藏經谷――試論四川安岳臥佛院遺址之一面向

Valley of Buddhist Canon: A Discussion on One Facet of the Reclining Buddha Monastery in Anyue, Sichuan

The site of the Reclining Buddha Monastery (Wofo Yuan 臥佛院), located in Anyue County, Sichuan Province, is nearly 1,000 meters in length, with 138 extant caves, niches, and tomb pagodas of various sizes. The site features 15 sutra caves with several colophons dating back to the Kaiyuan 開元 era (713-741) of the Tang Dynasty. By the mid-eighth century, the sutras carved at Wofo Yuan contained more than 300,000 characters, comparable with the total number of characters of the stone sutras at Fangshan near Beijing that were completed by the same time. The Buddhist sculptures situated next to the carved sutras are not only exquisitely crafted, but some also demonstrate styles from around the mid-seventh century. These features enhance the religious and historical significance of the site.
Since the 1980s, both individual scholars and investigation teams have published research papers and archaeological reports on this site. Benefiting from this work, we now have a basic account of the extant archaeological finds on its surface. However, the nature and function of the site as a whole are still inconclusive. It has both the characteristics of a cemetery and material and textual evidence to suggest a site of ritual practice. We can therefore conclude that the site serves multiple purposes.
This paper first summarizes the earlier research results and briefly reviews the scholarly contributions on this site. It then discusses its religious landscape, with a focus on the relationship between the sutras and images arranged on each of the rocks. Finally, on the basis of textual and material evidence, it is argued that the site not only functions according to the “cult of the text,” but also the “cult of the book” and the “cult of the canon,” thus suggesting that it can be also perceived as a “valley of Buddhist canon.”