The Natural Environment and the Survival of Religious Culture at Dunhuang

Dunhuang oasis, although abundant, can be surrounded by barren Gobi quicksand surrounded by the harsh peripheral environment and the desert is unique to some of the natural phenomena, increasing the people of nature's mysterious and sense of fear, prompting people to tend to religion, but also to make the religious culture more colorful. The most obvious example is the sand phenomenon in Dunhuang religious role, a few kilometers south of Dunhuang is a desert, sand dunes are tall and often automatically produce a variety of sounds, sand dunes in the night when the sound will also splash colorful sparks, locally known as the sound of the Sand Hill or God Sand Hill. Wei Jin, "the old story of the West River," said Shazhou, the weather is clear, that is, the sound of the sand, heard in the city. People traveling to the sandy mountains, fewer couples, or not yet traveled that is fear, do not dare to go forward. The Old Book of Tang also said that when the weather was clear, the sand was heard, like a thunderous boom, in the city. Sand dunes ringing today is generally believed to be caused by the wrong sand layer, but the underlying principle is still not very clear. Ancient people believe that the magic, so called the sand mountain for the god sand mountain. Since there is a god, then worship. Therefore, the first Taoist priests in this practice, followed in the sand dunes in the crescent moon spring lake, has built many temples, such as the Bodhisattva Hall, Thunder God Terrace, Niangniang Hall, etc., to 1957 here is still visible temple buildings more than 300, mostly Taoist monasteries.

Crescent Spring is a center of religious activities in Dunhuang, and the same as the Mingsha Mountain, this lake is also a geographical wonder. The lake is surrounded by sand dunes, the outline of the crescent-shaped, although in the sand dunes, but dry for a hundred years is not buried by quicksand. According to the hydrogeological investigation reveals, the crescent moon spring lower stratum and mogao caves outcrop stratum are the same as the quaternary sand and gravel. The party river water side downward seepage so that the gravel layer of water, and the crescent moon spring near the stratum of the existence of faults, resulting in the gravel layer of groundwater in the crescent moon spring part of the rise into the spring, and water collection into the lake. In ancient times, the crescent moon spring was also known as manhole or divine spring. Shenshashan and the divine spring coexist, abominations of Taoist priests can be in this "magical place" training, but also in this life to live. Dunhuang scriptures found in Tang Wu Zetian when the sacred springs view of the scriptures, according to the examination of this view was built next to the crescent moon springs, here in Dunhuang at that time has been a center of Taoist activities. Due to the ancient crescent moon spring water volume is large, the lake is open, the Tang Dynasty in the lake built a boat barge. The lake has fish and water plants, the lake has also grown tall trees, they are one by one deified, and still can hear all kinds of magical legends about them. The crescent moon spring and mingsha mountain these special geographic things and phenomena, contribute to the cohesion and development of religious culture in dunhuang. 1958 "steel" when the temple was destroyed; "cultural revolution" period crescent moon spring lake water was led to watering the "dazhai field". "Dazhai field", resulting in the crescent moon spring lake nearly dried up. Now the lake temple has been basically restored, the lake is no longer pumped out, but due to the reduction of groundwater volume, the trend of the crescent moon spring lake shrinkage is still very obvious. If this spring disappears, it will be a great loss to the religious culture and landscape culture of this area.

