英文原文
The Way of Nature in the "Six Longevity Paintings" – Gandhanra-ART
For a long period of time, artists of the classical era often focused on a question how can we protect the sanctity of the environment, and what connection does this sanctity have with humanity. These artists were well aware that people could never be satisfied with the status quo, and this destructive desire would lead more people to neglect the beauty of nature around them. In order to address this issue in their artworks, classical artists created a more symbolic environment. This environment not only reflected the scenery of everyday life, but also showcased richer meanings in different cultural contexts. In Tibetan Buddhism, the "Six Longevity Paintings" (ཚེ་རིང་རྣམ་དྲུག་) as a traditional religious image, but the symbolism behind it transcends mere religious expectations. The images no longer just deliver preachy messages, but explore themes of survival and a path to peaceful coexistence.
We have no way of determining when the image combination of "Six Longevity Thangka" became popular in the Tibetan area, nor can we obtain a key event about its birth through literature. Generally speaking, in the Tibetan area, the "Six Longevity Thangka" and similar images (such as "Four Friends in Harmony") are collectively referred to as "teaching images" (བསླབ་བྱའི་རི་མོ་). Teaching images, as the name suggests, refer to conveying specific ethical concepts or religious principles through images. "Six Longevity Thangka" is often painted on the walls of temples or private residences because in the Tibetan area, a popular teaching image can not only enhance people's understanding of Buddhism, but also convey a simple vision of happiness. However, regardless of the form of teaching, the "Six Longevity Thangka" regards the harmony between nature and humans (which can also be understood as the highest state of practice) as the ultimate goal.
It is generally believed that the "Six Longevity Thangkas" contain elements from many other cultural regions, primarily Han China and South Asia. Common interpretations of the "Six Longevity Thangkas" stem from the Sakya scholar Cuicheng Renqing (ཞུ་ཆེན་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རིན་ཆེན་ 1697-1774) and the 9th Panchen Lama Chokyi Nyima (ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཉི་མ་ 1883-1937). In their interpretations, they emphasize the possible multi-layered meanings of the symbols in the images, and how these symbols come together to form specific allegories about the "natural state".
One of the most popular storylines about the "Six Longevity Icons" is set in a forest in East Asia, or possibly in a grove in South Asia, with a specific name for this space the Great Joyful Forest (སྐྱིད་ཚལ་ཆེན་པོ་). In the Great Joyful Forest, there are six objects of longevity revered by people, namely the Longevity Mountain (རི་ཚེ་རིང་) or Longevity Rock (བྲག་ཚེ་རིང་), the Longevity Spring (ཆུ་ཚེ་རིང་), the Longevity Tree (ཤིང་ཚེ་རིང་), the Longevity Beast (རི་དྭགས་ཚེ་རིང་), the Longevity Bird (བྱ་ཚེ་རིང་), and the Longevity Elderly (མི་ཚེ་རིང་). These six objects of longevity are blessed by Amitayus Buddha and depend on each other within the Great Joyful Forest, maintaining the balance of natural forces. In some texts, such as those mentioned above, this forest is located in the Mahashina (མ་ཧ་ཙི་ན་) region. There are two interpretations of this place name in pre-18th-century texts, it was seen as a place for practitioners in the northern mountains of South Asia (the unsurpassed Joyful Grove of Shiva) while after the 18th century, Tibetan scholars understood it as Han Chinese territory (China). Different interpretations of "ཙི་ན་" exist in various texts due to differences in word origins.
Changshou Mountain is like a right-turning conch shell, a sacred place bestowed with blessings by the Buddha. The imprints of the right-turning conch shell can be found on the rocks, symbolizing the ultimate victory of the dharma. In the land of Tibet, caves are the best place for Buddhist masters to practice, meditate, and write down their insights on the dharma. Therefore, in the iconography of Tibetan Buddhism, Changshou Mountain seems to emphasize a kind of focus and perseverance towards something, a manifestation of calmness and non-anger in meditation. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the mountain is the footprints of ancestors, the traces of spirits, and the homes of people living by the mountain. The mountains are imagined by people as the boundary between heaven and earth, even becoming the most important "sacred mountain worship" in Tibetan indigenous beliefs. Every mountain god in the snowy plateau has become the eternal protector of wanderers.
