's visit to China to pay homage to Manjusri was copied by Mr. Chang Shuhong. The upper left corner shows the meeting between the white-robed elder Manjusri and Buddhapāli.
According to the preface of the "Sutra of the Supreme Dharani of the Buddha's Crown", the Brahman monk Buddhabhadra from the country of Gandhara in northern India heard that there was a great temple of Manjusri Bodhisattva in China, so he traveled a long distance to come and worship. He arrived in China in the first year of the Yifeng period of the Tang Dynasty (676 AD). When he arrived at Mount Wutai, he saw continuous forests and lush flowers and plants, and he was delighted. He prostrated himself to the sky and worshiped. When he finished worshiping and looked up, he suddenly saw an old man in white clothes coming from the mountain. He asked Buddhabhadra in the language of Brahman whether he had brought the "Sutra of the Supreme Dharani of the Buddha's Crown". This was the great cause and condition for the "Sutra of the Supreme Dharani of the Buddha's Crown" to come to China.
The "Wutai Mountain Map" in Cave 61 of Dunhuang is exactly the same as the Manjusri in Cave 217 of Dunhuang, both of which are white-robed elders. The white-robed elder Manjusri persuaded Buddhabhadra to return to the Kingdom of Gandhara in northern India to retrieve the "Buddha's Crowned Victory Dharani Sutra". In the middle right part of Cave 217 of Mogao Grottoes copied by Mr. Chang Shuhong, the style of the city is quite exotic. When Buddhabhadra came to Chang'an again and reported to Emperor Gaozong of Tang, in Mr. Chang's painting, we can see the cities, costumes, and etiquette of the Han Dynasty. It can be seen that painting, in realism, unconsciously completed the narrative of history and the mutual influence of civilization.
In Dunhuang, there are only 8 paintings of the "Zunsheng Sutra" that are still in existence, and the image of the elder Manjusri has also been circulated, which just shows that the elder image of Manjusri is very common. To this day, the Manjusri Bodhisattva in the Jixiang Temple beside the Qingliang Bridge in Wutai Mountain is also the elder Manjusri, and he is holding a red lantern, which is exactly the same as the image of the old man in the Han area. The down-to-earth image of the elder Manjusri Bodhisattva is widely loved by craftsmen and the public.
The white-robed elder Manjusri in the painting of Mount Wutai in Cave 61 of Dunhuang
Among the line drawings unearthed from the Dunhuang Caves, which are now stored in the French Library, there are also elder images of Buddhapāli and Manjusri. The old man wears a hood, a long robe, a long beard, and a bent arm. His right hand is in a posture of preaching, and his left hand holds a cane, like an elder in the Han area. His expression when talking to Buddhapāli is very vivid and full of compassion. Buddhapāli is in the form of an elderly Hu monk, with a bamboo hat hanging on his right shoulder, a bottle tied around his waist, a cane on his chest, his hands folded, long eyebrows, wearing a tight short robe, and wrapped legs, like a traveler, and is bowing to Manjusri and asking questions.
A white-ink painting of Manjusri unearthed from the Dunhuang Caves
In this painting, there is also a Manjusri riding a lion, wearing a high crown and a cassock, sitting on a lotus seat on the back of a lion; the lion driver is the King of Khotan, with a high nose and deep eyes, a luxurious hood, a long robe and felt boots, standing beside the lion, holding the reins in one hand and the whip in the other; the boy Sudhana in the Avatamsaka Sutra is in front of the lion. There is also a Thousand-Armed Thousand-Bowl Manjusri in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, also known as the Thousand-Bowl Manjusri. At first glance, I thought it was the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, but Guanyin has an eye in the palm of each hand, while the Thousand-Bowl Manjusri holds a Buddha bowl in his hand, and the Buddha emerges from the bowl. There are 17 caves with the Thousand-Bowl Manjusri in the Mogao Grottoes. What concept is it expressing? What is the basis?
