BuddhistRoad Paper 4.3 “Giving and the Creation of Merit: Buddhist Donors and Donor Dedications from 10th Century Dunhuang”

This essay is devoted to a presentation and discussion of the manner in which Buddhist offerings and donations were made in the context of Buddhism in Dunhuang (敦煌) during the 10th century. It investigates the motives for making offerings, with special attention to religious paintings and holy books. I provide several elucidating case stories for each category, as well as a number of special or unusual examples. The basic idea is to give detailed insight into the motives and typologies underlying the activities of Buddhist donors and patrons under Guiyijun rule (851–1036?, 歸義軍, Return-to-Allegiance Army).

Chinese Translation

本文专门介绍和讨论了10世纪敦煌佛教中的献祭和供养方式. 通过对宗教壁画和经典的特别关注, 以探究其供养的动机. 笔者通过若干案例来阐释每一类别, 并介绍了一些特殊或不寻常例子. 本文主要探究了归义军 (851–1036?) 统治时期佛教供养人和施主们活动的动机和类型.