Imperial Taste and Northern Liang Calligraphy

Abstract

During the period when Buddhism was initially transmitted to China, foreign monks played an important role, translating and copying Buddhist sutras. On the basis of a comprehensive review of both literary sources and archaeological findings, especially manuscripts found at Dunhuang and Turfan, this article explores the work of several such monks who worked as bishou 筆受(scribes). Before the mature standard script calligraphy was created in the Sui and Tang dynasties, the most distinctive calligraphic style was that of the Northern Liang, adopted by some court scribes in the national translation center. A comparison of the calligraphic styles of dated Buddhist manuscripts and stone inscriptions suggests that the Northern Liang Buddhist scriptural calligraphy was influenced by the Buddhist scribes from Central Asia.

佛教初傳中國，胡漢合作翻譯佛經是佛教發展最重要的活動， 從西晉竺;去議到五胡十六國時期的曇無識及鳩摩羅什，許多西域入華僧人參與佛經的譯寫，甚至為弘傳佛法努力學習中國書法，於譯場中擔任「筆受」或發願抄寫流通佛經。在陪唐佛教寫經體的楷書模式成熟以前，敦煌與吐魯番出土北涼時期的佛經呈現風格獨特的北涼體，本文將從有紀年的北涼石刻與佛經寫本書法，探討北涼在沮渠蒙遜與高僧曇無識合作推動佛教影響之下，出現中國書法史上最具胡風的北涼體宮草書法風格。