佛像网

尺寸：Image: 33 3/4 × 28 1/2 in. (85.7 × 72.4 cm)
年代：18世纪, dated to 1777 (Samvat 897)
质地：唐卡(Distemper on cloth)
风格：尼泊尔
来源：纽约大都会博物馆
参阅：外部链接
鉴赏：
这座坛城的中央，伫立着财续佛母（Vasudhara，意为“珍宝之流”）的金色身相。她既是佛教中的财富与丰饶女神，也体现了对学识的追求以及大乘思想的整体性——其高举的左手所持的《般若波罗蜜多经》正是这一思想的象征。财续佛母左侧是绿色的金刚手菩萨，右侧则是红色的观世音菩萨。金刚手菩萨的眷属——夜叉（与物质财富及守护相关的男性自然神灵）遍布坛城各处，他们从袋中倾倒珍宝，或开启宝箱；这一图像学特征进一步强调了财续佛母作为繁荣赐予者的角色。紧挨财续佛母下方的是她的主要侍从伊拉天女（Ila Devi），她在神祇与信徒之间担任沟通者。守护中央坛城四门的四位夜叉，端坐于黄色背光之中，可分别辨认为摩尼贤（Manibhadra）、满贤（Purnabhadra）、达那（Dhana）和毗沙门（Veshavarna）。在同一红色区域的四角，出现了他们的伴侣——隐秘天女（Gupta Devi）、善隐秘天女（Sagupta Devi）、妙音天女（Sarasvati Devi）和月喜天女（Chandrakanta Devi）。按照惯例，环绕坛城中央方形的是一圈莲花带和一圈彩色火焰。在外围方形的四角，饰有吉祥符号（mangalas），呈现五护佛母（Pancha Rakshas，五位护法女神）中的四位，而财续佛母本身即隐含地扮演了第五位护法女神的角色——她化身为般若波罗蜜多（Prajnaparamita，大乘佛教般若经典的人格化）。上方区域为五方如来（Tathagata Buddhas），他们统御着四方天界的净土，居于中央的是毗卢遮那如来（白色）；这一组像的两端，即左上角和右上角，还有两位身份不明的人物。这幅坛城的图像学特征，在《财续坛城仪轨》（Vasudharoddhesha）中有详尽描述，依据该文本可辨认画中呈现的大部分神祇。尽管有此文本作为指引，仍有少数人物的身份尚存争议。

Standing at the center of this mandala is the golden image of Vasudhara (“stream of gems”), a Buddhist goddess of wealth and abundance who also embodies the pursuit of learning and the totality of Mahayana ideology as symbolized by the Perfection of Wisdom sutra that she holds in her upraised left hand. To Vasudhara’s left is a green image of the Bodhisattva Vajrapani while a red image of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara stands to her right. Members of Vajrapani’s army of yakshas, male nature deities associated with material wealth and protection, are placed throughout the mandala pouring gems out of sacks and opening treasure chests; this iconography further emphasizes Vasudhara’s role as bringer of prosperity. Immediately below Vasudhara is her main attendant, Ila Devi who mediates between the god and devotees. Protecting the portals of the central mandala are four yakshas sitting within yellow mandorlas that can be identified as Manibhadra, Purnabhadra, Dhana and Veshavarna. In the corners of the same red register appear their consorts, the Gupta Devi, Sagupta Devi, Sarasvati Devi and Chandrakanta Devi. As is standard, surrounding the central square of the mandala is a band of lotuses and a ring of multicolored flames. In the corners of the outer square, bracketed by mangalas (auspicious symbols), are four of the five Pancha Rakshas (protector goddesses), with Vasudhara herself assuming the identity of the fifth as she implicitly takes on the identity of Prajnaparamita (the personification of the Mahayana Buddhist Perfection of Wisdom text). In the top register are the five Tathagata Buddhas, who preside over the celestial Pure Lands in the four directions with the Tathagata Buddha Vairochana in the center (white); two unidentified figures at the extreme upper left and right bracket this group. The iconography of this mandala is the described at length in a text called the Vasndharoddhesa, which allows for the identification of most of the deities represented in this painting. Even with this text as a guide, the identity of a few figures remains ambiguous.