Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Small Buddha Bay: Sutra Catalog Pagoda

CHINA, Chongqing, Dazu; Southern Song dynasty

The original name of this pagoda was “Dharmakaya Patriarch Pagoda,” and it was commonly referred to as the “Patriarch Pagoda.” It is now known as the “Sutra Catalog Pagoda” because of the sutra catalogs inscribed on each face. It is located in Shengshou Temple in Dazu.
The three-tier, solid pagoda is 7 m high, has three levels of eaves, and tapers towards the top. Eight Chinese characters found on the first tier translate as, “the Buddha discourses on the 12 divisions of the Buddhist canon.” A seated figure with curled hair is carved within a round niche on the north side of the first tier. According to the 36 Chinese characters within an accompanying cartouche, this is believed to be a depiction of a patriarch. The cartouche states, “six generations of patriarchs have transmitted the secret seal, and Buddhas from the ten directions reveal the type of school; making a great vow and entering into the sea of Dharma nature, abandoning conventional fame like dust. The fundamental one is the root, and the supreme one is the utmost one.”
A round niche can be found on each face of the second tier. Within the niches are: Dharmakaya Buddha, Sambhogakaya Buddha, Nirmanakaya Buddha, and Zhao Zhifeng. Verses are inscribed on each side of the niches. For example, “even if a hot iron wheel were spinning on top of my head, no matter how excruciating the pain is, I will not regress from Bodhicitta,” and “even when hundreds or thousands of kalpas have passed, karma accumulated does not disappear; when the causes and conditions come together, one will receive karmic retribution.” On the third tier, a seated Buddha is carved facing each direction, but these figures have suffered severe weathering. A large, gourd-shaped spire on top of a square lotus throne is found on the roof of the pagoda.