There was an elementary school teacher who taught in a remote town. One day, he asked the little children in his class, “Do you have anyone you hate?” After thinking it over, some of the little children remained silent while others nodded with great force. The teacher then passed a bag to everyone and said, “Let’s play a game. Now, all of you think about who has offended you and what hateful things have been done to you in the past week. Once you have them in mind, go find a rock by the riverside on your way home after school. “Paste a little paper note, written with the person’s name, on the rock. If his fault was big, then find a bigger rock; if his fault was small, then find a smaller rock. “Every day, place what you have collected in a bag and bring it with you to school and show me!” All the students felt that it was very interesting and new. After school, every one rushed to the riverside to find rocks. Early next morning, all the students brought their bags, filled with pebbles to school, and discussed about it happily. With the passing of one day passed, two days, and three days, some of the students’ bag grew larger and larger. It had become a burden. Finally, someone protested and said, “This is so tiring!” The teacher smiled but did not respond. Immediately, someone picked the conversation and continue to complaint, “Exactly! Carrying all these rocks to school is so tiring!”
At that moment, the teacher spoke up and said, “Now put down these rocks which represent the faults of people who have offended you!” The students were all surprised, so the teacher explained, “Learn to forgive others’ offenses. Do not keep them as treasures in your mind, nor bear them on your shoulders. No one can stand it overtime.” That week, the students of the class learned an extremely precious life lesson. The greater the number and the bigger the rocks held in the bag, the deeper the tired accumulated in the mind, and the heavier the burden. If you have rocks written with others’ names, you should know what to do.
A true story about a female worker who was saved from being locked inside a freezer at work, due to her having a modest and respectful mind. A lady worked for a food processing factory. One day, at the end of her work, she routinely walked into the freezer for a final check. Suddenly, an unfortunate moment happened, the door accidently closed behind her and she got locked inside the freezer. Although she exhaustedly screamed and pounded on the door, no one could hear her crying voice, she was totally out of people’s sight. All the workers were off from factory at this moment and no one could hear what had happened inside. Five hours later, when she was at the brink of death, the security guard of the factory opened that door and miraculously saved her. Afterwards she asked the security guard why he would open the door since that was not his daily job. He explained, “I have been working at this factory for 35 years. Every day there are several hundred workers who enter and walk out: however, you are the only one who greet me with “How are you?” in the morning and say “Goodbye, see you tomorrow.” in the evening. Many people do not see me as if I were transparent. Today, you came to work in the morning as usual and asked me “How are you?”, but at the end of the work day, I did not hear you say to me “Goodbye, see you tomorrow.” As a result, I decided to take a look inside the factory. I anticipated your “Hi” and “Goodbye”, because these words remind me of who I am and make me very happy. Without hearing your word of goodbye, I knew something might have happened. That was the reason why I searched for you in every corner of the factory.”
He who loves others is constantly loved by them; he who respects others is constantly respected by them. Helping others is truly helping ourselves.
Splendid Night Scene of Longmen Grottoes, By Jack Sparrow
The Longmen Grottoes, a Buddhist cave complex located 13 kilometers south of Luoyang in China’s Henan province, form some of the most significant and exquisite representations of ancient Chinese stone art. Created over the course of approximately five centuries beginning in 493 CE, these grottoes, along with the statues and inscriptions carved within, provide a window into the political, cultural, and artistic circumstances of the late Northern Wei and Tang periods. The caves were carved into the steep limestone cliffs of Mount Longmen and Mount Xiang which face one another along a one kilometer stretch, forming a valley through which the Yi River flows. This site, with its appearance of a natural gate, was historically referred to as Yique or “Gate of the Yi River.” After Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty built an imperial palace in Luoyang at the beginning of the 7th century CE with its southern gate aligned to the cliffs of the site, the name Longmen or “Dragon’s Gate” came into use (the dragon served as an emblem of the power of the emperor).
LAYOUT
Mt. Longmen as seen from Manshui Bridge to the southeast
In total, more than 2,300 grottoes and niches, 100,000 Buddhist statues, ranging in size from several centimeters to over 17 meters, and over 2,800 inscriptions were carved into the cliffs at the site, making it the largest such complex in China. A majority of the caves were carved into the face of Mount Longmen, on the west side of the Yi River. Such is the density of grottoes and niches there that they give the cliff face an incredible, honeycomb-like appearance when viewed at a distance. Whereas those grottoes on the west side were used for ceremonies which honored the dead, the caves carved on Mount Xiang to the east were home to a large community of Buddhist monks of various sects.
View of the West Hill Grottoes from the east bank of the Yi River. Charlie – Own work
2,300 GROTTOES & NICHES, 100,000 BUDDHIST STATUES, & OVER 2,800 INSCRIPTIONS WERE CARVED INTO THE CLIFFS AT THE SITE.
REFLECTION OF SOCIETY
The carving of grottoes into remote mountainsides to serve as Buddhist temples was a practice which originated in India c. 3rd century BCE. Buddhism, along with the practice of grotto carving, passed to China along the silk road, influencing the creation of Buddhist grottoes at Yungang near Pingcheng (modern day Datong), the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, in the middle of the 5th century CE. When Emperor Xiaowen, who contributed to the carving of the Yungang Grottoes, moved the capital from Pingcheng to Luoyang in 493 CE, he shifted his energy to beginning grotto construction at Longmen.