The Longevity Spring flowing out of Changshou Mountain is a light blue water with eight special qualities (not bitter, not boiling, not hard, not heavy, not turbid, not muddy, not harmful to the throat and not harmful to the stomach), which is the immortal nectar in the Amitayus Buddha's treasure bottle. Changshou Mountain and Longevity Spring nourish all kinds of creatures in the Great Joy Forest like parents. In the biographies of most Tibetan religious masters, encountering a clear water body means that the practice is about to be completed, or the practitioner is about to discover the great Terma (the highest secret teachings hidden in nature, according to the Nyingma tradition), which is the grace brought by persistent practice. In Tibetan culture, the water of life is also the water of wisdom, so successive classical intellectuals in Tibetan areas have regarded the protection of water sources as the most important duty of monasteries.
The first to be nourished by the mountains and waters in the image is the lush long-lived tree, which could be a pear tree, peach tree, or pine tree. Anyone who feels the breeze and shade under the tree will be blessed with longevity. It is generally believed that the fruits of the long-lived tree have eight miraculous effects (four health benefits and four ritual effects). The fruits symbolize all the pure food (non-meat) and healing medicines that humans can obtain from nature, which are used to please and offer to the gods. In indigenous religions, the tree of life is the gathering place of the four elements of the universe (earth, water, fire, and wind). In Buddhism, Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, and deities use trees to adorn their thrones. Practitioners observe the eternal in the midst of all changes under the tree order and orderliness. In Tibetan medical iconography, trees are also tools that represent the true essence of health, as people have always understood that the veins of trees extend to all known and unknown places, all living places.
The long-lived immortal, with white hair and white beard, relies on the tree of longevity. He is unaffected by the laws of life and death, having practiced for a thousand years. He is the incarnation of the Buddha of Infinite Life and embodies the concept of wisdom. The image of the long-lived old man is widespread in various parts of Asia. There are ancient Chinese gods like the South Pole Immortal and the long-lived elders of South Asia, as well as the gods of old people in North Asia and the ancestors of the Naxi people. It is said that this long-lived immortal possesses seven characteristics that ordinary people find difficult to attain lightness towards life and death, wisdom, accumulation of merit, clarity of mind, fearlessness, ease of change, and universal love. In images, the long-lived immortal is often depicted holding beads and a staff, seemingly telling the oldest stories, from the beginning of nature to the emergence of humanity, to all love, hatred, emotions, and causes and effects.
The most loyal audience of the Longevity Immortal are the Longevity Beast and the Longevity Bird, who rely on the fruits of the Longevity Tree to receive nourishment from the essence of nature, and lead all beings into the Great Joyful Forest. In the image, deer (representing Lu) are used to represent the Longevity Beast, while immortal cranes, storks, swans, and peacocks (the use of immortal cranes is a result of the influence of Han elements after the 18th century) are used to represent the Longevity Bird. The Longevity Birds and Longevity Beasts in the image appear in pairs, traditionally interpreted as corresponding to the perfect union of dual cultivation in Tantric Buddhism.
In traditional Buddhism, birds are often used to convey messages, or their feathers are used as important decorations (signs of wisdom), so specific bird species often symbolize reverence. Deer, as animals symbolizing longevity, represent the practice of patience. In South Asian traditions, deer are seen as possessing wisdom and great mental stability, as they are able to focus on themselves without being distracted by external factors. Therefore, many yogis and Buddhist practitioners use deer skins as clothing or cushions, believing that they can absorb the supreme essence of deer and enhance their own mental stability.
One of the most exquisite "Six Longevity Gods" comes from the Rubin Museum in New York City and is a 19th-century work. From the Sakya Five Patriarchs above the image, it can be inferred that this work is sponsored by the Sakya sect. The Longevity Immortal is seated on the back of the Longevity Beast, holding a symbol of the operation of heaven and earth and the natural rise and fall of the symbol, while a fairy on the right side offers him a fairy peach. Another woodcut print from the Rubin Museum in New York City may reveal the source of the composition framework of the previous work. In front of both works, there is a table full of countless auspicious objects, with devotees of different races kneeling on both sides of the table eager to obtain longevity an ability that can only be obtained by understanding the path of peace.
