Dunhuang

From silkroadtoronto.wordpress.com blog:

Nov. 24: Online Group Topic – for this group topic I want you to focus on daily life at Dunhuang. What is the socio-political situation at the site, and how does Buddhism figure in? What do we know, and what do we not know, that might help us reconstruct the actual practice of Buddhism in the Dunhuang region?

1. Anxiety

As far as the socio-political situation of Dunhuang is concerned, we know that the town and religious complex were situated on the periphery of Imperial China; Dunhuang was a frontier town, comparable to the dusty streets of the Wild West in some small way. So far removed from the administrative, cultural, and safely guarded heart of China, one assumes the citizens of Dunhuang were anxious about maintaining their continued support from the Emperor.  Without imperial support and troops, the little town would surely fall prey to the 'barbarians' from beyond (in fact, it often did), shattering the lives that Dunhuang residents tried to build for themselves.

Anxiety is an interesting emotion because it is involves a mental state that cannot easily assuaged. Perhaps adherence to Buddhism, and especially adherence to a calming meditative regime, may have helped to keep fear and troubles in check.

2. Hierarchy

There is evidence that Chinese society at Dunhuang was very hierarchical within a system of class-merit differentiation. Perhaps Dunhuang citizens actively competed with each other for prestige. One excellent way of accumulating prestige would be to actively display wealth and piety. Therefore, in this context, leaving one's mark upon the Cave of the Thousand Buddhas could be considered an important strategic move.

Donors commissioned paintings and sculptures in the caves, and likenesses of these patrons were probably accurately depicted within these works of art. Therefore, it is possible that Buddhist ritual sites offered Dunhuang citizens a chance to immortalize their legacy, compete within the political arena, and engage in pious (even redemptive) acts.

3. Daily Practice

In order to understand daily life at Dunhuang, it is important to remember that the everyday can sometimes include the sublime, and that religious experience can often become perfunctory. Buddhist prayer and meditation punctuated everyday life in a habitual and banal way. Similarly, the banality and pain of existence necessitated the Buddhist message in the first place. If we are to accurately reconstruct life at Dunhuang we must take into account the interpenetration of sacred and profane.

But how? We have many ancient texts and can glean much from archaeological excavation, but we do not have access to the bodily practice of Buddhism in Dunhuang during the Silk Road period. An interesting experiment might be to construct an accurate theatrical representation of a day-in-the-life of a Dunhuang citizen. This would involve a great many other reconstructions in order to effect a believable stage, and so might only be possible in a very limited way.