Selective Neglect——Several Issues Concerning the Stories of Devadatta in Lotus Sutra Illustrations at Dunhuang
This paper reexamines the titles and some details of various Buddhist stories about Devadatta,including a story of karma between Sakyamuni and Devadatta from their previous lives,an account of bodhisattvas surging from the ocean to attend the Chinese Buddhist Fahua assembly,and a story about the Dragon-Lady becoming a buddha.These stories are depicted in illustrations of the Lotus Sutra in the Dunhuang Caves and have previously been overlooked by scholars.At the same time,by comparing these illustrations with relevant depictions in Buddhist scriptures held in overseas collections of manuscripts,the authors conclude that the illustrations in the artwork from Dunhuang is noticeably different in several ways.On this basis,this paper discusses the reasons for the unique visual features in stories about Devadatta in the Lotus Sutra illustrations at Dunhuang,and concludes that it was mainly because Chinese Buddhist followers had a different understanding of the role of Devadatta in Buddhist theology.
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