For us, longevity means eternity. In "The Six Longevity Symbols", the seemingly transcendent space actually still follows some kind of cycle. This cycle forces us to shift our focus from the image to the real world, where we live and where the unique space that truly grants us longevity exists.
In "Six Longevity Paintings", the connection between nature and biology, and between humans and nature, is depicted so clearly and vividly. It is thanks to the Longevity Mountain and Longevity Spring that the trees, birds, and animals are able to survive. As a symbol of humanity, the Longevity Immortal may seem like a bystander, but let us not forget without the previous five longevity elements as the background, the Longevity Immortal would not be able to exist as the main character in the painting. If the Longevity Immortal is not seen as the writer and practitioner of natural rules, then even if this old man is removed from the image, it seems that there would be nothing inappropriate.
The longevity immortal in the Great Lelin is just like the myriad beings by the green waters and mountains, only by acknowledging the path of peace and happiness granted by nature in the cycle of cause and effect, can one reside perpetually in a realm abundant with blessings, isn't it
To become the so-called "masters of nature" is not because of how unique we are, but because we can actively make changes to maintain the path of peace and happiness, isn't it
Though there may be changes, we are still in this joyful grove.
中文翻译
《六长寿图》中的自然之道——Gandhanra-ART
长期以来，古典时代的艺术家们常常关注一个问题我们如何保护环境的圣洁，这种圣洁与人类有何联系。这些艺术家深知人们永远不会满足于现状，这种破坏性的欲望会导致更多人忽视周围自然之美。为了在艺术作品中解决这个问题，古典艺术家创造了一个更具象征性的环境。这个环境不仅反映了日常生活的风景，还在不同文化背景下展示了更丰富的意义。在藏传佛教中，《六长寿图》（ཚེ་རིང་རྣམ་དྲུག་）作为一种传统宗教图像，但其背后的象征意义超越了单纯的宗教期望。这些图像不再只是传递说教信息，而是探索生存主题与和平共处之道。
