Multidisciplinary study on Quang Chieu Lantern Pagoda of Ly dynasty in Vietnam and wall paintings of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang

This study explores the 12th century Quang Chieu Lantern Pagoda of the Ly Dynasty. By integrating inscriptions, official historical records and Buddhist sutras, this article analyzes Buddhist symbol meaning of the pagoda. The research results show that the architecture of Quang Chieu is a form that simulates what has been described in the Medicine Master Buddha Sutra, so it can be called the Bhaiṣajyaguru Maṇḍala, or the Medicine Master Buddha Sutra Transformation (Dược sư kinh biến 藥師經變 Yaoshi jingbian). The practice of the Bhaiṣajyaguru ritual, the use of the Medicine Master Buddha Sutra in particular, Mogao grottoes wall paintings in Dunhuang and the circulation of the Sinitic Tripitaka in show that the Dai Viet kingdom during the Ly-Tran Dynasties existed as an inseparable part of the Sinographic Cosmopolis.