There is an urgent need to understand Buddhism and Buddhist culture in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.

Dunhuang was built in the Qin Dynasty. The first cave is said to have been built by a monk named Le Zun in the Qin Dynasty. It is used to cultivate self-cultivation and worship Buddha. It can only accommodate one person, so it is called "Zen Cave". Dunhuang is an important town in the Hexi Corridor. Many people who go to India to learn Buddhist scriptures will pass through Dunhuang, so many monks travel in the Hexi Corridor. It is said that Monk Le Zun went to Dunhuang, saw a thousand buddhas appear, and decided not to go, so he built the first cave of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes on Mingsha Mountain. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, wars continued, and many people fled to Dunhuang for refuge. In order to pray for a peaceful life, people began to believe in Buddhism, so they dug caves in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, which became the sustenance of people's hearts. In the late Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms period, the Mogao Grottoes entered a golden age, which was also a time of war. More and more Chang 'an people moved to Dunhuang to escape the war. Digging holes to pray, so Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are actually cave temples!

There are clay sculptures and murals in Mogao Grottoes, accounting for about 67% of all caves, 90% of which are related to Buddhism. Clay sculpture, such as Cave 96, has only one statue of Maitreya. This cave was built in the period of Wu Zetian in Tang Dynasty. In order to please the female emperor, the courtiers said that Wu Zetian was reincarnated like Miller, so they built this elephant cave according to Wu Zetian's face. In addition, there is a cave with the nirvana of Sakyamuni. Most of the clay sculptures and murals in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes mainly describe the cultivation of Buddha before Buddha, the nirvana of Sakyamuni and the transformation of all beings after death. For example, the five hundred thieves turned into Buddha pictures (murals), telling the story of the Buddha's reincarnation after his death and putting down his butcher's knife to become a Buddha; For example, there are murals depicting the western paradise; For example, the Vimalakirti statue and so on. These murals, called classic paintings, use pictures to describe the story in a Buddhist sutra, which is the most direct and simple way to learn Buddhism.