本文先是將藏傳佛教俗稱盤長的吉祥結區分為：七環的Ⅰ型、八環的Ⅱ型、十三環的Ⅲ型、多環的Ⅳ型，以及原本和藏傳盤長無關呈十環的Ⅴ型。經由圖像的比較，本文認為Ⅰ型（七環）、Ⅱ型（八環）、Ⅳ型（多環）的祖型均來自伊斯蘭工藝品上的扭索紋，其源可追溯至羅馬拜占庭的飾紋，後者又可上溯古代近東的扭索飾。Ⅲ型（十三環）盤長雖不排除同樣是受到伊斯蘭扭索紋的啟發，但可能又和藏人原本所信奉苯教的吉祥數字有關。至於呈十環的Ⅴ型扭索紋，則是與佛教八吉祥無關的伊斯蘭圖紋，其在中國初現於十五世紀前期，是景德鎮陶工模倣自伊斯蘭工藝品的獨立飾紋。出現不久，旋即被吸收納入佛教八吉祥系統成了盤長紋。尤應留意的是，此一來自伊斯蘭世界的十環式扭索紋竟然成了十五世紀中期以迄今日中國區域最為常見的盤長樣式（Ⅴ型），其既是中國盤長的古典，也理所當然地進入中國吉祥圖案的世界。

This paper examines the auspicious knots, referred to as “pangchang” (the endless knots) in Tibetan Buddhism, and their connection to the guilloche. The study commences with categorizing the knots into type I (seven-ring), type II (eight-ring), type III (thirteen-ring), type IV (multi-ring) and type V, the ten-ring knot that originally has no connection with Tibetan Buddhism. A comparison of images with these categorized knots has suggested that the knot type I, II, and IV all derive from the same archetype attributed to the guilloche pattern of Islamic artifacts. Its origin can be traced to the Byzantine ornamental design, which derives from the guilloche ornamentation in the ancient Near East. While it takes possibly the same inspiration from the Islamic guilloche, pangchang knot type III might also connect to the auspicious numbers in Bon, the indigenous Tibetan religion. In the case of type V, this ten-ring guilloche is initially an Islamic pattern that is not associated with the Ashtamangala (the eight auspicious emblems) in Buddhism. Such pattern first appeared in China in the early fifteenth century when the porcelain makers in Jingdezhen created ornamental pattern with inspiration of the Islamic artifacts. Soon after its appearance, the pattern was adopted into the Buddhism’s suite of eight auspicious symbols and became the pattern of pangchang. It is a notable conversion that the ten-ring guilloche traveled to China all the way from the Islamic world in the mid-fifteenth century, and since then has become the most common pangchang pattern (type V) in the Chinese culture. It is regarded as the classical Chinese pangchang motif, and naturally evolved to be one of the Chinese auspicious symbols.

扭索紋; 盤長; 吉祥結; 藏傳佛教; 八吉祥; 達文西結

guilloche; pangchang (endless knot); auspicious knot; Tibetan Buddhism; Ashtamangala (Eight Auspicious Emblems); Leonardo’s knots