Many of the statues within the oldest grotto carved there, Guyang Cave, were ones which members of the royalty, who followed Emperor Xiaowen to Luoyang, vowed to build. Over 1,000 niches and 800 inscriptions are contained within the cave, making it one of the richest at Longmen and significant as a reflection of the late Northern Wei style of both sculpting and writing. The central statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and two Bodhisattvas (those on the path to enlightenment) each take on a somber appearance and a slender silhouette, contrasting the earlier, broad-shouldered style found at Yungang. Inscriptions attached to statues within Guyang Cave include 19 of the 20 inscriptions designated as exemplary forms of Northern Wei calligraphy and are critical in helping to identify the origins of each work.
Sakyamuni Buddha and two Bodhisattvas at Guyang Cave
Fengxian, or Feng Xian Si (奉先寺), or Li Zhi cave is the Ancestor Worshipping Cave, which is the largest of all caves carved on the west hill built between 672 and 676 for Empress Wu Zetian. The carvings are claimed to be the ultimate in architectural perfection of the Tang dynasty. The shrine inside the cave measures 39 m x35m. It has the largest Buddha statue at the Longmen Grottoes. Of the nine huge carved statues, the highly impressive image of Vairocana Buddha is sculpted on the back wall of the Fengxian. The image is 17.14m high and has 2 m long ears.An inscription at the base of this figure gives 676 as the year of carving. The Bodhisattva on the left of the main image of Buddha is decorated with a crown and pearls. Also shown is a divine person trampling an evil spirit. The main Vairocana image’s features are plumpish and of peaceful and natural expression. Each of the other large statues are carved with expressions matching their representative roles. These were carved at the orders of Empress Wu Zetian, and are considered uniquely representative of the Tang dynasty’s “vigorous, elegant and realistic style.” The huge Vairocana statue is considered as “the quintessence of Buddhist sculpture in China.”
The Vairocana statue also provides at its base the names of the artisans who worked here, the name of the Emperor Gaozong, who was the donor, and also honors Wu Zetian. It is said that Wu Zetian donated “twenty-thousand strings of her rouge and powder money” to complete this edifice. Hence, it is conjectured that the Vairocana Buddha was carved to resemble the Empress herself and termed a “Chinese Mona Lisa, Venus or as the Mother of China”. All the images here, which remain undamaged, project character and animation. Statues of Kasyapa and Ananda, the two principal disciples of Vairocana, and of two Bodhisattvas with crowns flank the main statue, in addition to numerous images of “lokapalas (guardians or heavenly kings), dvarapalas (temple guards), flying devas and numerous other figures.
In addition to Guyang and Fengxiansi Caves, several others are particularly worthy of mention. The set of three Binyang Caves (North, Middle, South), carved shortly after the Northern Wei capital was moved to Luoyang, was donated by Emperor Xuanwu in honor of his father, Emperor Xiaowen, and mother, Empress Wenzhao. Unlike figures in Guyang Cave, those in the Binyang Caves are of an earlier Northern Wei style, closer to that found at Yungang Grottoes. Work began on Yaofang Cave in the intervening period between the Northern Wei and Tang dynasties and came to include the engraving of 140 Tang era medical prescriptions – practical remedies to ailments ranging from cholera to hysteria. These treatments, which spread to Japan in the 10th century CE, reveal the degree to which medical science advanced during the Tang Dynasty.
Offering Procession of the Empress as Donor with Her Court, Chinese, from Longmen, Binyang Central Cave, Henan Province, ca. 522 C.E., Northern Wei Dynasty
This Offering Procession of the Empress as Donor with Her Court, was taken off from the original place for reasons. And now you can see it in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, US. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is a much-loved institution. Many americas may not know, though, is that the Nelson also has a world-renowned reputation among artists and scholars of Asian art. With more than 7,000 works spanning 5,000 years, the museum boasts one of the most celebrated collections of Asian art in the West.
Wanfo Cave, which was completed shortly after the completion of Fengxiansi Cave, was created in honor of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian and purportedly contains 15,000 small, sitting Buddha figures carved within the vast grids of tiny niches which blanket several walls. Prominent patrons of the cave included a female court official and a palace chapel nun. The largest grotto on the east side, Kanjingsi Cave, unlike many other large caves, lacks the grouping of large, carved Buddhist statues. In their place is a procession of life-sized Arhats (those far advanced along the path to enlightenment) stretching around the perimeter of the cave, each with a unique expression, carved in relief in the evocative and highly-detailed style found at other Tang era grottoes.
One can only imagine the splendor of the grottoes at Longmen during the Tang Dynasty, with thousands of recently completed carvings painted in a brilliant array of colors. Unfortunately, a number of natural and human forces have detracted from, although in many cases by no means destroyed, the intention of the original artists. Among the natural causes of damage are corrosion due to acid rain, wear from wind exposure, and naturally occurring fissures of the limestone, exacerbated by plant growth and water seepage.
The caves, stone statues, steles and inscriptions scattered in the East Hill and West Hill at Longmen have been well preserved. The property area and buffer zone retain their natural landscapes and the ecological environment that have existed since the late 5th century. The works of humans and nature have been harmoniously unified and the landscapes possess high integrity.
In the continuous evolution of Longmen Grottoes, the aesthetic elements and features of the Chinese cave temples’ art, including the layout, material, function, traditional technique and location, and the intrinsic link between the layout and the various elements have been preserved and passed on. Great efforts have been made to maintain the historical appearance of the caves and preserve and pass on the original Buddhist culture and its spiritual and aesthetic functions, while always adhering to the principle of “Retaining the historic condition”.
As with pilgrims of ages past, who visited Longmen to worship or to gain merit through the dedication of a Buddhist image, these grottoes afford modern visitors the chance to take a step closer to the lives of people from a different era, and to stand in wonder at the ability and determination of humankind.
