敦煌藝術是中國文化的寶庫，在沉埋千年之後，光緒年間，莫高窟 的石室被偶然發現，從此中國的佛教藝術，再度重現人間，它保存 了自五胡十六國時期以迄宋元之間的佛教壁畫約四萬五千多平方公 尺，以及塑像兩千多尊，價值無與倫比，而其內容有二：一為單獨 的尊像。二為「經變圖」，又稱「變相」，乃是將佛經的內容或佛 的故事，依其情節，成套的表現出來，它的內容最豐富，風格最突 出，其中「淨土經變」數量最多，達二百餘舖，由此可窺見淨土 宗，在中國的昌盛與流行。 本文之研究，就是要從圖像資料中探討淨土的起源，並從西方淨土 變相中，探究其創作的根源，說明淨土變相的緣起與特徵，以及淨 土三經對其藝術創作的啟示作用，最後說明淨土的內涵與殊勝，由 於淨土具有豐富的想像力，故能渲染淨土世界的美麗，而造就了 「淨土變相圖」的絢麗多采，使之成為偉大的藝術創作。根源於淨土思想的深厚與十六觀的富麗，終於使淨土成為普被三根的修行法 門，最後成為修行的總歸趨，即使是登地菩薩，也無不迴向淨土， 以期圓滿智慧與功德。

Dunhuang Art is the treasure depot of Chinese culture. Having been buried for more a thousand years, the stone chambers of Mogao Caves were accidentally discovered during the reign of Kuanghsu Emperor Ching dynasty. From then on the Buddhist art of China exhibits itself in this world by preserving the unrivalled value of murals of Buddhism on an area of 45,000 plus square meters and more than two thousand Buddhist statues completed between the Dynasties of Wei-Chin and that of Sung-Yuan. The content is twofold: fi rstly, the individual statues, and secondly, the “Sutra Covert Pictures”, also known as “Disguised Forms”, marking the substance or Buddhist stories with full expressions according to the plots featuring the richest representation as well as the most outstanding mode. Among them, the quantity of “Pure-Land Sutra Covert” ranks the top, totaling 200- odd pictures to refl ect before us the prosperity and fashionableness of the Pure-Land Sect in China. This study aims to investigate, the origins of Pure-Land Sect by the painting information, and exploit the root of its creativity through the disguised of West Sukhavati to clarify the sources and features of pureland covert, in addition to the functional enlightenment of art creativity by the Three Pure-Land Sutras. Finally, the pure-land intension and particularity is described due to exuberant imagination of pure-land mentality proclaiming thus the beauty of a pure-land world to bring about a colorfully shinny “Pure-Land Sutra Covert Picture” that turns out to be a great work of art creation.