Take Cave 361 as an example. This painting of the Manjusri Sutra was based on the Mahayana Yoga Vajra Ocean Manjusri Thousand-Armed Thousand Bowl Great Teaching King Sutra. The main deity is Manjusri Bodhisattva. There are more than one hundred Buddha bowls on the painting, which means there are more than one hundred arms. The two innermost layers of the arms holding the bowls are painted very realistically. The Sakyamuni images in the bowls are the same as the Buddha images on Manjusri’s chest. The image of Manjusri with a thousand bowls and a thousand arms is expressed in a simplified way. As described in the sutra, when the Buddha was preaching in the heavenly palace, Manjusri appeared as a witness:
"In the center, the great sage Manjushri Bodhisattva has a golden body, with a thousand arms, a thousand hands, and a thousand bowls emerging from his body. A thousand Shakyas appear in the bowls, and the thousand Shakyas give rise to thousands and billions of transformed Shakyas."
Thousand-Bowl Manjusri in Cave 361, Dunhuang
From the perspective of meaning, Manjusri Bodhisattva is one, and the thousand bowls and thousand arms represent many. The bowls show thousands of Sakyas, and the thousands of Sakyas show billions of incarnations of Sakyas. Many are seen in one, and one is seen in many. The worldview of the moon reflecting thousands of rivers is expressed vividly through Manjusri Bodhisattva's thousand bowls and thousand arms and thousands of Sakyas incarnations. The content recorded in the sutra is very suitable for the sound and light expression of today's 3D movies, because the situation is very shocking and worth experiencing online: Venerable Kasyapa saw billions of three thousand worlds in Manjusri Bodhisattva's bowl, and also saw himself. The huge and boundless macroscopic world and Kasyapa's microscopic world contrast, forming a visual presentation and narrative expression of no hindrance between small and large, that is, the infinite possibilities of the world of emptiness.
On the south side of the east wall of Cave 361, Manjusri Bodhisattva sits cross-legged on a lotus platform. Manjusri Bodhisattva wears a garland and celestial robes, a crown with a transformed Buddha on it, and a canopy on his round halo. The structure of the mural is like Mount Sumeru. On the left and right of the canopy are Moon Treasure Bodhisattva riding five geese and Sun Treasure Bodhisattva riding five horses. The body of Manjusri with a thousand bowls and a thousand arms is exactly in the center of Mount Sumeru, as if the entire body of Manjusri Bodhisattva is the huge Mount Sumeru - the center of the world. Obviously, only with the worldview of "body and land are one" can Mount Sumeru and Manjusri Bodhisattva be regarded as equal, and only then can Manjusri with a thousand arms and a thousand bowls be completely depicted on Mount Sumeru, forming the expression effect that the entire universe and the Dharma Realm are the body of Manjusri.
The philosophical thoughts of "one is everything, everything is one", "one is many, many is one" are actually another way of conveying "substance" and "function". Many works of art actually express the thinking of substance and function. Many classics have repeatedly interpreted this thought, such as the sixty volumes of the "Avatamsaka Sutra":
All aspects enter into one aspect, and one aspect enters into all aspects.
All sounds enter into one sound, and one sound enters into all sounds.
All three periods of time enter into one period, and one period of time enters into all three periods of time.
One is the essence, many is the function, everything starts from the essence; one is the principle, many is the matter, the same concept can be expressed in different dimensions with different artistic forms (matters). In the thousand arms of Avalokitesvara, there is an open eye in each palm, but in Manjusri, it is the thousand Buddha bowls and the thousand Buddha incarnations.
Today, the Great Compassion Hall of Chongshan Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi, the Ancient Manjusri Temple in Wutai Mountain, and Xiantong Temple all enshrine the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Bowled Manjusri statue. The Thousand-Armed Thousand-Bowled Manjusri of Chongshan Temple and the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Bowled Manjusri of Dunhuang have the same origin, except that the one in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang is a sitting male Manjusri, while the one in the Great Compassion Hall of Chongshan Temple is a standing golden crowned Manjusri, both of which express the infinite wisdom of Manjusri Bodhisattva.