Once there was a poor woodcutter who found a wounded dragon snake in the mountains. The woodcutter kindly nursed the dragon snake back to health and later released it into a hole in the mountain. There, a precious ganoderma lucidum grew, which the dragon snake protected day and night.
One day, the emperor fell ill and needed ganoderma lucidum to cure his disease. He offered a heavy reward for anyone who could provide it. The woodcutter remembered the dragon snake and went back to the mountain to find it. The dragon snake, grateful for the woodcutter’s kindness, gave him the ganoderma lucidum. The woodcutter presented it to the emperor, who gave him a lot of gold and silver as a reward.
The woodcutter now lived a life of luxury but was not satisfied. He wanted to become an official and saw an opportunity when the queen lost her sight. The emperor announced that whoever could restore her sight with the eye of a dragon snake would become the prime minister. The woodcutter remembered the dragon snake again and begged for its help. The snake allowed the woodcutter to take one of its eyes with huge pain, which the woodcutter presented to the emperor. The queen’s sight was restored, and the woodcutter was made prime minister.
However, the woodcutter’s greed was insatiable. When the princess fell ill, and the dragon snake’s liver were needed to heal her, the woodcutter asked for the dragon snake once again. The dragon snake, wanting to repay the woodcutter’s kindness, allowed him to cut a small piece of its liver. But the woodcutter, overcome by greed, he went inside dragon snake’s stomach and took a large piece, causing the snake unbearable pain. The snake closed its mouth in agony, and the woodcutter was trapped inside.
This story shows that the woodcutter’s downfall was entirely due to his own actions, driven by his insatiable greed.
I stumbled upon a video by Eddie Jaku, titled “The happiest man on earth” at TEDxSydney 2019, and it moved me deeply. Eddie shared his story of love, survival, and happiness. His holocaust survival story spanned 12 years, from Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 until liberation in 1945. Despite experiencing unimaginable horrors and facing death every day, Eddie is a truly happy person, and his story changed my concept of happiness.
Eddie Jaku was born Abraham Jakubowicz in Germany in 1920. His family considered themselves German, with Jewish heritage coming second. However, on the night of November 9, 1938, known as Kristallnacht, Eddie returned home from boarding school to find an empty house. Nazi soldiers burst in, beat him, and took him to Buchenwald. Eddie was released and escaped to Belgium with his father, but was soon captured and sent to a camp, and then to Auschwitz.
On his way to Auschwitz, Eddie managed to escape back to Belgium and lived in hiding with his parents and sister. However, in October 1943, the family was arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where Eddie’s parents were both murdered. Eddie was sent on a “death march” in 1945, but he managed to escape and hid in a forest, surviving on slugs and snails until he was finally rescued in June 1945.
After the war, Eddie Jaku moved to Australia and started a new life. He married his wife, Flore. However, Eddie’s past experiences continued to haunt him, and he struggled to find happiness in his new life.
It wasn’t until his first son, Michael was born that Eddie began to feel truly happy again. He was overcome with joy and gratitude for his son’s arrival, and it reminded him of the importance of love and family.
In his book, “The happiest man on earth,” Eddie writes, “With Michael’s birth, I began to feel happy again. I realized that I had a responsibility to be a loving and caring father to him, and that gave me purpose and meaning in life.”
Michael became a source of immense pride and joy for Eddie, and he dedicated himself to being the best father he could be. He taught Michael about the importance of resilience, compassion, and kindness, and instilled in him a deep appreciation for life and family.
Eddie’s love for his sons and his commitment to being a positive force in the world is a testament to his resilience and strength of character. His story is a powerful reminder that no matter what challenges we face, we can always find happiness and meaning in life through love and connection with others.
Another remarkable aspect of Eddie Jaku’s story is his attitude towards hate and forgiveness. Despite all the suffering and loss he endured during the Holocaust, Eddie refuses to hold on to hate or anger towards anyone.
In fact, Eddie has spoken publicly about his belief that hate is a disease that only causes more pain and suffering. He believes that hate can lead to violence, discrimination, and even genocide, as he experienced firsthand during the Holocaust. Eddie has made it his life’s mission to spread the message of love, compassion, and forgiveness. He believes that the only way to overcome hate is with love, and that the best way to combat discrimination and prejudice is through education and empathy.
Eddie Jaku’s story is truly inspiring. His message of love, happiness, and resilience is a testament to the power of the human spirit. Eddie’s story reminds us that no matter what challenges we face, we can always find happiness within ourselves. His warm and wise words become my daily prayer to my family, friends and all people on earth: May you always have lots of love to share, lots of good health to spare, and lots of good friends that care.
The High-Leg Treasure Horse is a thoroughbred horse with great stamina. When this treasure horse perspires, it appears to be bleeding due to the color of its perspiration. According to ancient legend, it is the most precious among all species of horses. It has the reputation of being able to travel over three hundred miles a day. Long mane hairs and a mighty, strong-willed, handsome appearance are its prominent characteristics. The High-Leg Treasure Horses in this painting have longer legs than horses commonly seen in paintings. The hairs of their manes are also long and strong. An extremely rare brushwork technique that combines haziness with clarity was applied to paint the hairs of the horses. The gossamer-thin hairs are strong but pliable. One can clearly see the natural effect of sunlight on the horses’ manes. Moreover, contrasting variations of dark and light are seen in every hair. The hairs of the horses are depicted with a realistic effect that nonetheless transcend their natural look.
