“龙门地区的石窟和佛龛展现了中国北魏晚期至唐代(公元493-907年)期间，最具规模和最为优秀的造型艺术。这些翔实描述佛教中宗教题材的艺术作品，代表了中国石刻艺术的最高峰。”这是2000年联合国教科文组织将龙门石窟列入世界文化遗产时对其作出的评价。
中原文明不是一蹴而就的，而是经过朝代更替、经过中华民族点滴积累在时间长河当中汇聚而成。它灿烂辉煌却不锋芒毕露，好比一条大河，缓缓而变，不断有四面八方的涓涓小溪汇入，这个过程中，它慢慢同化着周围的泥土与石块，它悄无声息地改变了河道，甚至是流向，最终一齐到达无边无垠的海洋世界。而龙门石窟就是中原文明最本质最核心也最形象的代言。
龙门石窟位于洛阳市南12公里处，绵延于伊水东西两岸，这里石质优良，适宜雕刻。自北魏孝文帝开始，在此后700余年时间里，经历北魏、东魏、北齐、北周、隋、唐、五代、宋、元、明等朝代，形成窟龛2345个、造像近10万尊、碑刻题记3600余品，佛塔近60座，蔚为壮观。
西山主要有潜溪寺、宾阳三洞、古阳洞、奉先寺、万佛洞、莲花洞和药方洞等；东山主要有擂鼓台、万佛沟、看经寺等。若说云冈石窟带着明显的北魏粗犷威严之骨，而龙门石窟的精华则定是唐代浑圆风腴之韵。毕竟在孝文帝将都城从大同迁到洛阳之后的400年时间里，龙门石窟约的2/3作品均出自了这富庶的唐代，其中武则天时期开凿的奉先寺则成为整个龙门石窟中保存最完好也最能代表唐代中原文明与艺术造诣高度发达的颠峰作品。
奉先寺雕凿于半山间，它的恢弘气势自不必用数字来说明，仅从伊水东岸望去，所有龙门西岸山大大小小的佛龛都仅变得如黑洞般大小时，奉先寺则愈显壮阔，成为所有目光聚集之点。游人如织，却真真如蝼蚁般渺小，即使再多多密，在奉先寺的大佛前也可以忽略了去。当人如蝼蚁般渺小，慢慢拾级而上间，步履渐紧，呼吸急促，在遇见这千年前的旷古微笑前，回归至一片淡定与从容。
龙门石窟除了造像艺术外，另一个突出的成就是书法。“龙门二十品”是魏碑书法的翘楚，它是汉代隶书向唐代楷书过渡之作，皆两者之美，承前启后。这二十品全为皇家贵族开凿石窟而立碑赞颂的题记，其中十九品在西山的古阳洞。
龙门如阙，包围在无数四方游客里。只有山间大佛安详中带着坚定，丝毫未受尘嚣干扰，因为在它眼底，人是透明的。只有与它相伴了千年的伊水，仍在初见时般荡漾，将涟漪层层推向未知的远方，一如中原文明的流淌，不管谁主沉浮，只消自我传承蔓延开去。
【全文翻译】
The grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (AD 493-907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving. This was the evaluation of UNESCO made in 2000, when the Longmen Grottoes were listed in the World Cultural Heritage.
The Chinese civilization was not fostered in one day; Instead, it was formed through the accumulation of many dynasties in the river of time. Brilliant, but with a low profile, just like a river, that gathers trickles from creeks in all directions, and slowly changes every day. This process gradually assimilates the soil and rocks around, and quietly changes the paths and directions; ultimately arriving at the vast ocean. The Longmen Grottoes are the most essential, central and graphic representative of the Chinese civilization.
The Longmen Grottoes have excellent stones which are suitable for engraving. The grottoes are built along the east and west banks of the Yi River located 12 kilometers south of the present day Luoyang, in Henan Province. For 700 years, since Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, through Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties; the grand Longmen Grottoes have housed 2,345 niches, nearly 100,000 statues, more than 3,600 inscriptions on stele, and nearly 60 Buddhist pagodas.
In West Hill, you can find the Qianxi Temple, Three Binyang Caves, Guyang Cave, Fengxian Temple, Wanfo Cave, Lianhua Cave (Lotus Cave), Yaofang Cave, etc; and in East Hill, you can find the Leigutai Caves, Wanfogou, Kanjing Temple, etc. Compared with the Yungang Grottoes, which possesses the rugged and majestic characteristics of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the essence of the Longmen Grottoes is Tang’s smoothness and plump features. After all, of the 400 years after Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital from Datong to Luoyang, about 2/3 of the artistic works in the Longmen Grottoes, were created during the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The best-preserved Fengxian Temple, excavated during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, is the ultimate masterpiece that represents the Chinese civilization during the Tang Dynasty holding the highest artistic achievements.
Fengxian Temple was carved on the West Hill. Figures are not necessary to illustrate its magnificence. From the east coast of the Yi River, we can only see all sizes of the niches which are rendered like black holes; however, Fengxian Temple will become more impressive, drawing all attentions. Packed in the temple are tourists, as small and dense as ants, can be ignored in front of the grand Buddha. Slowly ascending the stairs, steps getting tighter, breathing getting harder, and people will return to calm and peace when running into an extraordinary smile, which has been there for a thousand years.
Besides statues, another incredible work of art in the Longmen Grottoes is calligraphy. "Twenty Works of Longmen" is in the leading position of calligraphy on stele during the Wei Dynasty. They are transitional works from the clerical script of the Han Dynasty to the regular script of the Tang Dynasty. They possess the beauties of both forms and serves as a link between these two. The Twenty Works are all inscriptions on stele created by the imperial family members to commemorate the excavation of the caves. Nineteen of the works are located inside the Guyang Cave of West Hill.
Longmen is just like an imperial palace, gathering countless tourists from all places. But the Buddhas remain serene and steady among the mountains, not at all disturbed by hustle and bustle, because in his eyes, people are transparent and invisible. Only his intimate companion, the Yi River, which existed for a thousand years, proceeds to an unknown future with its original vitality. Just like the Chinese civilization, no matter who dominates, it will forever spread.
loumey，路美，国内文旅，龙门石窟，文化遗产