Page 59 - Christie's Buddhist Art May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

A translation of the Sanskrit name Avalokitesvara, Guanshiyin means ⎏፽ࢇ㕇卿᧐㊗ᛓݯ༾ވ߿⎏ཎࢇדǯऔӬཉⵐ⻉
“[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World”, a reference to
༾ވ߿⎏㧩㯝᭢≡卻Ꮅ㱈ս⸌≡卼ߺ㎜ᇨᜊጮ卿Ք
Guanyin’s ability to hear both the cries of the afflicted and the prayers of

㿽ᚺݯ㕇֍ἃഌࡥ⯍ⵐ⻉ǯ
supplicants. An earthly manifestation of the Buddha Amitabha, Guanyin
guards the world in the interval between the departure of the Historical
Buddha Shakyamuni and the appearance of Maitreya ᆚࡘ , the Buddha Ǹ㈊㮥ǹ߅⯇ᢹᙔ "WBMPLJUFTWBSB卿ዪ㋵Ǹ㈊༩ӽ㧿
of the Future. The Lotus Sutra—known in Sanskrit as the Saddharma 㮥ǹ卿ᑨ㈊㮥ᇠ⪬ᘩⲌǮᝳ᭯ᇷ፽ǯ㈊㮥הἃ㩛ᆚ
Pundarika Sutra and in Chinese as the Miaofa Lianhua Jing ൘ᯧ⸥ ⵖ ⣌ —
㩜ד፽ࢇ㕇卿ங㙞ࣸד㞐㘔⁋ཪ㫘㧷Ԡᇌ⯝ត׹
is generally accepted as the earliest sacred text that presents the doctrines
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of Avalokitesvara, that presentation occurring in Chapter 25. Titled דᆚࡘ㩥ӽԠ߿໪㍙඼෤␕⊂ǯǶ൘ᯧ⸥ⵖ⣌Ƿ卻ᢹ
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Guanshiyin Pusa Pumenpin ㈊ӽ㮥ⵐ⻉᛿㧰৅ and devoted to Guanyin, that ᙔἃ 4BEEIBSNB 1VOEBSJLB 4VUSB卼ᛓݩ㊘ᝬ᚝㨼
chapter describes Guanyin as a compassionate bodhisattva who hears the
㘚㈊㮥ᯧ㧰⎏㇝ݱ卿⏟㨸㉃㖊㇦ᙻ✄ՀࢦՆ৅ǯ
cries of sentient beings and who works tirelessly to help all those who call
᫉⛌ࣽलǴ㈊ӽ㮥ⵐ⻉᛿㧰৅ǵ卿ݯԋཌ㈊㮥ᝳ
upon his name. The text describes thirty-three different manifestations

of the bodhisattva, including female manifestations as well as ones with ཇ㧰⎏㋏㘚卿 ཆԠᆨ༏ἃ጑ኙἃ᎜⎏ⵐ⻉卿ⱪⱪ
multiple heads and multiple limbs. This chapter has long circulated ␕⊂ⲋ㙷Ⲍࣖ卿♑ݯल࣊ᇑ㈛⬴ǯᗌ♑㈊㮥ݬᝳ
independently as stand-alone sutra called the Avalokitesvara Sutra, or
ӲࢦӲ፽㕇卿⋁ԋᝳഺ㕇卿Ԯᝳഅ㬷അ⮥⎏ᆨ㎜ǯ
Guanshiyin Jing ㈊ӽ㮥⣌ in Chinese, and is commonly recited or chanted
at Buddhist temples in East Asia. 㧩ឆս׹卿㊃৅ℒ⛁Ꮀ❩卿սǶ㈊ӽ㮥⣌Ƿ⎏ᆨᅴ
ᅓἃ᱁۔卿ஙែՌדཀԋᅓἃू㊫ǯ
Mahasthamaprapta, or Dashizhi ഌࡥ ⯍ⵐ ⻉ in Chinese, literally means
“arrival of great strength” and represents the power of wisdom. This Ǹഌࡥ⯍ǹᛓᑨǸᇑὍӳ࠺ǹ卿ջヿᜊጮԠ࠺㞔卿
bodhisattva awakens in humans their need to be liberated from the samsara
⩧ഌࡥ⯍ⵐ⻉⬒੦㝢՞ٛ⬴㫘㖥㘛⎏㯳ឃǯഌࡥ
cycle of birth and rebirth 㖥㘛 . In the pairing of the two bodhisattvas
with the Buddha Amitabha to form an Amitabha Triad 㩛ᆚ㩜Ӳ ཉ , ⯍Ǯ㈊㮥ⵐ⻉⯝㩛ᆚ㩜דԆߛ卿࣊Ǹ㩛ᆚ㩜Ӳཉǹ卿
Guanyin enacts Amitabha’s compassion, and Mahasthamaprapta brings ㈊㮥㵲→⎏ᛓ㩛ᆚ㩜דԠኙየ卿⩧ഌࡥ⯍ߺशӽ
to humanity the power of Amitabha’s wisdom. Among the earliest of the
՞ᅺᔆ㩛ᆚ㩜דԠᜊጮǯ⯝Ԡᝳ㨸ᝬ᚝⎏ד⣌㉃
bodhisattvas identified in the sacred texts, Mahasthamaprapta is described
㖊卿ᛓⶬᎰᙻݩ݉ӬǮՀӽ⡕⎏Ƕഌ㩛ᆚ㩜⣌Ƿ卻࣊
in the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra, which was compiled in India in the

