Blogger Note: Buddhism spread from India to China – travelling along the ‘Silk Road’ – between 1st century CE and the 6th century CE. Buddhism may have been known in the Chinese Imperial Court between 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE but only started to spread throughout the populace from the 1st century CE onwards. The cave systems in Gansu were probably built to serve as hidden ‘Buddhist Temples’ where those ethnic Chinese people could sit in isolated ‘silence’ and look within, attempting to apply the Buddhist meditative techniques. As there were a number of Buddhist countries that had developed along the Silk Road between India and China – overtime many Buddhist monastics and experts arrived in China holding authentic Buddhist knowledge learned either directly from India (or India-derived sources) – and transmitted this knowledge to the Chinese populace, usually out of the sight of Officialdom. Historical texts demonstrate that Buddhist philosophy (and convention) was still being spread to China between the 1st-6th centuries CE (although Brahmanical texts are recorded as existing in China prior to the 1st century BCE)!
The early Buddhist groups in China mirrored that of the extant Confucian scholiastic system – often forming around married laymen – with disciples taking the surname of the teacher as their ‘Dharma-Name’ and essentially becoming an extension of his family. Grottoes such as that featured below were places where Buddhists could meet, share and practice their understanding of Indian Buddhist philosophy. An understanding of Buddhist monasticism started to arrive and distinguish itself in China from the existing lay-practice around the 5th century CE – the date I believe this ‘smiling’ monk appears to date from. Whereas Buddhist lay-practitioners did not shave their heads (like Daoists and Confucians) – monastic Buddhists (male and female) were required to shave their heads – indicative of their ‘rejecting’ of the desire-laden conventions that define, guide and justify the external world. ACW (5.9.2023)
2023-09-01 Ecns.cn Editor：Lu Yan
Statues with ‘Oriental smile’ in the millennium-old Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu
（ECNS）– One of China’s four biggest cave complexes, the Maijishan Grottoes rank as an iconic cultural landmark and a treasure trove of art.
This 1,600-year-old scenic spot was carved into the caves of an isolated mountain peak along the ancient Silk Road in Tianshui, northwest China’s Gansu Province.
It was first built in the Later Qin period (384-417), and then developed over more than ten successive dynasties. Renowned for its exquisite clay figurines, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014. It is known as the “Oriental Mona Lisa” for the statue in Carve 44 in Maijishan Grottoes.
“This statue is an original work of the Western Wei Dynasty (535-556), which has not been restored, so it is a miracle that it has been preserved for more than 1,500 years in Maijishan Mountain,” said Zhou Yan, a narrator at Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute, “The clay sculptures in Maijishan Grottoes are mainly from the Northern Dynasty (439-581).We can see a smile on those statues. That is why they are called the ‘Oriental Smile’.”
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 