Transforming the Spirit: Wang Wei’s Encomium on a Pure Land Bianxiang
Issue Date
2017-05-31Author
Aghdaie, Taraneh
Publisher
University of Kansas
Format
99 pages
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
M.A.
Discipline
East Asian Languages & Cultures
Rights
Copyright held by the author.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In this thesis, I examine an encomium written by Wang Wei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). I explain how the term bianxiang 變相, which was used to refer to a certain type of Buddhist painting popular at the time, is treated by Wang Wei using references to pre-Buddhist Chinese concepts. I argue that despite previous theories which define bianxiang using theological arguments, the term means “sutra illustration.” I discuss references made by Wang Wei in the encomium to early texts, and how the encomium relates to pre-Buddhist inscriptions for the deceased. I also provide the first full translation of the encomium, and an art historical examination of the type of painting for which it was made.
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