Thousand Bowls of Manjusri in the Great Compassion Hall of Chongshan Temple
The most common props of Manjusri Bodhisattva are the sword and the Ruyi, and the exclusive pet of Manjusri Bodhisattva is the blue-haired lion. Manjusri Bodhisattva often has two hand seals: one is the palm of hand together, and the other is the Dharma seal. Whether it is the Ruyi or the sword, they both symbolize the auspicious, free and sharp wisdom of Prajna. These two props seem to be opposite, but in fact they are neither the same nor different; the same is true for these two hand gestures.
Manjusri riding a lion in the Wutai Mountain Map in Cave 61 of Dunhuang
Each era has its own aesthetics and creations. The figures in the painting of Manjusri and Samantabhadra attending a meeting in Cave 159 of Dunhuang have created a different style from the previous mid-Tang art in terms of structure and layout, image creation, color selection, and line use. They focus not only on the arrangement of group figures, their mutual response and interaction, but also on the personalities and inner portrayal of the characters, with delicate and emotional images.
The Holy Face of Manjusri in Cave 159 of Dunhuang
This male Manjusri sits comfortably on a lotus seat on a blue lion, holding a long ruyi in one hand and making a mudra with the other, with curved eyebrows, slightly moving lips, and three green beards that set off Manjusri's friendly smile in the center of the picture. The square saddle under the lotus seat, the backlight and headlight of Manjusri Bodhisattva, as well as the sutra pillars on both sides of the Bodhisattva, the canopy on the head, and the arc-shaped colorful felt on the lion together form a stable visual effect. The continuous mountains behind the headlight suggest the real Mount Wutai; the white blue-haired lion, the Kunlun slave with wide eyes, the Shancai boy holding the offerings, and the eight divisions of the gods and dragons with different expressions, the music bodhisattvas, the offering bodhisattvas, etc., not only highlight the central Manjusri Bodhisattva, but also express the myriad expressions of each individual.
The Manjusri Assembly in Cave 159, Dunhuang
The neon-like backlight and halo behind Manjushri Bodhisattva on the north wall of the corridor of Cave 220 of Mogao Grottoes form a modern aperture effect, especially the flowing three-color lines behind the aperture; 12 rows of colorful lights appear in an interlaced manner, showing the colorful photoelectric effect, as if it was expressed in the Buddhist scriptures: movement, universal movement, and equal movement; the huge canopy on the top of Manjushri Bodhisattva's head, and the burning flame patterns on the canopy, seem to be interacting with those colorful lights, expressing the various vibrations of the universe.
Manjusri in the corridor of Cave 220 in Mogao Grottoes
Wearing heavenly clothes, holding a ruyi, sitting at ease, with a stream of light behind him, the expression is very modern; but the man leading the lion in the statue of Manjusri in Cave 220 is not the familiar Kunlun slave, but the King of Khotan, who wears a red brocade hat, a red robe, felt boots, and holds the reins. The king leads the lion for Manjusri Bodhisattva, which is both a tribute and a manifestation of the religious style of the Khotan region at that time.
Manjusri wears a crown and holds a ruyi in his hand. The wise and brave King of Khotan leads a lion for Manjusri Bodhisattva. This is also fully presented in the Manjusri Sutra Transformation Painting from the Western Xia period in the Yulin Grottoes and in the murals of the Fahai Temple in Beijing. It can be seen that there are talented people who inherit the Taoist tradition in every generation, and they always have the same interests as the clear stream.
The Manjusri murals at Fahai Temple in Beijing
The north wall of Yulin Cave 3 depicts the transformation of Manjusri and Samantabhadra, which are completely influenced by the calligraphy and painting of the Central Plains. The painting style is similar to that of Li Gonglin, with sparse and orderly composition, rich in the ornamental value of landscape painting that can be visited and lived in, vivid characters, and plot-like Buddhist scriptures. Above Manjusri is a landscape with scattered perspective, towering mountains and numerous Buddhist temples, which reminds people of Mount Wutai with towering trees.