Dunhuang around the desert Gobi environment often appear another special natural phenomenon "mirage" also on the rise of religion in the local role of a catalyst. Along the Silk Road to the east and west of the merchants, monks in the dry heat, barren desert hard traveling, often see the mirage not far away from the formation of "lakes, mountains, pavilions or carriages, horses and pedestrians," the scene, they were that excitement, confusion, and fear of the mood can be imagined. This phenomenon easily drove them to look for answers from religion, naturally associated with "heavenly manifestation; Bodhisattva manifestation" and other teachings. According to legend, in 366 A.D., the monk Lezun excavated the first hole of the Mogao Grottoes, because he saw a golden light in the air, such as the Thousand Buddhas, it was in the Mogao Grottoes under the cliffs to open a hole to settle down, practicing here, and since he opened the hole of the wind here more than a hair. The thousand Buddhas seen by Le Zun is likely to be caused by the mirage phenomenon.
 Dunhuang desert and oasis environment not only cultivated the local religious culture, a large number of local Buddhist and Taoist buildings, clay sculptures, murals and rich textual data of these religious culture carriers can be preserved to modern times, but also thanks to this environment. Mogao Grottoes is located in Dunhuang County, 25 kilometers southeast of the Dangquan River Valley, a small oasis next to the steep cliffs, steep cliffs for the formation of the river under the cut, the river by the Qilian Mountains before a few small springs convergence, the flow is not large. Mogao Grottoes before the river valley oasis is only 1600 meters long, 400 meters wide. Steep cliffs for the opening of the cave to create the conditions, steep cliff strata is not too tightly cemented Quaternary gravel, due to loose strata can not be carved, Mogao Grottoes statues of Buddha are molded clay. This oasis is small, and placed in the quicksand, but because of the flowing water back and forth, its own grass and trees; not only away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but also close to the human world, becoming an ideal place for monks to practice and think about the ideal place of enlightenment. Dunhuang County, there have been numerous temples, pagodas and other religious buildings, but most of the earth and wood structure, by war, fire, natural weathering and other natural and man-made disasters, inevitably damaged. The grottoes are located in a secluded area, is not a soldier of the passes of the city, less human activity. Cave building and for the earth and stone structure is not flammable. Dunhuang annual precipitation of only 29 millimeters, while evaporation up to 2,400 millimeters, extreme arid desert climate prevents the reproduction of microorganisms, grotto art, including the scripture caves in the scripture scrolls are not easy to rot, to be retained for a long time.
Through the above preliminary discussion of the geography of religious culture in Dunhuang, some conclusions can be obtained as follows:
Due to the need for the exchange of commodities, ideas, culture and other human civilizations from different regions in ancient times, the Dunhuang oasis, located at the important geographic location of the Asian-European land bridge, became a place for the fusion of human civilizations from different regions in ancient times, and the religious cultures, especially Buddhism and Taoism, converged here, and then spread to the East and the West. As these religions emphasized the existence of supernatural and superhuman mystical powers and realms beyond the real world, real nature and society were dominated by them. Located in the desert oasis of Dunhuang people by the level of scientific knowledge at that time, in the face of the Ming Shashan, crescent springs, mirage, and black storms, dust cyclones and other "incredible" desert natural phenomena and all kinds of physical and mental hardships, it is natural to these religious ideas produce awe, acceptance and worship. In addition to Dunhuang locals and a variety of visitors in a hurry, Dunhuang's special geographical location and natural and humanistic environment with great attraction to promote the East and the West, monks and literati to come. Drawing on the rich nutrients of foreign cultures, as well as the special care of the local natural environment, religious culture took root in Dunhuang and continued to develop.

Historically, the formation of the three major religious regions with Dunhuang as a node, i.e., Islam in Xinjiang, Buddhism and Taoism in the Hexi and Central Plains, and Lamaism on the Tibetan Plateau, was marked by the same natural geographic divisions as the formation of ethnic regions. Compared with the ancient Western countries, Dunhuang, one of the four counties in the west of the river, has a closer connection with the Central Plains in terms of transportation and geography. Dunhuang Buddhism, which is closely integrated with the Confucianism and Taoism of the Central Plains, has resisted the eastward advance of Islam with its deep and powerful Han cultural stability and development inertia, coupled with the border-blocking effect of the geographic region. Along the Silk Road to the Central Plains of Buddhism and the Tibetan plateau Lamaism, although both originated from Indian Buddhism, but later with different geographical areas of the local people's traditions, the concept of fusion, transformation, and therefore there is a Han Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism of the points. This established the pattern of the three major religious and cultural areas in northwest China.

Although Dunhuang is located in the border fortress, there are often wars and strife, but due to the history of most of the rulers here believe in Buddhism, Taoism, and Mogao Grottoes, the Crescent Spring, these Buddhist and Taoist architectural art group away from the local political, military, economic center Dunhuang County, Dunhuang, Dunhuang, the continuation of the religious culture in the continuation so as to avoid the big mutation and the destruction of disaster, even if there is a development of some of the stagnation, and then soon to be the continuation of the inheritance of the descendants. The very arid desert environment, so that a large number of religious buildings, artifacts, and documents full of ancient religious culture of the original plan of the original obscure survived, so there is a "Dunhuang Buddhism is authentic," said. The richly preserved Dunhuang religious culture is like a fossil of human society, reflecting more clearly the evolution of our society and nation in the past, and its invaluable value is still evident in many aspects of religion, history, art, language study and cultural tourism.