Manichae stone statues in Shangwan Village | |
---|---|
Material | stone |
Writing | Traditional Chinese |
Created | Ming dynasty , number B is Qing dynasty cultural relics |
Discovered | Shangwan Village , Xiapu County , 2009 |
Present location | Fujian Province Shangwan Village, Xiapu County |
The Manichaean stone sculptures of Shangwan Village refer to eight Ming-Qing slabs found in Shangwan Village, Xiapu County, Ningde City, Fujian Province in 2009. [1] Numbers A1, A2, B, C1, C2, D1, D2, E, which have been verified by scholars as the relics of Manichaeism (also known as Mingjiao). [2] [3] These stone slabs were originally used to decorate the Three Buddha Pagodas and the Pangong Stone Pagoda. The inscriptions on the stone slabs indicate that the Three Buddhas Pagoda was built in the sixth year of Zhengde in the Ming dynasty. According to Huang Yizhao's "Tahou Village Cultural Relics", the three Buddhas The tower was originally three towers, one large and two small, which were later demolished during the Cultural Revolution. [4]
After the news of the discovery of Manichae deities in Fujian reached Iran, it aroused the interest of local religious scholars. Although Manichaeism originated in ancient Iran (called Persia at the time), it has long since disappeared in its native land, leaving almost no cultural relics. Therefore, Fujian has become the only place in the world where the statues and reliefs of Manichaeism are preserved. [5] These statues and other Manichae relics discovered in Fujian during the same period are listed as one of the ten major discoveries in Fujian. [6]
Manichaeism is a former major religion founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian prophet Mani, in the Sasanian Empire.
Qixia Temple is a Buddhist temple located on Qixia Mountain in the suburban Qixia District of Nanjing, Jiangsu, 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of downtown Nanjing. It is one of Nanjing's most important Buddhist monasteries. The temple is the cradle of East Asian Mādhyamaka.
Yunju Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Fangshan District, 70 kilometers (43 mi) southwest of Beijing and contains the world's largest collection of stone Buddhist sutra steles in the world. Yunju Temple also contains one of only two extant woodblocks for the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka in the world as well as rare copies of printed and manuscript Chinese Buddhist Tripitakas. It also has many historic pagodas dating from the Tang and Liao Dynasty.
Cao'an is a temple in Jinjiang, Fujian, Luoshan Subdistrict. Originally constructed by Chinese Manicheans, it was considered by later worshipers as a Buddhist temple. This "Manichean temple in Buddhist disguise" is seen by modern experts on Manichaeism as "the only extant Manichean temple in China", or "the only Manichean building which has survived intact". In 2021, Cao'an was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with many other sites near Quanzhou because of its unique testimony to the exchange of religious ideas and cultures in medieval China.
The Major historical and cultural sites protected by Shandong Province are recognized on a list compiled by the Office for Cultural Heritage of Shandong Province. The sites on the list are determined by the provincial government and announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
Chinese Manichaeism or ‘Religion of Light’ known as Monijiao (Chinese: 摩尼教; pinyin: Móníjiào; Wade–Giles: Mo2-ni2 Chiao4; lit. 'religion of Moni') or Mingjiao (Chinese: 明教; pinyin: Míngjiào; Wade–Giles: Ming2-Chiao4; lit. 'religion of light' or 'bright religion'), is the form of Manichaeism transmitted and practiced in China. It rose to prominence during the Tang dynasty and, despite frequent persecutions, has continued long after the other forms of Manichaeism were eradicated in the West. The most complete set of surviving Manichaean writings were written in Chinese sometime before the 9th century and were found in the Mogao Caves among the Dunhuang manuscripts.
Fujian Museum is the provincial museum of Fujian province in China established in 1933. It is located in the city capital of Fuzhou at No. 96, Hutou Jie next to the West Lake Park.
Huayan Temple or Huayan Monastery is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi, China.
The Manichaean Diagram of the Universe is a Yuan dynasty silk painting describing the cosmology of Manichaeism, in other words, the structure of universe according to Manichaean vision. The painting in vivid colours on a silk cloth survives in three parts, whose proper relation to one another and digital reconstruction was published by Zsuzsanna Gulácsi.
Sermon on Mani's Teaching of Salvation is a Yuan dynasty silk hanging scroll, measuring 142 × 59 centimetres and dating from the 13th century, with didactic themes: a multi-scenic narrative that depicts Mani's Teachings about the Salvation combines a sermon subscene with the depictions of soteriological teaching in the rest of the painting.
The Manichaean Painting of the Buddha Jesus (Chinese: 夷數佛幀; pinyin: Yí shù fó zhēn; Wade–Giles: I2-shu4 fo2-chên1; Japanese: キリスト聖像; rōmaji: Kirisuto Sei-zō; "Sacred Image of Christ"), is a Chinese Southern Song dynasty silk hanging scroll preserved at the Seiunji Temple in Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japan. It measures 153.5 cm in height, 58.7 cm in width, dates from the 12th to 13th centuries, and depicts a solitary nimbate figure on a dark-brown medieval Chinese silk. According to the Hungarian historian Zsuzsanna Gulácsi, this painting is one of the six documented Chinese Manichaean hanging scrolls from Zhejiang province from the early 12th century, which titled Yishu fo zhen (lit. "Silk Painting of the Buddha [Prophet] Jesus").
Manichaean scripture includes nine main books: the Seven Treatises of Manichaeism, all personally written by Mani in Syriac, the Shabuhragan written by Mani in Middle Persian, and the Arzhang, a series of illustrations painted by Mani.
In Manichaeism, Jesus is considered one of the four prophets of the faith, along with Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha and Mani. He is also a "guiding deity" who greets the light bodies of the righteous after their deliverance.
Manichaean Temple Banner Number "MIK Ⅲ 6286" is a Manichaean monastery flag banner collected in Berlin Asian Art Museum, made in the 10th century AD. It was found in Xinjiang Gaochang by a German Turpan expedition team at the beginning of the 20th century. The flag streamer is 45.5 cm long and 16 cm wide, with painted portraits on both sides. It is a funeral streamer dedicated to the deceased Manichae believers.
Three Persian religions refers to the three religions that originated in Persia that were spread in China during the Tang period. They were recognized and protected by the Tang dynasty and prospered for a while.
Master Ulug was a Uyghur Manichaean missionary in the Tang Dynasty
Icon of Mani is a silk painting hanging scroll from the Yuan or Ming period, from the coastal area of southern China, depicting Mani. The portrait of the founder Mani has been completely Sinicized.
Mani's Community Established is a Manichaen silk color painting drawn in the coastal area of southern China during the yuan to ming period, depicts the missionary history of Manichaeism and the establishment of its churches in three scenes. The preservation is intact and undamaged. This painting was originally part of a large Manichae silk painting, The drawing technique and artistic style are very similar to "Episodes from Mani's Missionary Work", "The Birth of Mani", "Mani's Parents" and "The Manichean Universe Map". The painting is now in a private collection in Japan.
Manichaeism has a rich tradition of visual art, starting with Mani himself writing the Book of pictures
Although Manichaeism has historically been a fairly unified religion, it has had some schisms over its history. These schisms occurred from the sixth century AD until at least the 10th century AD.