Part of the Manshu Transformation in Yulin Cave 3
The identity of Manjushri Bodhisattva as a great educator has been confirmed by the Buddha in the Buddhist scriptures. In the "Sutra on the Filing of the Bowl", the Buddha once said: " Now that I have attained Buddhahood, I have thirty-two marks and eighty good qualities. The majestic and dignified power that enables me to save all sentient beings in the ten directions is all due to the grace of Manjushri, who was originally my teacher. Countless Buddhas in the past were all disciples of Manjushri, and those in the future will also be due to his majesty and grace. Just as children in the world have parents, Manjushri is the parent in the Buddhist path. " This shows the importance of wisdom to life and personality.
The big fish in the Manjusri transformation in Yulin Cave 3
This statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva holds a ruyi in his hand, with a focused gaze and a solemn expression. His image is elegant and calm. The halo on his head and body and the strong body of the blue-haired lion highlight the majesty and bravery of the Bodhisattva. The blue lion steps on a red lotus, and the lion driver is the bearded King of Khotan, with the muscles on his elbows clearly visible. Interestingly, below the right side of Manjusri Bodhisattva, there is a painting of a Western monk, leaning on a staff, begging for food, and looking up at the Bodhisattva. This is Buddhabhadra, the disseminator of the "Buddha's Crown Sutra". Below Buddhabhadra is the elder Manjusri holding a sutra in his left hand. His earnest eyes and old wrinkles seem to have deeply penetrated all the sufferings in the world, and the answer seems to be in the sutra in his hand.
The tall-crowned Indra, the mighty king of heaven, the graceful Bodhisattva, and the innocent boy are scattered around the Bodhisattva in an orderly manner, leisurely and leisurely above the sea of clouds and waves, swimming together. In the lower right corner, there are two big fish jumping out of the water, symbolizing the spirit of not fearing, not giving up, and bravely riding the wind and waves. In fact, it also symbolizes the spiritual realm of fish leaping and kites flying in Chinese culture. Not far away on the sea, a boat is moving forward, and four people are surrounding a monk to listen to the Dharma, completely forgetting the turbulent sea. Perhaps this is also the spirit that Manjusri Bodhisattva wants to convey: no matter what the environment is, focusing on the current matter, completely forgetting oneself, being completely present, and living together completely is the way to cross the sea and overcome disasters.
Zhang Daqian once copied the sword-holding Bodhisattva in Dunhuang. The Bodhisattva is strong and powerful, holding a sword in his right hand and holding fire in his left hand. It is not possible to judge whether it is Manjusri Bodhisattva just by holding a sword, because Akasagarbha Bodhisattva also holds a sword. So does Manjusri Bodhisattva in Dunhuang have a sword? Of course he does!
Please look at the Dunhuang painting "Sword Manjusri Bodhisattva" in the British Museum: the Bodhisattva painted on silk was originally in Cave 17 of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. He carries a sword on his shoulder, holds the hilt in his right hand, and wears a long gray shawl on his left wrist, with small white dots on it like pearls and treasures. He is tall, has a full face, a strong body, a simple image, and a close-fitting dress. He is banana green all over, and the golden ribbons look like he is in the wind. The Sword Manjusri is trendy and fashionable, allowing people to see the various cultural elements of the region.
The Dunhuang painting "Sword Manjusri Bodhisattva" in the British Museum
If one is good at opening up the awareness of the mind, thoroughly understanding the essence of all things, and opening up the wisdom of Prajna, one can start a prosperous life in various forms and achieve the personality of a bodhisattva.
The Silk Road paved the way for communication and exchanges between China and the world, and between culture and civilization, which has influenced China for thousands of years. The wisdom represented by Manjusri provides fundamental guidance for the nature of culture and civilization: one body with multiple uses, and different paths leading to the same destination.
