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Tiangong Louge in Eastern Pure Land Illustrations You & Zhu

the Tushita Palace are based on the blueprints It can be seen from the scripture that:
of large Buddhist temples in China back then (1) There are three tiers of underground,
(when illustrations were painted), and not the ground, and “void” in the Western Pure
realistic portrayal of certain Buddhist temples. Land, and the “void” is the highest tier.
This passage can be supplemented by (2) The “void” coincides with the “Heaven”
three points. First, the Sui and Tang dynasties in traditional Chinese culture. Palaces
in the lower limit of the timeline should at and pavilions are wondrously decorated,
least be extended down to the Song dynasty surpassing anything in the realms of devas.
(960‒1279) and the Xixia dynasty (1038‒
1227), for example, the buildings in the It is also necessary to understand the
illustration in the Dunhuang Mogao Caves Buddhist term “Magnificence.” According to
and the Yulin Caves of the Xixia dynasty, as verification by Bai Huawen:

well as the Dazu Rock Carvings. Second, the When Buddhist scriptures were
buildings in illustrations between the translated in the Southern and Northern
Southern and Northern dynasties and the dynasties, the word “Magnificence”
Song dynasty are not stationary, which keenly was used to paraphrase Sanskrit vyūha,
reflects the subtle changes in the buildings of alamkrta or bhūsita. As a noun, it meant
that time. Third, the Sutra of the the demonstrated decorations with
Contemplation of Maitreya Bodhisattva's Buddhist characteristics were splendid,
Ascent to Tushita Heaven Spoken by the as the Amitabha Sutra describes: “The
Buddha depicts the magnificence of the “wall” realization of the land of Ultimate Bliss
of the Tushita Heaven on several occasions, is thus meritoriously magnificent,” or it
and it was a popular activity to donate houses referred to the brilliance, vastness, and
as temples in the Southern and Northern splendidness exhibited by Buddhas and
dynasties, the Tushita Palace in the Bodhisattvas, and so on, as a whole
illustration appears as a courtyard-style from inside to outside, and even to the
building. environment .
[8]

1.4 The So-called “Void and Adornment” In the “void” of the Pure Land
and “Tiangong Louge” illustration, palaces and pavilions take up a
The picture of Pure Land illustration is large part of it, which some scholars called
[5]
usually divided into the upper, middle, and “Building adornments” . With the existence
lower layers. For those on the upper layer, of “Void adornment, it is easy to associate the
they are named “Void and Adornment” by Pure Land with the Heaven” in Chinese
today’s researchers, and demonstrated mainly notion. Through combination with the
based on the scripture of Three Pure Land concepts of supernatural beings in traditional
Sutras, such as Thirty-Second Vow (Majestic Chinese culture, “Rebirth” in Buddhism is
Adornments Surpassing Those of All construed as “Attain immortality” and palaces
Heavenly Beings) in the Sukhavativyuha and pavilions in the Pure Land illustration is
Sutra: translated as “Tiangong louge.”

When I attain Buddhahood, everything 2. INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS OF
in my land, from the ground to the void, “TIANGONG LOUGE” IN THE
such as palaces, pavilions, ponds, EASTERN PURE LAND
streams, flowers, and trees, are made by ILLUSTRATION
integrating countless precious Although the Sutra of the Mater of Healing
substances, and a hundred thousand downplays buildings, its aims of eradicating
kinds of fragrance marvelously adorned, sufferings of beings in the present, healing
surpassing anything in the realms of diseases, removing disasters, and extending
devas.
lifespans, have a profound influence on

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