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莲花手观音(Padmapani), 通常一面二手, 左手持莲花, 是最早的观音形象, 起源于2世纪的印度. 莲花被视为众生本有的清净菩提心, 含苞未开的莲花比喻众生未显露的佛性; 半开的莲花比喻众生发起了菩提心; 已开的莲花比如菩提心显现.

Padmapani (lotus holder) is a Sanskrit term referring to Lokeshvara, the bodhisattva, having one face and two hands. The left hand holds the stem of a blossoming lotus flower. The textual inspiration for the imagery of Lokeshvara in this appearance are the Sutras of the Mahayana(大乘佛教) tradition of Buddhism. Padmapani is also used as a synonym for Lokeshvara. The term is commonly found as an epithet(表示性质、特征等的词语), as well as a descriptive term, referring to the lotus held in the left hand. It has yet to be shown or proven textually that there is any specific and unique form of Lokeshvara accepted across the Indian Buddhist cultural sphere that is described in early literature as a Padmapani Avalokiteshvara.

观音菩萨
观音菩萨:立像

印度莲花手菩萨以左手握持长茎莲花为标志。这朵莲花从脚下的大地中生长出来,全敷盛开的花朵多位于菩萨的左肩侧。莲花手菩萨通常被判定为观世音菩萨,称之为莲花手观音。印度的观音菩萨造像可能初兴于法显旅印前后,至玄奘时已经相当普通,现存年代较早的造像出土于鹿野苑,发髻冠前饰化佛,手持长茎莲花。犍陀罗地区的类似造像多手持折枝莲花。在中国,最初的一系列由铭文确定的观音造像均为莲花手观音,造作于皇兴四年（公元470年）以后三四十年期间,时值笈多盛期,多持折枝莲花,多有天冠宝缯,与犍陀罗等中亚地区关联密切。这些中国佛像支持莲花手菩萨被判定为观音的判断。由此又可以推断莲花手观音是印度观音的最古老形象,中国现存年代更早的观音图像或其雏形见于江苏盱眙所出西晋画像砖,同时,晚出汉译密教佛典以莲花为持物的观音诸像应该是早期莲花手观音的演进,成为各式观音造型的基准形象。

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参考文献:
“引路菩萨”与“莲花手”：汉藏持莲花观音像比较
中印莲花手观音造像的图像学判断