内容提要
2009年11月30日于北京故宫博物院
觉苑寺，位于剑门蜀道西南端。古人皆知蜀道之难莫如栈，南栈艰难又胜北栈。它北起陕西宁强，南达四川剑阁武连，钩山带河绵亘300余公里，是蜀道最艰难的一程。武连觉苑寺就处于险程的末端。它既是险程与坦途的交汇点，又是古代京华冠盖、商贾由秦入蜀进入大西南的歇脚处。诸葛武侯北伐亦曾在此停留。
武连镇，在南北朝时曾将辅剑郡、武功县；安都郡、武连县建置于此，有过繁荣的历史。元世祖至元时，县荒废，而集市不久便得到恢复。
由于武连地理位置特殊，商贾繁荣。唐贞观时这里已建有寺庙。宪宗元和时，名弘济寺。北宋神宗元丰年间有敕牒赐名为觉苑寺。南宋理宗绍定中，僧人发昌创建藏经阁，作梯桥、石桥，元末毁于兵燹。
明英宗天顺初年，僧净智与其徒道芳住持于此，重修殿宇以奉佛祖像，并延聘绘画世人绘释迦年谱于壁。明代中期，佛寺曾一度易名为普济寺。清代修缮后，又恢复觉苑寺名。
觉苑寺现存三重殿宇及两侧厢房。以大雄宝殿为中轴，前为天王殿，后为观音殿，东西配殿皆对称排列，体现出中国寺庙建筑格局的中和美。
大雄宝殿的雕塑、壁画，所有礼仪仪器的陈列，均为明代遗物，其精美的香炉顶部有铭文：“师净智，天顺间，云越蜀川，睹祀峨山，复回至此，蒙彼檀那各舍资粮，请师焚修，树立宝殿，妆严圣像，功欲将完，师辞归逝。”又言：“殆徒道芳住持，弘治二年谨同合山僧侣化诱檀那携炉一鼎，供养三宝如来。”其铸香炉，记寺庙完工时间为弘治壬子（1492），即明孝宗弘治五年，距今已500余年。
觉苑寺殿宇中，不仅所塑阿弥陀佛、三宝如来、迦叶、阿难、观音、文殊、普贤诸佛像及殿内樟木额枋所圆雕的二十四诸天神像均形象生动、艺术水平极高，尤为珍贵的是殿中四壁所绘的209幅佛传故事绘画，其面积总计173.58平方米，无论从绘画规模，还是艺术品位，以及保存的良好程度，在我国同时期同类题材的壁画中也是罕见的。而且武连觉苑寺处于蜀道南栈末端，历经沧桑，寺庙殿宇和壁画却能比较完整地保存下来，可谓是幸运的。
广元市市委常委、宣传部长王振会先生为使壁画能留存后世，屡次利用春节等节假日，放弃与家人欢聚的机会，住进觉苑寺，搭梯子安凳，精心地将209幅壁画一一拍照，其精神难能可贵。此次，他将这些照片编辑成集，更是一件极有益的事。
上海艺术研究院阮荣春先生在觉苑寺考察后，将觉苑寺壁画粉本源流，绘画艺术风格，包括人物、动物、山水、林木的绘画技法、流派作了研究，并对209幅佛教故事壁画按画面图像一一诠释解读，这对人们认识壁画无疑大有裨益。我考察觉苑寺后，又阅读《剑阁觉苑寺明代壁画集》，甚为欣喜。人们常以历其地不能详其事为憾，而今有了《剑阁觉苑寺明代壁画集》，有了王振会先生的精美图片和阮荣春先生的研究论述，可以大大弥补游览者和研究者的遗憾了。在壁画集付印之际，笔者特赘言于此，以说明文物保护的责任及其在传承和弘扬中国优秀传统文化中的意义。
The Palace Museum, Beijing
November 30, 2009
Jueyuan Temple is located at the southwest end of the Road to Shu and Jianmen Pass. There is an old saying that the plank roadway is hard and dangerous among the Road to Shu, but the southern way is harder and more dangerous than the northen one, which starts from Ningqiang, Shannxi Province in the north and extends to Wulian, Jiange County, Sichuan Province in the south. The southern way stretches over 300 km along rivers and mountains. It is generally acknowledged as the hardest section of the Road to Shu. Jueyuan Temple in Wulian is situated at the end of the hardest road. It is both an intersection point of short-cuts and uneasy paths and a place for officials from the capital and merchants to have a rest before they entered the southwest region including the Shu from the Qin. The Prime Minister of Shu, Zhuge Liang once stayed here on the way of his northern expedition.
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties(420-589), Wulian Town once had jurisdiction over Fujian Prefecture and Wugong County. Andu Prefecture and Wulian County established their seats of local government here. There used to be prosperous in history. In the reign of Zhiyuan, Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, the county was abondoned, but markets revived later.