An artistic technique was used to thoroughly capture on paper the charm and atmosphere of the grassland, lake, sky, and land. The “haziness technique” was applied to express a state of realization in which there is no distinction between emptiness and form. The ancient cypress tree was drawn in one shade of green without the need to add decorative touches in several different shades of green. Both the spirit and form of the tree were captured through the artist’s brush. In addition, elegant charm is revealed by a small number dots of red leaves in the background that compliment the scene. The most difficult part of this work of art was painting the roots, trunk, and leaves in a spontaneous, casual manner using the center brush-up technique yet maintaining a scholarly tone. Such mastery of painting cannot be easily attained and requires solid skills in calligraphy, literature, and painting as well as a noble moral character. From the brushwork style and details of this painting, we can sense the profound inner-cultivation of a renowned scholar. The abilities of a literary giant with abundant talent are visible everywhere. The scholarly tone and brushwork style are skinful and vigorous, totally free of any trace of the mundane, and reflect the highest level of painting and calligraphy. Anyone who lifts a brush in an attempt to paint such painting will appreciate the fact that this scholarly style cannot be accomplished by anyone other than a literary giant who is a great master of art. This painting coherently unites realism and small-scale freehand brushwork as well as the use of haze and clarity.
This painting is in the permanent exhibition of The International Art Museum of America. H.H. Dore Chang Buddha III, an artist of great talent, has created sixteen distinctive painting styles. The composition we are discussing here belongs to the “Menglong” style. This style combines realism and non-realism to capture the essence of the portrayed subject, resulting in a seemingly realistic but actually non-representational depiction. The brush strokes and color application in these paintings create a whimsical and dreamlike appearance, where the real and surreal merge into a lovely and hazy composition.
Springtime Snow-White Plum Blossoms as Pure as Jade
At the International Art Museum of America in downtown San Francisco, there is a special exhibition room, dedicated to Professor Yuhua Shouzhi Wang. This installation was established in 2018, containing a variety of water and ink paintings as wells as sketches. Professor Wang’s acclaimed works have been displayed all over the world, including an exhibition at Congress in 2008, where they called her work a ‘treasure of the world’. In 2019, Professor Wang’s art was exhibited at Shanghai Exhibition Center in China and the Louvre Museum in Paris. An art critic Aude de Kerros praised this event in Paris, saying ‘I have curated and critiqued so many art exhibitions, yet I have never seen an exhibition like this where all the guests are so touched and amazed by the art.’ Following the Paris exhibition, Professor Peter Drake, the Provost of the New York Academy of Art, presented a certificate to Professor Wang, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to representational and abstract art. In December 2020, the Chairman of Centre for Peace in United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Guy Djoken awarded an “International First-Class Artist” title to Professor Wang for her accomplishment. Professor Wang is the only Asian artist who has ever received such a title. On December 29th 2020, Chairman Guy Djoken came to the museum to personally present the title certificate to Professor Wang.
Hand crafted cobblestone
Hand Crafted Coral Sea Palace Monarch
Many people are aware that Professor Yuhua Shouzhi Wang is a world-renowned artist. However, the true identity of Professor Yuhua Shouzhi Wang is revealed as Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva. She embodies great wisdom and compassion, noble morality, kindness, altruism, and selflessness in a perfect manner. She always considers other people’s well-being and is humble and very approachable. The compassion and kindness of Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, are pure and flawless. For example, in 2015, someone sneaked into the International Art Museum of America in San Francisco and tried to steal an artwork that had been acclaimed by the World Federation of UNESCO (WFUCA). This person was arrested by the police on site and subsequently detained. Since the artwork that he tried to steal was one of Fomu’s masterpieces, the court repeatedly requested Fomu to provide a valuation of the artwork, so that they could use her valuation to determinethe term for sentencing. When Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, knew about this person’s distress, She provided a statement saying that the artwork was rather ordinary and had no value. The court had no way of sentencing the person to any term and had to release him.
Another time, Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, saved a butterfly that had fallen into the water. Worried about the butterfly’s safety, Fomu brought it home and kept it for a few days to make sure the butterfly is well-recovered before letting it fly away. Fomu relentlessly led disciples to conduct life-releases. She went every week to woodlands to feed ducks and birds and never missed a week. She paid for it with Her own money and never accepted offerings from Buddhist disciples. Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, is well known for Her diligence and thriftiness. For many decades, the noble Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, always cooked Her own meals and washed Her own clothes. She never entrusted others to do Her chores. She would save the food that She could not finish eating and finish it the next day or two. She was never wasteful. Usually, Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, would even save the water that She did not finish drinking, the water used for washing vegetables or hands, or wastewater from the filter and use it for irrigating flowers or flushing toilet. Through Her deeds, the Great Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, was teaching us how to start with the small things, cherish our good fortune, and actualize our cultivation practices.It is impossible to recount all the numerous exemplary deeds of Fomu.
Photo from internet weixin.com
Wherever Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, went, dragon Dharma protectors were present, and holy miracles manifested. When Fomu performed initiation and transmitted Dharma, holy states were manifested. For example, at the Antelope Valley, Fomu’s hat turned into a black garuda. In New Jersey, the hair of Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva, suddenly went up and wrapped around a tall building in Manhattan on the opposite shore. In San Francisco, a twin Buddha light suddenly appeared, centered around where Fomu stood. All cultivators are touched by the compassion and morality of Fomu, Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva.
In the “Buddha Imparts The Parables Sutra,” Sakyamuni Buddha explained a story to King Shengguang that conveyed the true meaning of life. The story goes like this: A thousand eons ago, there was a man wandering in the wilderness who was suddenly chased by a ferocious elephant. With no place to rely on, he ran in fear and came across an empty well with a large tree beside it. Desperate to escape, he followed the roots of the tree and hid in the well. However, the well was not a safe place either. There were two mice, one black and one white, constantly gnawing at the tree roots. And there were four poisonous snakes surrounding the well, ready to strike, and a poisonous dragon at the bottom of the well. The man was afraid of the snakes and the dragon, and also worried that the mice would eat away the tree roots. Just then, five drops of honey from a honeycomb on the tree fell into the man’s mouth, and he immediately forgot his fear and worries. But soon, bees from the honeycomb stung him due to the shaking of the tree, and a wildfire suddenly broke out and burned the tree.
