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Tiangong Louge in Eastern Pure Land Illustrations You & Zhu
(3) Sanmen: It is the gate at the main north wall of Cave 361 in Mogao Caves,
entrance of a temple, nowadays called referring to the annotation of this picture.
“Shanmen” (hill gate), in the Tang “Sanmen” in Japanese Buddhist
dynasty, it was called “Sanmen”(three architecture is still called “Zhongmen”
gates), also called “Zhongmen”(middle today, which are mostly decentralized
gate) . For the origin of the name Sanmen, structures, for example, the Zhongmen
Xiao Mo (萧 默) made an assumption of Shitennoji Temple, Kawara-dera
that “One possible explanation is that, Temple, Yakushiji Temple, Yakushiji
generally, the temples of that time really Temple and Todaiji Temple; the counter
have three gates” based on mutual examples are only those of Asuka-dera
verification between Dunhuang murals Temple and Horyuji Temple. Since the
and literatures. But the Samen of the Song (960‒1279) and Yuan (1271‒1368)
Buddhist temples only have one gate. dynasties, Shanmen has been changed to
Xiao Mo also proposed that, according to single-story, but this decentralized
Buddhabhumi Sutra, there are three gates structure has still been retained.
of liberation, which are emptiness, (4) Bell and scripture towers: In the Pure
formlessness, and aimlessness. Land illustration that shows bell and
“Therefore, based on this kind of scripture towers are usually placed
religious understanding, whether there symmetrically on both sides of the
really are three gates or one gate, the Sanmen. Unlike subsequent Buddhist
main gate of the temple can be called temples, where the bell tower and the
‘Sanmen’ ” [11] . drum tower are arranged opposite to each
As for “Sanmen”in Dunhuang murals, other, those of the early stage were built
Xiao Mo had carried out full textual with the bell tower located opposite to
research and only two supplements are the scripture tower. Although physical
made here: first, the Eastern Healing objects of the early stage no longer exist,
Master Pure Land illustration mentioned but in the Buddhist temples that were
that there are three gates at the entrance, introduced to Japan from China in the
but this is mostly inaccurate. Actually, Asuka and Nara periods, this
there is only one gate equipped with two configuration was still retained. As
wing rooms, as in the Healing Master previously stated, in the Eastern Healing
Pure Land illustration [Figure 8] on the Master Pure Land illustrations, bell and
north wall of Cave 146 in Dunhuang scripture towers were usually made into
Mogao Caves, where there are wing a pavilion shape, for example, the
rooms on both sides. It is important to Healing Master Sutra illustrations in
note that the wing rooms in the present Cave 146 [Figure 8] and 361 [Figure 8]
physical remains are all one-storied, only in the Mogao Caves.
because one-storied halls had replaced (5) Balcony: refers to balcony used
three-storied hall bodies since the Song independently as platform, not the
dynasty (960‒1279). But the Tiangong portion that used for connection between
louge system in the Fashi retains the the upper and lower floors. Liang
practice of the Sui (581‒618) and Tang Sicheng analyzed this kind of balcony as
(618‒907) dynasties, in which wing platform or above-water platform in his
rooms can be a multi-story building. Annotated Yingzao Fashi. There are
Second, “Sanmen”was mostly three- three kinds of balconies independently
storey in the early stage and the Healing used as platforms: above water [Figure
Master illustrations in Dunhuang show 7], sitting flat on the glazed ground
that it is a decentralized structure, such as [Figure 7] and sitting flat on the corridor
the Healing Master illustration on the [Figure 12]. In the Eastern Healing
Master Pure Land illustrations, dance
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