敦煌莫高窟四二八窟研究

Abstract

莫高窟北周四二八窟是敦煌最大的中心柱窟，但是，四二八窟的藝術風格、主尊佛像、圖像內容以及壁面配置等方面都與其他同期窟多有差異。特別是涅槃、雀離浮圖、盧舍那佛以及須達拏太子本生等新題材，許多都與中原乃至於河南洛陽地區淵源甚深。另外，四二八窟超過1200身的供養人畫像亦為莫高窟之最，這些供養人以僧侶為主，還曾經一度改繪。北周國祚僅二十四年，其間還發生三教論爭與周武廢佛，但是四二八窟的規模卻堪為北朝之冠。綜合種種因素都顯示四二八窟的開鑿有其特殊的歷史背景。 四二八窟中心柱主尊為釋迦佛，四壁的主要壁畫也都以釋迦為主題，整體而言，實為一座內容豐富的釋迦窟。敦煌北魏、西魏的釋迦窟，圖像以佛傳和本生故事為主，旨在呈現釋迦成道的歷程，而四二八窟加入涅槃圖、雀離浮圖以及盧舍那佛等新圖像，圖像組成著重於釋迦法脈的延續，以及信徒護法的可貴，無論宗教內涵或教理層次，都比北朝其他釋迦窟更加深入。 該窟與敦煌原有傳統不符的諸多元素，可能與開窟主于義出身於河南洛陽地區有關。擔任瓜州刺史的于義不僅將河南地區的佛教藝術帶進四二八窟，他在廢佛期間更挺身庇護涼州、甘州避走敦煌的僧眾，並改繪四二八窟的供養人畫像，讓這些僧眾加入四二八窟的供養人行列。雖然《隋書》于義有傳，但傳中不見他宗教信仰的記載，四二八窟不僅代表敦煌北周佛教藝術的輝煌，也是于義篤信佛教的具體證明，可以補史料的不足。

Cave 428 which were excavated in the Northern Zhou Dynasty (557-581) is the largest central-pillar cave in Mogao Grottoes. In Mogao Grottoes, Cave 428 is easily distinguished from others. The stylistic characteristics of some statues and mural paintings, new subject matters of the cave, are imbued with those commonly found in the Central Plains and even Luoyang. The Northern Zhou Dynasty only lasted for twenty-four years, during which the extermination of Buddhism by Emperor Zhou Wu, and the Controversy of the Three Religions took place. Buddhist was badly devastated; however, Cave 428 still made itself the largest cave at Dunhuang in the Northern Dynasties. Concerning the iconography of Cave 428, the Buddha images inside the shrines on the four sides of the central-pillar and the central figures of the mural paintings on the walls can all be identified as Shakyamuni. While the mural paintings of the caves of Mogao Grottoes in the Northern and Western Wei Dynasties generally feature the Jataka stories and the Buddha's life stories, emphasizing the process to the enlightenment, the murals of Cave no.428, representing the Parinirvana, Kanishka's stupa and Vairocana, shift to feature more on the perpetuation and preservation of the Dharma. Hence, the design of Cave 428 is more profound than other caves at Dunhuang in the Northern Dynasties in terms of religious or doctrinal sense. This study has shown that Cave 428 was excavated under the order of Yu Yi, a native of Luoyang, Henan. As a prefectural governor of Guazhou, he not only brought the artistic tradition and Buddhist iconography of Henan to Dunhuang, but he also protected the monks fled from Liangzhou and Ganzhou during the period of the extermination of Buddhism. In a bid to show his support to the monastics, he even repainted some murals of the donors of Cave 428 and added the monks from Liangzhou and Ganzhou to the procession of donors. Although the biography of Yu Yi in the Book of Sui (Sui Shu), does not mention that he was a devoted Buddhist, based upon the excavation of Cave 428 and the large number of Buddhist monks seen on the murals of this cave, it is undoubtedly that Yu Yi is an earnest Buddhist, which in a way makes up for the before mentioned biographical hiatus.