The Buddha told King Shengguang that the wilderness represents the long night of ignorance, the man represents all sentient beings, the elephant represents impermanence, the well represents life and death, the tree root represents life, and the black and white mice represent night and day. The four poisonous snakes symbolize the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind; the honey represents the five desires of wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep; the bees represent evil thoughts; the wildfire represents aging and disease; and the poisonous dragon represents death. The Buddha emphasized that birth, old age, sickness, and death are inevitable and frightening. One should always be vigilant and not be consumed by the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep. Upon hearing the Buddha’s teachings on the parables of life and death, King Shengguang was deeply moved.
This story serves as a reminder for us as well. Have we become absorbed in the sweetness of “honey” in our lives, forgetting that the “black and white mice” are constantly nibbling away at our time? Life is like a fleeting dream, and it is empty. It is crucial for us to awaken from this dream of fleeting existence.
Emperor Fu-Chien (337-385), also known as Fu-Jian, became increasingly interested in Buddhism. In 379, he conquered the city of Hsiang-yang and invited Tao-an to establish his renowned center for the translation of Buddhist scriptures and texts in the capital of Ch’ang-an, which Fu Chien fully supported. Tao-an, impressed by Kumarajiva’s spiritual, philosophical, and linguistic abilities, urged Fu Chien to invite him to Ch’ang-an. However, the warlord-emperor, in his aggressive manner, dispatched Lu Kuang with an army to conquer Kucha and capture Kumarajiva. Kucha fell to Lu Kuang, and Kumarajiva willingly accompanied the conquering general to Ch’ang-an in 383.
Then, a series of unexpected events occurred. Tao-an died in 385, and six months later, the Yao family attacked and conquered Ch’ang-an, killing Fu Chien. The new dynasty continued the policies of the previous rulers, such as preserving Tao-an’s translation center and promoting Buddhist studies, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Kumarajiva in the capital. Lu Kuang, upon hearing of the conquest of Ch’ang-an, halted his return and declared himself independent, establishing a state known as Later Liang with its center at Ku-tsang. Although Lu Kuang was not a Buddhist and did not care for spiritual matters, he recognized the political value of Kumarajiva.
Lu Kuang held Kumarajiva captive for sixteen years, subjecting him to numerous indignities while also using him as a military adviser. During this time, the rulers of Ch’ang-an pleaded for his release, but to no avail. Kumarajiva found this period of his life difficult and frustrating, as he was mocked for his beliefs and practices and could not pursue the work he felt destined to do. Despite this, he did not become passive or disheartened. Instead, he used this time to learn about China from the rugged soldiers who had traversed much of the country. He also quietly gathered texts to take with him to Ch’ang-an and thoroughly mastered the Chinese language.
Eventually, Yao Hsing, the second ruler of the new dynasty at Ch’ang-an, grew tired of fruitless negotiations with Lu Kuang and took a daring risk. In 401, his armies attacked and conquered Ku-tsang (in present-day Afghanistan). Kumarajiva was rescued unharmed, and in 402, he was welcomed into Ch’ang-an. He finally realized a dream he had conceived in his twenties, but it took until his fifties to come to fruition.
An artist’s impression of a translation session
Kumarajiva was warmly received by Yao Hsing, who bestowed upon him the title Teacher of the Nation. The fruitful phase of his life, which has profoundly influenced Chinese Buddhist tradition from the moment he entered Ch’ang-an to the present day, began with his arrival and lasted barely a decade. Within six days of taking up residence in his new home, he accepted the suggestion of a monk named Seng-jui, later one of his chief disciples, and began to translate a text on meditation, the Tso-ch’an san-mei ching. He found that the translation centre founded by Tao-an had been preserved and supported by Yao Hsing, and he marvelled at the quality of the work his predecessor had undertaken. He found himself surrounded by an enormous group of knowledgeable monks who were ready to continue the work of translation under his guidance. He rapidly reorganized the centre so that new translations could be made even while the accomplishments of the previous generation could be reviewed and revised. Within the next few years he translated almost fifty works in about three hundred volumes.
Like Tao-an, Kumarajiva thought that the ko-i or ‘matching the meaning’ method of translation, in which unfamiliar Sanskrit Buddhist concepts were replaced by well-known Chinese Taoist words, compromised Buddha’s teachings. A review of Tao-an’s work convinced him, however, that too strict an insistence on literal translation, sometimes requiring the creation of awkward neologisms, rendered beautiful texts obscure. His belief that a translation should accurately convey the tone and texture of a teaching inseparably from its content compelled him to adopt a new methodology for translation. He chose to emphasize the central theme of a text or treatise and to edit passages which would seem unnecessarily repetitive to Chinese readers. Once he had arranged the working force at his disposal to his satisfaction, he would read a text aloud, sentence by sentence, before a large congregation. Yao Hsing would often attend these sessions, and sometimes he held the original palm-leaf manuscript in his own hands while Kumarajiva explained it. After each sentence, Kumarajiva explained its meaning and offered an oral translation in Chinese. The congregation would comment on the results and suggest improvements. Meanwhile, a recorder would write down the approved translation, and later an editor would review the whole text for style and internal consistency. Finally, a calligrapher would correct the Chinese ideographs to be sure there were no ambiguities in transmission of the texts.
