Fahai Temple Great Hero Hall: Four Bodhisattvas

CHINA, Beijing; Ming dynasty

These images of Bodhisattvas are part of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on Clouds murals on the east and west walls of the Great Hero Hall. These four figures typically refer to Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, and Maitreya, the Bodhisattvas who have the deepest affinity with living beings; but they may also refer to Visistacaritra, Anantacaritra, Visuddhacaritra, and Supratisthitacaritra, who were described in the “Chapter on Emerging from the Earth” of the Lotus Sutra to have been instructed by the Buddha to expound the Lotus Sutra at a time when the Dharma is in decline.
The Bodhisattvas, with elegant features, sit in full lotus position on lotus thrones, wearing ornate headdresses and jewelry. They hold objects including a bejeweled fan, a scripture, and a vajra. Each has a circular nimbus and an aureole. Colorful clouds support the lotus thrones and billow around the figures.