大肚弥勒的形象为中国所创,深受民间喜爱。本文通过考察大肚弥勒像在明代的形象及其变化、其在寺院中的供奉位置、与其他造像组合关系等内容,对其样式、所代表的含义等进行了初步研究。目前在汉地佛教寺院中通常所见的“大肚弥勒像”(图一)一般是在天王殿中央,南向(图二)。本文根据搜集到的材料对这类造像题材的产生、在佛寺中的供奉位置及其形象演化等问题进行探讨。 Big Maitreya image created by China, loved by the people. In this paper, we first study the style and representative meaning of Maitreya in the Ming dynasty as the images and their changes in the Ming dynasty, their worshiping positions in monasteries and their relationship with other statues. The “Maitreya Buddha Image” (see Figure 1), which is commonly found in Buddhist temples in Han China, is generally located in the central and south of the Temple of Heaven (Figure 2). Based on the collected materials, this article discusses such issues as the creation of such statues, the place of devotion in Buddhist temples and the evolution of their images.