Temples were built in Wulian during the reign of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty because its special geographic position and prosperity of commerce and trade. In the period of Yuanhe, Emperor Xianzong, it was named Hongji Temple. In the period of Yuanfeng, Emperor Shenzong’s reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Jueyuan Temple by an imperial order. In the period of Shaoding, Emperor Lizong’s reign of the Southern Dynasty, Fachang, a monk, built Buddhist Scriptures Depositary and repaired bridges and steps with stone that were destroyed by the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
Jingzhi and his disciple Daofang were abbots of the temple successively in the early years of Tianshun, Emperor Yingzong’s reign of the Ming Dynasty. Both of them rebuilt temples and worshipped Buddha statues. They also asked painters to paint Shakyamuni’s life story on the walls. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the temple was once renamed Puji Temple. It was resumed Jueyuan Temple after the reconstruction in the Qing Dynasty.
There are triple halls and chambers on both sides in existence in Jueyuan Temple now. It takes Mahavira Hall as the axis. The front is Heavenly King Hall. Avalokitesvara (Guanyin in Chinese) Hall is behind it. The east and west flanking halls are symmetrically arranged. It represents the aesthectic concept of harmony in the layout of Chinese temples architecture.
The sculptures, murals, and all ritual utensils of display in Mahavira Hall are relics of the Ming Dynasty. Its exquisite incense burner at the top are inscribed: “Master Jingzhi returned after he wandered about the Shu and made a pilgrimage to Mount E’shan during the period of Tianshun. He used the donations to establish Mahavira Hall and Buddha images. When he would finished his job, the master passed away. " and " as his disciple Daofang as the abbot, he and all the monks in the temple cast an incense burner with followers’ donations in order to worship Buddha. " The temple completion time inscribed on the burner is the period of Renzi (1492), Hongzhi, i.e. the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Xiaozhong of the Ming Dynasty. It happened over 500 years ago.
In the halls of Jueyuan Temple, statues of Amitabha, Tathagata, Kassapa, Ananda, Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, Samantabhadra and camphor wood sculptures of 24 celestial deities carved on timbers are vivid. The artistic merit are extremely high.It is particularly valuable that the 209 mural paintings of Life of the Buddha are on the walls, whose total area are 173.58 square meters. According to the painting size, or the artistic taste, and the preservation of a good degree, we can say that it is rare among the paintings of the same period and similar type in our country. And Jueyuan Temple in Wulian is at the end of the south plank way on the Road to Shu. Although it has experienced various vicissitudes of life, temple architectures and murals were well preserved. What a luky thing it is!
Mr. Wang Zhenghui, Member of Guangyuan Municipal Standing Committee and Director of Publicity Department of CPC, is for the purpose to retain the murals for future generations. He took opportunities of holidays such as Chinese New Year and gave up gatherings with him family members many times. He stayed in Jueyuan Temple and took ladders and scaffolding and photograhed the 209 murals carefully. Such initiative and enthusiasm are commendable. It is also a beneficial thing that he compiles the photos as an album.
Mr. Ruan Rongchun, who is a senior researcher at Shanghai Art Academy, made a comprehensive study of origins of the draft copy, art genres, the art of painting style, techniques of human figures, animals, landscapes and trees after he had an investigation. He also provides his interpretation about 209 murals of Life of the Buddha according to the content of images. I think that it is undoubtedly of great benefit for visitors and readers to understand. I am very pleased after I visited Jueyuan Temple and read A Collection of the Ming Dynasty Murals of Jueyuan Temple, Jiange.We often regret that we cannot tell details after visiting a mounment. However, the publication of the coffee table book photoed by Mr. Wang Zhenhui and written by Mr. Ruan Rongchun will greatly make up for regrettable imperfections of visitors and researchers. On the occasion of printing the book, I hereby write some words to illustrate the responsibility of protection of cultural relics and heritages and the significance of carrying forward the fine traditional Chinese culture.
