Yulin Cave 4: Buddha Teaching the Dharma at Vulture Peak

CHINA, Gansu, Guazhou; Yuan dynasty

This mural is located on the right side of the north wall. According to the Lotus Sutra, when Sakyamuni Buddha taught the Dharma at Vulture Peak a pagoda arose from the ground with Prabhutaratna Buddha seated inside. Prabhutaratna Buddha invited Sakyamuni to come in and sit beside him, and when Sakyamuni did so, the pagoda rose into the sky. The image of two Buddhas seated together in a pagoda thus symbolizes the Dharma teaching at Vulture Peak.
The two Buddhas in the center of the mural are dressed as Bodhisattvas, with headdresses, topknots, and hair draped over the shoulders. They wear short dhotis and ornaments such as earrings and armlets, with flower garlands adorning their bodies. Both Buddhas sit in the relaxation posture, face to face, on Sumeru thrones, with each resting one of their bare feet upon a lotus. These non-traditional postures show influence from Tibetan Buddhism.
A three-tier ceremonial plate that holds three stupas, each with a canopy, is found between the two central Buddhas. The black lotus pond beneath the Buddhas is filled with lotuses, leaves, and stems, as well as two Bodhisattvas seated upon open lotuses. Two clouds float above the central Buddhas and each contain five smaller seated Buddhas, which symbolize the Buddhas of the Ten Directions. The border that frames the mural is filled with jagged mountains that have white clouds around their top. Three Bodhisattvas in dancing postures are depicted within the borders along each side.