Sea Rhythm and Buddhist Chant: Exploring Marine Elements in Chinese Buddhist Art

Since its introduction to China during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism has been deeply integrated with local culture. As an important carrier of Buddhism, Buddhist art has gradually formed a variety of expression forms. Marine culture, as an important part of Chinese civilization, has inextricable connections with Buddhist culture. This paper employs literature review and image analysis methods to systematically investigate marine elements in China’s Buddhist art, trace the historical origins of Buddhism and the ocean, analyze the specific manifestations of marine elements in Buddhist artifacts, paintings, and murals, explore their influence on the aesthetic style, regional development, and narrative content of Buddhist art, and reveal the cultural significance and spiritual value of marine elements in Buddhist art. The study finds that Buddhism has been closely related to the ocean since its origin, and the Maritime Silk Road has further promoted the in-depth integration of the two. Marine elements are widely integrated into Buddhist arts in the forms of artifacts such as corals, tridacna shells, and conchs, as well as paintings and murals, such as sea waves and navigation scenes. They not only shape the vivid and inclusive aesthetic characteristics of Buddhist arts and promote the innovation and regional development of artistic forms, but they also enrich the narrative content and spiritual expression of Buddhist arts, becoming an important witness to the visualization of Buddhist doctrines, the inheritance of regional culture, and the exchange between Chinese and foreign cultures.