佛光寺大殿Buddha’s Light Temple
新北市永和縣：世界宗教博物館小冊子，2020年1月
佛光寺位於山西省五台縣的佛光山山腰，依山勢而建造；全寺青山環抱、古木參天，是中外香客參訪的勝地。據《清涼山寺》記載，佛光寺創於北魏孝文帝時期（西元471-499年），至隋唐時代寺況興盛。唐武宗大毀佛教寺院，佛光寺也受到破壞，僅存一祖師塔，直至唐宣宗時，佛教再興起才陸續重建，其中以佛光寺的正殿為代表建築。佛光寺的正殿，又稱為「東大殿」，外觀雄偉壯麗，位於全寺地勢最高的最後一重院落當中。
獨特的中國古代建築體系在漢朝已經形成，以木構造建築為主。佛光寺東大殿即是現存唐代木構造建築的典型。木構造的優點非常多，一方面防震效果佳，另一方面承重結構明確、又能適應不同的氣候條件。然而在防火與防腐的部分則是所有木構造房屋的弱點，所以佛光寺屋頂上可見兩隻魚龍的裝飾，主要原因是傳說魚龍喜歡吃火舌，廟宇建築總不忘在屋簷上雕刻它的形象，代表抗拒祝融造訪之意。
木構造的另一個特色是斗拱。斗拱是木構造中富裝飾作用的構件，它同時也是結構的關鍵，其功用在於以伸出的斗拱承受上部結構的荷載，把重量轉嫁到下部的立柱上，故為大建築物所必用。在佛光寺的東大殿，就有許多美麗的斗拱，極盡木材應用之能事，以達到承重的需要，並同時完成其本身完美的形體。
東大殿內部的泥塑佛像也是唐代佛像藝術的典型，在佛壇上供奉有唐代彩塑佛像35尊，每尊佛像都相當的高大，其中有釋迦牟尼、彌勒佛、阿彌陀佛、普賢菩薩、觀世音菩薩及脅侍菩薩、金剛等，高1.9至5.3公尺不等。大殿兩側與後部，也有明代的羅漢塑像296尊。大殿薈萃唐代的建築、雕塑與繪畫等藝術於一堂，歷史和藝術價值極高。
由於佛像建於晚唐，風格屬於唐風。唐朝佛像風格整體特點是改變了隋朝代的的厚重、生硬的感覺，更顯出謙和樸實、精緻細膩、豐頤圓滿的一面，是一種相當成熟的圓體雕塑的手法。但這些被保留下來的塑像多為後代（明代）所重修，不過仍有唐風之遺貌。
The Buddha’s Light Temple is located on Buddha’s Light Mountain, 25 kilometers northeast of WuTai County, in ShanXi province. The temple was founded during the reign of the northern Wei Xiao Wen Emperor (471-499 CE). The temple faces west, with an open and clear view of the area in that direction, while mountains surround the three remaining aspects of the building. The entire temple complex is divided into three main courtyards, the foundations of which have each been built into the mountainside in a terraced style. In total, more than one hundred and twenty buildings reside within the temple complex. However, the Buddha’s Light Temple is the most historically significant of all of these, because it is one of the largest wooden architectural structures of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE).
The main hall, or “Great Eastern Hall”, of the Buddha’s Light Temple is situated within the highest courtyard and is indeed majestic of appearance. This hall is the most important building of the complex, and is the oldest surviving representative model of large-scale Tang Dynasty wooden construction. The front and rear side sides of the temple each measure 34 meters, while the sides are approximately 18 meters. Important structural features of the main hall include its pillared wooden framework, and brackets that support the roof’s crossbeam. The temple’s complex architectural elements each have their own independent function, yet have been seamlessly integrated into the building’s overall architecture.
Displayed along the walls of the main hall are numerous murals depicting five hundred “arhats” (perfected persons” together with two hundred and ninety-six statues of arhats. The murals and statues alike date back to the Ming Dynasty. Thirty-five large clay Buddhist statues, painted in vibrant colors and dating to the time of the Tang Dynasty, dominate the central space of the main hall. Thirty-three of these statues are those of important Buddhist figures, including Sakyamuni, Maitreya, Amitabha, Samantabhadra, Manjusri, Attendant Bodhisattva (who often appears beside statues of Buddha), and Jin-Gang-Dhyana. The remaining two statues are of the temple abbot and the sponsor who financed the construction of the temple. The combination of architecture, statues, calligraphy and paintings in the main hall presents a rare, unified view of Tang dynasty art, and demonstrates the value and important of the Buddha’s Light Temple.
