中國北朝石刻上的法華信仰與文化效應

The Belief of the Lotus Sutra and Its Cultural Effects on the Inscriptions in the Northern Dynasties in China

This article examines the traits of Buddhist ideas, beliefs, and practices in the sixth century by way of an inspection of appearances of the Lotus Sutra in Northern Dynasties inscriptions. First, the distinctiveness of the idea and practice in the Lotus Sutra makes it possible to trace beliefs back to the sutra. Through many Buddhist statues and inscriptions in the Northern Dynasties, we can see how people perceived the Lotus Sutra and how they pursued their belief in the Lotus Sutra. In addition, we can inspect an individual's Buddhist faith through the inscription for Sun Liao (孫遼) to examine the religious pattern of a layman in the Northern Dynasties. The other main point of discussion involves the interactions of the ideas of Buddhism in the Northern Dynasties, including the belief of the Lotus Sutra, the belief of Maitreya (彌勒 ), and the belief of Amitabha (阿彌陀佛 ). According to the text of the Lotus Sutra, we know it has unique thoughts, creeds and ideas. Moreover, the Lotus Sutra declares　itself as a supreme Buddhist of Buddhism with the ability to absorb other Buddhist beliefs. In addition, we find that the belief in the Lotus Sutra interacted with other Buddhist beliefs in the inscriptions. Also, from the inscriptions we can see that the Lotus Sutra was in an extremely high position in the Northern Dynasties.