Kumarajiva’s influence was not limited to the so-called barbarous kingdoms of northern China. In 378 Hui-yuan, one of Tao-an’s chief disciples, had gone south and made his abode in a monastic community at Lu-shan, a mountain famous amongst Taoists, Confucians and Buddhists for its majesty and mystery. Within a few years, he became the informal leader of the Southern Chinese Buddhist community. Shortly after Kumarajiva’s arrival in Ch’ang-an in 402, Hui-yuan wrote to him and encouraged him to continue the work of Tao-an. A year later, hearing that Kumarajiva might return to Kucha, he wrote again, strongly urging him to remain in China. During the next few years the two monks exchanged letters on philosophical and monastic subjects, and eighteen of these exchanges survive. Hui-yuan enquired about many issues, but he was most interested in gaining a clear understanding of the dharmakaya, the highest vehicle of a Buddha. Kumarajiva distinguished between dharmakaya, the ultimate body of Buddha, and dharmadhatujakaya, the invisible body consciously evolved by a Bodhisattva to serve humanity in the world even after physical death. Thereby he showed how that which is ultimately real is reflected in subtle material form through one-pointed and universal consciousness. In these letters answering questions posed by a serious disciple of buddhadharma, one can glimpse something of Kumarajiva’s own profound insight and understanding. In general, he preferred to remain hidden behind the lustre of his translations and refrained from writing treatises setting out his own views.
Seng-jui is said to have rejoiced after attending a translation session with Kumarajiva, because for the first time he caught a glimmer of understanding of the enigmatic concept of shunyata. The collective work of Kumarajiva and his colleagues produced texts which were readable, comprehensible and inspiring. After a millennium and a half his translations are still read and studied, and they are often used as the basis for new translations into other languages, including English. Even though he translated a range of sutras and commentaries from a variety of Buddhist teachings, such as the Prajnaparamita literature, the Vimalakirti Sutra and the Surangama Sutra, his most famous and influential work was his powerful rendition of the Lotus Sutra, known in Sanskrit as the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra and in Chinese as Miao-fu lien-hua. In it one finds harmoniously combined Kumarajiva’s astounding linguistic facility and his profound grasp of the scope and depth of buddhadharma. Perhaps less obvious to the modern reader is the remarkable support Yao Hsing gave to this sort of project. Also, Kumarajiva never hesitated to point out the enormous support he received from knowledgeable and enthusiastic monks who worked together with an exemplary spirit of harmony and cooperation.
Golden copy of the “Universal Gateway”, Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra kept in Taiwan National Palace Museum. One of the many excellent works of Kumarajiva
Within just 11 years, Kumarajiva and his team translated 384 volumes, including sutras, commentaries, and other Buddhist texts. Since that time, his translations have been held in high regard by modern scholars due to the smooth flow of the work which conveys deeper meaning than just literal rendering. If it wasn’t for Kumarajiva, many of the great Mahayana texts may not have been preserved until today.
The major scriptures translated by Kumarajiva between 401-413 CE include:
Smaller Sukhavati-vguha (Amitabha Sutra) in 1 volume, 402 CE
Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra (Diamond Sutra) in 1 volume, 402-412 CE
Satyasiddhi Shastra, (Treatise on the Completion of Truth) in 20 volumes, 402-412 CE
Mahaprajnaparamita Upadesha (Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra) in 100 volumes, 402-405 CE
Shatika-shastra (Treatise in One Hundred Verses) in 2 volumes, 404 CE
Sarvastivadin Vinaya (Ten-Category Vinaya) in 61 volumes, 404-409 CE
Panchavimshati Sahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Twenty-five Thousand Lines) in 27 volumes, 404 CE
Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra (Vimalakirti Sutra) in 3 volumes, 406 CE
Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Wisdom Sutra) in 10 volumes, 408 CE
Madhyamaka-shastra (Treatise on the Middle Way) in 4 volumes, 409 CE
Dvadashamukha Shastra (Treatise on the Twelve Gates) in 1 volume, 409 CE
Maitreyavyakarana Sutra in 1 volume
Shurangama-samadhi Sutra in 2 volumes
Karunikaraja Prajnaparamita Sutra in 2 volumes
Brahmajala Sutra (Brahma Net Sutra) in 2 volumes
Saddharmapundarika Sutra (Lotus Sutra) in 8 volumes
Dasabhumikavibhasa in 17 volumes
Temple Dedicated for Kumarajiva in WuWei, China
Pagoda enshrining Kumarajiva‘s Tongue Relics
On his deathbed, Kumarajiva prophesied to his closest disciples that his cremation would serve as a criterion of his success as a translator. If he had made errors – a possibility he was always willing to acknowledge – his entire body would be consumed by the funeral flames. However, if he had not erred, then his tongue would remain untouched by the fire. His disciples testified that his tongue survived the cremation of his body unharmed. This precious tongue relic is now preserved at the Kumarajiva Temple, located in Wuwei, in northwest China’s Gansu Province. It is the only temple in the world named after Kumarajiva. Additionally, the Kumarajiva Pagoda, built in the 4th century, was an important structure on the Silk Road. The elegant 12-storey brick pagoda was destroyed during a great earthquake in 1927, but was later rebuilt.
The judgement of history concurs with Kumarajiva’s disciples: his work became the backbone of the grand organic edifice of Buddhist thought and teaching that arose in China, even as the buddhavachana began to wane in India. Kumarajiva gave his life to a sacred mission, the full significance of which his contemporaries could not fathom. However, they correctly sensed from the magnetic force of his presence that subsequent generations would benefit immensely from his selfless service.
