![[Greeting the Christmas of Maitreya] The third year of Liang Datong in the Southern Tibetan Dynasty (537) in the Beijing Palace Museum: Monk Cheng creates a bronze Maitreya statue](//simg.sinajs.cn/blog7style/images/common/sg_trans.gif "[Greeting the Christmas of Maitreya] The third year of Liang Datong in the Southern Tibetan Dynasty (537) in the Beijing Palace Museum: Monk Cheng creates a bronze Maitreya statue")
The third year of Liang Datong in the Southern Dynasty（ five hundred and thirty-seven Bronze Statue Image height 10.5cm
Collected by Beijing Palace Museum Writer: Feng Hejun
Welcome Maitreya's Christmas on the first day of the first lunar month
This statue is in the form of one Buddha and two disciples. Maitreya has polished his bun, a round smile, a monk branch inside, a double necked drooping cassock outside, the lower part of the cassock is turned outward, his right hand makes a fearless seal, his left hand makes a vow seal, and stands barefoot on a lotus covered pedestal. A branch of honeysuckle was stretched out on both sides of the lotus platform to support the disciples standing on the lotus seat. Flame pattern boat shaped backlight, the upper part of the backlight is slightly rolled inward, and the head light is decorated with lotus petal pattern. Engraved on the back of the statue “ On July 12, the third year of Datong, the monk became a statue of Zunyou ” 。 “ You ” by “ Mi ” Popular writing.
There are also two records about monk achievement: First, Volume VIII of Biography of Eminent Monks: “ At that time, the monks in Gaozuo Temple, the monks' treasures in Kuangye Temple, and the craftsmen in Qi Dynasty were also included. ” First, the first year of Qi Yongming（ four hundred and eighty-three (Year) A stone tablet with a statue of Shi Xuanhao, whose inscription reads: “ Qi Yongming was born in the first year of his life. On July 15, Guihai, Cao Biqiu in Xiliang explained Xuanhao …… Sacrifice the statue of Amitay II, who will become a Buddha when coming to Maitreya …… The monk explains the monk's achievements and adds value to them. ” It can be seen from this that Sengcheng was an eminent monk who was active between the Qi and Liang Dynasties in the Southern Dynasty and believed in Maitreya. Copper statues were rarely found in the Southern Dynasties, especially those with inscriptions on time and the person who provided them. Although the statue is not large, it is beautifully carved. Especially the facial depictions of Maitreya and the retinue are detailed and accurate, which is not the work of ordinary craftsmen. It is actually a classic bronze statue of the Southern Dynasty.
