Mogao Cave 217: Illustration of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra - Sixteen Contemplations

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

These images are on the right side of the mural on the north wall within the main chamber. The Sixteen Contemplations, a series of visualizations of the Pure Land, include the contemplation on the sun, the contemplation on water, the contemplation on the ground, the contemplation on trees, the contemplation on the water of eight virtues, the contemplation on former objects, the contemplation on the lotus throne, the contemplation on the image of Amitabha Buddha, the contemplation on the true body of Amitabha, the contemplation on Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the contemplation on Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, the contemplation on the aspirants born in the Pure Land, the contemplation on the multitude of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and contemplation on the nine grades of rebirth.
The Sixteen Contemplations are arranged in sequence from top to bottom, and are connected by a unifying background of mountain landscapes. In each scene, Queen Vaidehi appears on the left. Two of the most distinctive images are the contemplation on water and the contemplation on trees. In the contemplation on water, a pond is surrounded by flaming jewels. The surface of the pond is frozen and marked with crevices. Above, seven shrines appear on two clouds. This portrayal conforms to the description in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra: “After you have visualized the water, envision it becoming frozen, each jewel emitting a flood of light in 500 colors. The light appears in the shape of a flower or a star or the moon; suspended in the sky, it transforms into a platform of light, upon which there are ten million pavilions made of 100 kinds of jewels.” The image of the contemplation on trees features several large trees in a mountain setting. There are jewels hanging from the trees, and within one of the trees are seven palaces. The Amitayurdhyana Sutra states: “There are seven rows of nets covering each tree. Between these seven rows of nets are palaces adorned with five billion exquisite flowers, like the palace of Brahma.”