Kumarajiva’s translations were instrumental in the development of Buddhism in China, as he was able to transmit the true meaning of Buddhism through his works, which contributed to the development of schools such as the Pure Land, Tian Tai, San Lun, and many others. His translated sutras were always considered central to their principal readings.
The Yungang Buddhist grottoes, a massive complex comprising 252 caves and niches with 51,000 statues carved into an area of 18,000 square meters, are a remarkable achievement of Buddhist cave art in China. Constructed from the mid-5th to early-6th century AD, the grottoes were influenced by Buddhist cave art from South and Central Asia but also incorporated distinct Chinese elements and local spirit. They played a crucial role among early Oriental Buddhist grottoes and had a far-reaching impact on Buddhist cave art in China and East Asia.
The five caves of Tanyao and their imperial patronage
The construction of Yungang began with five cave-temples, known today as caves 16 to 20, at the west end of the cliff. These caves were imperial commissions of the Northern Wei dynasty in around 460 C.E. The Northern Wei rulers, who belonged to the Tuoba clan from northern China, had recently unified northern China after centuries of political turmoil and established Buddhism as the state religion. The dynasty’s capital, Pingcheng, became a significant center for Buddhist religious and artistic expression.
The five caves of Tanyao, created by Tan Yao, are classical masterpieces of the first peak of Chinese art, displaying a strict unity of layout and design. These caves each contain a colossal Buddha as the central icon, with Cave 20 housing a gigantic seated Buddha in a meditation posture and a standing attendant Buddha on one side. Another attendant Buddha likely existed on the other side, but it has been lost along with the cave’s exterior wall. The imperial patronage of these caves reflects the Northern Wei dynasty’s fusion of state power and religious devotion.
Buddha, Cave 20 at Yungang, Datong, China (photo: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0)
The main Buddha measures roughly 13 meters in height. He has plump cheeks, a thick neck, elongated eyes, a sharply cut nose, slightly smiling lips, and broad shoulders, all of which produce a solemn appearance.
The well-preserved halo behind the main Buddha is composed of an outer band of flame patterns and two inner bands decorated with seven seated Buddhas of miniature size. The robe features zigzag patterns on the edge. The right shoulder of the main Buddha is left exposed, whereas the standing attendant Buddha on the east wall wears a robe that covers both shoulders with a high neckline.
Historical records recount that Tanyao, a renowned monk cleric with official ranks, advised Emperor Wencheng to undertake construction of five cave-temples (Caves 16–20) to commemorate the five founding emperors of the Northern Wei dynasty. Claiming that the emperor of Northern Wei was the living Buddha, this project declared the emperor’s political and spiritual legitimacy, and strengthened the rule of the imperial family.
Buddha (left) and attendant Buddha (right), Cave 20 at Yungang (photo: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0)
The statues housed in the caves and niches are in good condition and all of the caves and statues have not suffered major damage from vandalism and/or natural disasters. Restoration and repair had been made on deficient parts of some statues in the past. All the necessary attributes demonstrating the Outstanding Universal Value of Yungang Grottoes are contained within the boundary of the property area. The buffer zone provides a necessary safe area for the conservation of the Grottoes, the setting and the historic environment. These measures have enabled the Yungang Grottoes to serve as one of the greatest ancient stone carving art treasure houses in the world.
The location, caves and statues of the Yungang Grottoes have retained their historic appearance. The eaves of wooden pavilions of the caves and the related historical remains have kept the distinctive character of the times when they were constructed. The daily maintenance and conservation intervention have been conducted following the conservation principle of minimal intervention in design, materials, methodology, techniques and craftsmanship.
The cross-legged Bodhisattva Maitreya, on the east wall of the antechamber of Cave 9, phase II, Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China (photo: G41rn8, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The paired caves and the major development at Yungang
Beginning roughly a decade after the initial commission, the imperial projects at Yungang advanced to a second phase that lasted from c. 470s until 494 C.E. In contrast to the monumental Buddha found in Cave 20, the interior of the second-phase cave-temples are decorated with reliefs that depict Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other divine figures in various scales and configurations.
One of the most distinctive features developed in the second phase of construction are paired caves—two adjacent caves featuring a similar architectural plan and pictorial program. The paired cave-temple layout is understood to symbolically represent the reign of two coincident rulers: Emperor Xiaowen (471–499 C.E.) and Empress Dowager Wenming (442–490 C.E.). The use of paired cave-temples became another means to demonstrate the dynasty’s imperial power.
The paired Caves 5 and 6 are among the most lavishly decorated cave-temples at Yungang. Cave 6 has an antechamber and a square main chamber supported by a central pillar (see the full cave 6 in 3D). A square clerestory (window) is opened right above the passageway to the main chamber to let in light (although it is hard to see in photos or the 3D image).
In the main chamber of Cave 6, the east, south, and west walls are divided vertically into three main registers that include complex pictorial programs (the north wall features a large niche housing a trinity of Buddhas that are later repairs). We find seated Buddha figures and scenes from the Buddha’s life throughout the chamber. Depictions of the historical Buddha, who was believed to live in the Ganges River basin during the 6th century B.C.E., derived largely from Buddhist texts. The Buddha’s biography details the course of his life from birth to enlightenment, and eventually to nirvana, the final extinction. The life of the Buddha was among the most popular themes for artistic representation throughout the Buddhist world.
The First Sermon of the Buddha at Deer Park, Cave 6, Yungang, Datong, China
One scene from the Buddha’s life (at the southern end of the east wall) shows the First Sermon of the Buddha at Deer Park, identifiable by the depiction of a pair of deer on the Buddha’s throne. We see a canopied standing Buddha flanked by two standing bodhisattvas and a myriad of worshippers in the background. Just below the standing Buddha niche, a seated Buddha with his right hand raised (the fearless gesture) can be seen in a trapezoidal-shaped niche flanked by two five-story pagodas (just visible at the edges of the scene in the photograph). Worshippers either kneel in front of the throne or stand facing the Buddha on his two sides.
