中土早期《維摩詰經》的圖像詮釋

《維摩詰經》以維摩示疾與文殊問疾揭示法身性空之「體」、無相之「相」和不思議解脫之「大用」，中土早期的維摩圖像均將之展現無遺。圖像以維摩示疾、文殊問疾以及侍者、散花天女詮釋對「空性」的論議，並以借座燈王、請飯香土等「不思議之迹」展現不思議解脫之神力，又與法華共詮本迹不二，與涅槃同釋淨土因緣，更藉維摩「不思議解脫」趣入華嚴「法界身」。其背後有關河義學為基礎，繼之有涅槃、般若、法華「大化三門」為引導，可見圖像的詮釋和義學的發展是相輔相成的。

關鍵字

維摩詰經；圖像詮釋；大化三門

並列摘要

The incident of Vimalakirti manifesting illness and Bodhisattva Manjushri's visit in the Vimalakirti Sutra reveals the ＂essence＂ of the emptiness of dharmakaya, the ＂form＂ of no-form, and the ＂application＂ of the inconceivable liberation. All three aspects can be clearly seen in the Buddhist iconographic evidences related to the Vimalakirti Sutra in early medieval China. These iconographic evidences depicting the illness of Vimalakirti illustrate the discussion of emptiness with the image of Bodhisattva Manjushri and his attendants as well as the heavenly female beings scattering flowers. The force of inconceivable liberation was illustrated by the images of borrowing seats from the Buddha Lantern King and asking for food from the Land of Buddha Fragrance Accumulation. This image, like the Lotus Sutra, illustrates the concept of non-duality of source and trace. This image also explicates the causes and conditions for pure lands in a manner similar to that of the Mahāyāna mahāparinirvāṇa sūtra. The inconceivable liberation of Vimalakirti also leads to an understanding of the concept of dharmakaya found in the Huayan Sutra (Mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra). With ideas from the Guanhe 關河 group, this image shows developments of thought toward the three major gates of expounding found in the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra. Through these iconographic evidences, we can see how Buddhist thought has been splendidly expressed and depicted in early medieval China.