我们无法确定《六长寿唐卡》的图像组合何时在藏区流行起来，也无法通过文献获得其诞生的关键事件。一般来说，在藏区，《六长寿唐卡》和类似图像（如《四和睦友》）被统称为“教学图像”（བསླབ་བྱའི་རི་མོ་）。教学图像，顾名思义，指通过图像传达特定的伦理观念或宗教原则。《六长寿唐卡》常被画在寺庙或私人住宅的墙壁上因为在藏区，一个流行的教学图像不仅能增强人们对佛教的理解，还能传达简单的幸福愿景。然而，无论教学形式如何，《六长寿唐卡》都将自然与人类的和谐（也可以理解为修行的最高境界）视为最终目标。
普遍认为，《六长寿唐卡》包含了许多其他文化区域的元素，主要是汉地和南亚地区。《六长寿唐卡》的常见解释源于萨迦学者崔成仁钦（ཞུ་ཆེན་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རིན་ཆེན་ 1697-1774）和第九世班禅喇嘛却吉尼玛（ཆོས་ཀྱི་ཉི་མ་ 1883-1937）。在他们的解释中，他们强调图像中符号可能的多层含义，以及这些符号如何共同形成关于“自然状态”的具体寓言。
关于《六长寿像》最流行的故事情节设定在东亚的一片森林中，或者可能是南亚的一片小树林，这个空间有一个特定的名称大乐林（སྐྱིད་ཚལ་ཆེན་པོ་）。在大乐林中，有六种被人们崇敬的长寿物，即长寿山（རི་ཚེ་རིང་）或长寿岩（བྲག་ཚེ་རིང་）、长寿泉（ཆུ་ཚེ་རིང་）、长寿树（ཤིང་ཚེ་རིང་）、长寿兽（རི་དྭགས་ཚེ་རིང་）、长寿鸟（བྱ་ཚེ་རིང་）和长寿老人（མི་ཚེ་རིང་）。这六种长寿物受到阿弥陀佛的加持，在大乐林中相互依存，维持自然力量的平衡。在一些文本中，如上述提到的，这片森林位于摩诃支那（མ་ཧ་ཙི་ན་）地区。这个地名有两种解释在18世纪前的文本中，它被视为南亚北部山区修行者的地方（湿婆的无上乐林）而18世纪后，藏族学者将其理解为汉地（中国）。由于词源差异，不同文本中对“ཙི་ན་”存在不同的解释。
长寿山像一个右旋海螺，是佛陀赐福的圣地。右旋海螺的印记可以在岩石上找到，象征着佛法的最终胜利。在西藏的土地上，洞穴是佛教大师修行、冥想和写下佛法见解的最佳场所。因此，在藏传佛教的图像学中，长寿山似乎强调对某事的专注和坚持，是冥想中平静和不生气的表现。被雪山环绕的山是祖先的足迹、神灵的痕迹和靠山生活的人们的家园。山脉被人们想象为天地的边界，甚至成为藏地本土信仰中最重要的“神山崇拜”。雪域高原上的每一位山神都成为流浪者的永恒保护者。
从长寿山流出的长寿泉是一种浅蓝色的水，具有八种特殊品质（不苦、不沸、不硬、不重、不浊、不浑、不伤喉、不伤胃），这是阿弥陀佛宝瓶中的不死甘露。长寿山和长寿泉像父母一样滋养大乐林中的各种生物。在大多数西藏宗教大师的传记中，遇到清澈的水体意味着修行即将完成，或者修行者即将发现伟大的伏藏（根据宁玛传统，隐藏在自然中的最高秘密教法），这是坚持修行带来的恩典。在西藏文化中，生命之水也是智慧之水，因此西藏地区的历代古典知识分子都将保护水源视为寺院最重要的职责。
图像中首先受到山水滋养的是茂盛的长寿树，它可能是梨树、桃树或松树。任何在树下感受微风和树荫的人都会得到长寿的祝福。普遍认为，长寿树的果实有八种神奇效果（四种健康益处和四种仪式效果）。果实象征着人类可以从自然中获得的所有纯净食物（非肉类）和治疗药物，用于取悦和供奉神灵。在土著宗教中，生命树是宇宙四元素（地、水、火、风）的聚集地。在佛教中，佛陀在菩提树下证悟，神祇用树木装饰他们的宝座。修行者在树下观察万变中的永恒秩序和条理。在西藏医学图像学中，树木也是代表健康真谛的工具，因为人们一直理解树木的脉络延伸到所有已知和未知的地方，所有生命存在的地方。
长寿仙人，白发白须，依靠长寿树。他不受生死法则影响，已修行千年。他是无量寿佛的化身，体现了智慧的概念。长寿老人的形象在亚洲各地广泛存在。有中国古代的南极仙翁和南亚的长寿长者，还有北亚的老人神和纳西族的祖先。据说这位长寿仙人拥有七种普通人难以达到的特征对生死的轻淡、智慧、功德的积累、心灵的清明、无畏、易变和普世之爱。在图像中，长寿仙人常被描绘手持念珠和手杖，似乎在讲述最古老的故事，从自然的开始到人类的出现，到所有的爱、恨、情感和因果。
长寿仙人最忠实的观众是长寿兽和长寿鸟，它们依靠长寿树的果实从自然精华中获得滋养，并引导所有众生进入大乐林。在图像中，鹿（代表禄）被用来代表长寿兽，而仙鹤、鹳、天鹅和孔雀（使用仙鹤是18世纪后汉元素影响的结果）被用来代表长寿鸟。图像中的长寿鸟和长寿兽成对出现，传统上被解释为对应密宗佛教中双修法的完美结合。