Rock-cut cave-temples
Rock-cut cave-temples first appeared in western India in the 1st century B.C.E. There are two basic types: apsidal-shaped (semicircular) chaitya (sanctuary, temple, or prayer hall in Indian religions) and vihāra caves where monks resided—both of which we find at places like the caves of Ajanta, India. Both types were transmitted eastwards to Central Asia up to the 5th century with modifications of the structures. At Yungang, the sanctuary type was further adapted into a square shape that houses a central pillar in the middle, as we find in Cave 6. At the same time, a number of architectural features find their precedents in Goguryeo tombs from present-day northeastern China and North Korea.
But what facilitated these different traditions coming together at Yungang?
Transmissions and transformations of artistic styles
Yungang was a hub where multiple artistic traditions of South Asia, Central Asia, and pre-Buddhist China synthesized into something new. This was made possible by the Silk Road, a network of ancient trade routes linking East Asia with the rest of Eurasia. Goods and ideas have been exchanged along the Silk Road since at least the second century B.C.E. Central to the economic, cultural, and religious interactions between different parts of Eurasia, the Silk Road tied the Northern Wei territory to the sacred heartland of Buddhism in South Asia, and to Central Asian kingdoms that promoted Buddhist teachings.
A primary factor facilitating the encounter of these varied traditions was the gathering of human resources and materials from different regions. In the 430s and 440s, the Northern Wei court issued decrees that relocated artisans and monks from its conquered lands to the capital city of Pingcheng. The concentration of people and craftsmanship in the capital led to the artistic flourishing of well-executed Buddhist monasteries, cave-temples, sculptures, and murals. Eminent monks who were active in Pingcheng had also engaged with religious activities in other urban centers such as Chang’an and Wuwei, and maintained close ties with Central Asian Buddhist communities.
Just as the form of the rock-cut cave-temples was adapted from earlier traditions in South Asia, statues and reliefs at Yungang exhibit strong stylistic and iconographic affinities with earlier Buddhist art traditions from northwestern India and Central Asia. For instance, the main colossal Buddha images in Caves 16 to 20 feature a round face, with a gentle, calm expression that creates an impression of sanctity, and a robe style that clings tightly to the body yet is rendered with schematic patterns. All of these features echo the aesthetics found in previous traditions, especially the Buddhist sculptures in Gandhara, a Buddhist center located in present-day northwest India and Pakistan.
Yungang art exerted influence, in turn, on Central Asian cave-temples starting in the later 6th century, such as Dunhuang, indicating that a dynamic exchange took place among the major cultural centers along the Silk Road.
An iconic form of the Buddha, 2nd–3rd century C.E., Kushan period, Gandhara, schist, 19.76 x 16.49 x 4.56 inches (The British Museum)
Sinicization reforms under the reign of Emperor Xiaowen
One of the new developments shown at Yungang that would have a long-lasting effect on Chinese Buddhist art was Sinicization, a process of adapting non-Chinese traditions into Han Chinese culture. In Cave 1, between the canopy of the central pillar and the ceiling we find intertwined dragons surrounding mountains that represent Mount Meru (the sacred mountain considered to be the center of the universe in Buddhist cosmology). The design shows strong influence of the pre-Buddhist Chinese tradition in two aspects. First, the dragons are depicted with typical Chinese conventions—a snake-like curving body with four legs. Mount Meru was not related to dragons in pre-Chinese Buddhist art traditions. The incorporation of dragons in the design reveals an integration of the motif’s symbolic reference to a spiritual life force in traditional Chinese beliefs.
Central pillar in Cave 1, c. 480s, Northern Wei, Yungang (photo: Zhangzhugang, CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Cave 6, we also see Sinicized traits in a new style of the Buddha’s monastic robe, which features loose drapery that falls around the body and clothes the Buddha entirely instead of the earlier style that clings closely to a partly exposed body. The new style finds parallel in the contemporary dress of court officials.
Overall, these new styles and motifs were a response to the political reform of Sinicization promoted by Emperor Xiaowen and Dowager Wenming during their reign in the Taihe era (477–499 C.E.). The reform aimed at legitimizing the Northern Wei regime, built by non-Chinese nomadic groups, as an imperial Chinese dynasty, and promoting a greater sense of conformity throughout the empire.
Buddha with Sinicized traits, Cave 6, Yungang, China (photo: Gisling, CC BY-SA 3.0)
The legacy of Yungang
Despite the move of the capital to Luoyang in 494 C.E., constructions at Yungang continued for another three decades. Cave-temples of this phase are much smaller in size than at the earlier western end of the complex. Over half a millennium later in the 13th century when Yungang was the capital of the Liao Dynasty, Yungang witnessed another era of glory, with restorations of the caves and installation of wooden structures attached to their façades. Yet it was only a temporary phenomenon. The site later stayed silent for centuries until its early 20th-century rediscovery along with other major cave-temples by foreigners on expeditions.
Modern scholarship about the history and the art of Yungang Cave-temples has continued to provide new information about the site. The most recent archaeological excavations at Yungang unearthed the remains of a monastery dated to the Northern Wei dynasty above the western section of the cliff. The well-preserved foundations of courtyards, the central stupa (a sepulchral monument that refers to the Buddha), residential cells for monks, and objects continue to enrich our understanding of the site as a significant religious center from the 5th century.
Peace LiLy 