中国佛教协会副会长、峨眉山方丈
释永寿
金牛古道，剑门雄关，古蜀咽喉，翠云蔽天。五丁开山，蜀门始敞，栈道千里，无所不通。中原文明沿路入蜀于秦季，如来教化经此来川肇魏晋。汉侣梵僧，往来此道，教化所及，蔚然成风。自此，佛寺梵刹，星列雄关内外；庄严圣像，生辉宝殿其间。古道有寺，名觉苑焉，始创盛唐，中兴明初，尤以明代佛传壁画，巴蜀稀有。
觉苑梵刹，丘壑幽静，绘本师八相于大雄宝殿之壁。观乎壁画盛况，洋洋十四铺、二百有九幅，画面活跃生动，和谐统一，气势贯通。工笔重彩，线描与沥粉堆金结合；造型优美，人物与山水云树有序。可谓天资高洒，化奥义为画卷；栩栩神态，解佛理作教化。曹衣吴带，尽是丹青妙笔；以像表法，诚为释经圣手。
叹曰：佛传壁画照耀人心，目不暇接矣！我佛之智慧慈悲，著见于庄严相好；菩萨之愿力功德，示现于荡荡仪行。教理行果，尽揽其中。
若以思想教理之宏富论，亦叹为观止也！悟三界唯心，万法唯识，六趣轮回，非有主宰；发无上菩萨之心，成正等正觉；于佛起崇高之想，生敬爱之情，三界导师，四生慈父，悲智双运，定慧齐圆，自此皈依，乃众生之大幸也！
示佛教之教义，演因果之正理，布修行之要道，及佛菩萨功德愿力之伟大崇高，于此画中，展现无遗。其志非求福田利益，盖以艺术作佛事，弘教救世，发人净信，同趣佛道也。
然此煌煌巨制，却藏于深山古寺而识之者寡，惜哉！所幸今逢盛世，国运隆昌，唐李去远，圣教显扬。该佛传壁画经整理后出版，以传布于世，光大发挥。编者嘱余作序，感其深心宏量，上符圣教，下应时机，诚为善举，欣然命翰。
Shi Yongshou
Head Abbot of E’mei Mountain
Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China
The Golden Ox Path and the impregnable Jianmen Pass have been key points to Kingdom of the Shu since the ancient times. Along the road, it was covered with dense green forest. The entrance to the Shu was open to the outside world after Five Strong Men built up a plank road along cliffs. The road extended thousands of li , which linked far and near. The civilization of Central Plain entered the Shu along the road during the period of the Qin Dynasty. The Buddhism started to spread at the Wei and the Jin Dynasties in the same way. Chinese and Indian monks went back and forth so that Buddhism was very popular in this area. Since then, monasteries and nunneries were dotted inside and outside the Jianmen Pass like stars. Holy Buddha images and statues were splendid in sacred halls and palaces. There is a monastery named Yueyuan by the road. It originated during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty and revived in the early period of the Ming Dynasty. The Life of the Buddha murals of the Ming Dynasty are rarely seen in the Ba and Shu regions.
The landscape around Jueyuan Temple is tranquil and peaceful. The eight major events of Shakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, were portrayed on the walls of Mahavira Hall. The wall paintings are classified into 14 groups and 209 pieces in total number. Painters depicted Buddha’s story vividly and correlatively. The effect of pictures is in an imposing manner. With techniques of fine brushwork, minute attention to details and rich, elaborate coloring, the painter portrayed the story by using lines and golden powder. The composition is so nice that human figures, landscape coexist in order. It is really a new way of explaining Buddhism through paintings which enables people to understand and obscure Buddhism theology easily. Their ability could match ancient top painters Cao Zhongda and Wu Daozi and made believers approaching to Buddhism faith by images.
So incredible! These murals of Life of the Buddha are shining upon our hearts like the sun and the moon so that we have a feeling as if we had found a treasure. The wisdom and mercy of Buddha and the boundless of beneficence of bodhisattvas were showed in their appearances and behaviours. The Buddhism doctrine and karma were all included in these pictures.
As for the richness of thoughts and sutras in the murals, it is amazing and worthy of praise. The triple world, i.e. kama, rupa and arupa, is but one mind. Everything comes from visual sense and perception. During the process of Samsara, transmigrating eternally within six realms,including paradise,hell and the human world, like an ever-turning wheel, nothing can dominate. People treat Buddha as the great teacher of triple world and father of all living things.If practioners combine methods and wisdon, they will find a path to utter perfection. Then it is a greatly fortunate for all living creatures if people are converted to Buddhism after that.
Through the wall paintings, followers can attain the keys to Buddhism sutras, karma which refers to the universal law of cause and effect that are available for their salvation and the self-cultivation. Meanwhile, we know how mighty the great wish and merit of Buddha and bodhisattvas could be. The painter’s purpose is not pursuit of fame or wealth but promotion and spreading of Buddhism. They encourage people to believe in Buddha’s wisdom and mercy and follow suit.
However, such a magnificent work is preserved in a remote and ancient monastery so that few people know it. What a pity! It is fortunate that our country is in a flourishing age and growing in prosperity. Although the strong Tang dynasty had been gone long, the Buddhism is still widely spread and believed.These murals now are sorted out and prepared to be published so that they spread far and reach among masses. The compilers ask me to write a preface.I am deeply moved by their charitable deeds because it is beneficial for either Buddhism or today’s development. It is an honour for me to write it.
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