在传统佛教中，鸟类常被用来传递信息，或者它们的羽毛被用作重要的装饰（智慧的标志），因此特定的鸟类常象征崇敬。鹿作为象征长寿的动物，代表耐心的修行。在南亚传统中，鹿被视为拥有智慧和极大的心理稳定性，因为它们能够专注于自身而不被外部因素分心。因此，许多瑜伽士和佛教修行者使用鹿皮作为衣服或坐垫，相信他们可以吸收鹿的至高精华，增强自己的心理稳定性。
最精美的《六长寿神》之一来自纽约市鲁宾博物馆，是一件19世纪的作品。从图像上方的萨迦五祖可以推断，这件作品由萨迦派赞助。长寿仙人坐在长寿兽的背上，手持象征天地运行和自然兴衰的符号，而右侧的一位仙女向他献上仙桃。另一件来自纽约市鲁宾博物馆的木刻版画可能揭示了前作构图框架的来源。在两件作品前，有一张摆满无数吉祥物的桌子，不同种族的信徒跪在桌子两侧，渴望获得长寿一种只有理解和平之道才能获得的能力。
对我们来说，长寿意味着永恒。在《六长寿符号》中，看似超然的空间实际上仍然遵循某种循环。这个循环迫使我们把注意力从图像转移到现实世界，我们生活的地方，真正赋予我们长寿的独特空间存在的地方。
在《六长寿图》中，自然与生物之间、人类与自然之间的联系被描绘得如此清晰和生动。正是由于长寿山和长寿泉，树木、鸟类和动物才能生存。作为人类的象征，长寿仙人可能看起来像旁观者，但让我们不要忘记没有前五种长寿元素作为背景，长寿仙人就无法作为画中的主角存在。如果长寿仙人不被视为自然法则的书写者和实践者，那么即使这位老人从图像中移除，似乎也没有什么不合适。
大乐林中的长寿仙人就像绿水青山旁的万千众生，只有承认因果循环中自然赋予的和平幸福之道，才能永驻福地，不是吗
成为所谓的“自然主人”不是因为我们多么独特，而是因为我们能积极做出改变来维持和平幸福之道，不是吗
尽管可能有变化，我们仍在这片乐林中。
文章概要
本文探讨了藏传佛教《六长寿图》的艺术象征与自然和谐主题，聚焦长寿山、长寿泉、长寿树、长寿兽、长寿鸟和长寿仙人六元素，阐释其作为教学图像如何传达佛教伦理与和平共处理念。文章结合关键词“佛教艺术与中年更新象征”，指出这些图像通过自然循环象征，为中年生命更新提供精神指引，强调人与自然和谐作为修行最高境界，促进内心平静与生命延续。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容
《六长寿图》就像一幅超级酷的画，里面有六样神奇的东西长寿山、长寿泉、长寿树、长寿兽、长寿鸟和长寿仙人。它们住在一个叫大乐林的快乐森林里，互相帮助，让大自然保持平衡。这幅画告诉我们，要像它们一样，保护环境，和自然做好朋友，这样我们才能活得开心又长久。它就像一个大大的提醒，让我们在中年时也能找到新的活力和目标，就像画里的长寿仙人一样，智慧又平和。
佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角
从佛学宗派视角看，《六长寿图》体现了显密圆融的智慧。在显宗视角下，图像强调因果循环与自然和谐，如长寿树象征菩提心，引导众生走向解脱，契合大乘佛教的利他精神。密宗视角中，长寿鸟兽成对象征双修法，展现即身成佛的可能。特别从《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角，这幅图完美融合显教理观与密教事修，长寿仙人作为无量寿佛化身，代表准提法的精髓——通过观想自然符号，实现心性净化与生命更新。它突显了准提法在中年修行中的优势，即借助艺术象征，简易直接地唤醒内在佛性，促进显密双运。
在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题。
在修行实践上，《六长寿图》可应用于准提法修持，解决人们的十个问题。1. 中年焦虑通过观想长寿山，培养专注，减轻压力。2. 健康担忧借长寿泉象征，提升身心净化意识。3. 人际关系疏离以长寿树为喻，增强与自然和他人的连接。4. 生命意义迷失从长寿仙人智慧中，找到人生方向。5. 情绪波动通过长寿兽的耐心象征，学习情绪稳定。6. 环境破坏意识借图像提醒，促进环保行动。7. 修行动力不足以长寿鸟为激励，保持精进。8. 家庭不和谐从六元素和谐中，学习平衡之道。9. 恐惧死亡观想长寿符号，超越生死执着。10. 自我中心通过自然共处理念，培养利他心。准提法以此图像为媒介，简易融入日常，助力中年更新。