first and second centuries AD and is known in Chinese as the Da Amituofo -POHFS 4VLIBWBUJWZVIB 4VUSB卼ǯ ഌࡥ⯍ㄴ㇬ἃד
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Jing ഌ㩛ᆚ㩜⣌ . Mahasthamaprapta, or Dashizhi, is viewed as a protector
Ԡ໪㍙⩢⯝㍙ᯧ▵ǯᡜᗌǶഌד㮱㲛୍᤺⣌Ƿ卿
of the Buddha and of the dharma ᯧ , or canon of Buddhist teachings.
ഌࡥ⯍ⵐ⻉⯇㘚⋁ჺᛓսـリ⯝ሗד㌴៧卿ᘢᆳ
In the Shurangama Sutra, known in Chinese as Dafoding Shoulengyan
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Jing ഌד 㮱 㲛 ୍᤺ ⣌ , Dashizhi recounts that he gained enlightenment 㰆Իـリ⯝㊫⣌ཌדᘰᇏ⎏㞒㇝ሻǯ᚝ឆ⎏ഌԧ
through meditation and through the practice of Buddha recitation, thus ד⣌㫍ᝳᓽࣿഌࡥ⯍ⵐ⻉卿जᛓࣇᄟؼ␕≾ཐ؊
underscoring the merit both of meditation and of chanting sutras during
ഠᎵἃԠ㙁۬卿ֿஙែՌഌԧדᘰ⎏஠ׅ࣐⯟㑷
Buddhist worship. Although appearing in early Mahayana sutras, Dashizhi
was seldom worshiped or represented in India but played an important role 㖔㞒ǯ
in Mahayana Buddhism as practiced in East Asia.
ݦཉⵐ⻉ࣥ፽؊ᙻ▵೉Ԡӳ卿ἃד㩜⎏ႚठ⬘׿卿
Originally set on a temple altar, these two sculptures would have
ᦔᎰǸӬ㢁Ӳཉǹ⎏ᡟ཭ǯד㩜ᎵஶᎵ⛁卿ൈὍዪ
appeared on either side of a Buddha, forming a triad Ӳཉ . The Buddha,
ം፽ᛓ㩛ᆚ㩜דǯד㩜Ӭ⯺཰ԋ卿ᇖ㈊⩢㈍ᄟ׹
which could have been either standing or seated, likely would have been
Amitabha. Guanyin typically appeared to the (viewer’s) left, and Dashizhi ⏭卿㈊㮥㘻჎׿⛁ႚڬ卿ഌࡥ⯍׿⛁ठᙹ卿ֿ໕ႚ
to the right, of the central Buddha, through the placement occasionally ໕ठजս㊽ᔇǯ⨍㢁⢑भԋᎵ㉓བᝳߣ⎏▵■卿
was reversed. The altar group might have included additional figures,
पᑪཉࢲ✙⡯ཌ♑⩧ߛǯ㍔ൈ卿ד㩜⯝Հⵐ⻉Ԡ
hierarchically scaled and symmetrically arranged. A monk or disciple
might have been tucked between the Buddha and each bodhisattva, for 㧿जսप࠼ᓿӬल㵶ۿᎵཉ⩢卿ႚठംᯒՔज໫
example, just as a guardian figure might have appeared at each outer ㉑໪㍙▵ǯ᫉ം卿ज⬒㚍ᝳ㯸ַ㇛ᙹ഍ײ⎏㰮഍
edge of the assemblage. Akin to angels, celestial figures termed apsaras
ஙӳᙹ⏎ᚅ卿սᘾᑌד▭ǮണᦼǮ㙊℣؊৅ᎵⱤ៧
㰮 ഍ possibly hovered above, venerating the Buddha, playing musical
Ԡන߅→ǯ
instruments, or making offerings of alms or flowers.
The three early eighth-century stone relief carvings formerly in the ᚚទऒⶸਦ᚝࿺່Ӭ卻 ⯍ ჺ卼⯠⻦Ӳ׾
collection of the Japanese art dealer Hayasaki Kǀichi ᚝࿺່Ӭ (1874–1956), ݨӽ⡕ߝ᱙㫌⒢ߴ卿໦ٛᓼ༵⎏كᛓד㩜ক㈊㮥Ǯ
each of which depicts a triad with Guanyin and Dashizhi standing on
ഌࡥ⯍ݦׅ⬘׿ⵐ⻉⎏Ӳཉ⢑भ卿ݯ१→ᙹᅴज
either side of a Buddha, reveal how the present sculptures likely would
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have been placed in a triad. On its back face, a stele in the collection of ⬒᫈ᛓទᐽ৅ࣥ׹⎏ׁ཭ǯ ⡥⡙ഌ㛢ᝯ⻱ワࢷ
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the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (30.122), includes three ⁒㱦⻦⒢┐⫫㬷ᝳӲٖ䂌⚞卻㱦⻦⽚ 卼卿
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