Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Great Buddha Bay Niche 17: Illustration of the Returning Favors Sutra - Six Non-Buddhist Teachers Slandering the Buddha

CHINA, Chongqing, Dazu; Southern Song dynasty

This carving is situated in the lower tier on the right side of the niche. The story depicted here is drawn from the “Introductory Chapter” of the Returning Favors Sutra. In the sutra, Ananda meets a brahmin’s son being filial to his parents, and six non-Buddhist teachers accusing the Buddha of being unfilial. The illustration shows Ananda on the left side with his hands clasped before his chest, while the son of the brahmin carrying large bamboo baskets containing his parents with a yoke on his shoulders is next to him.
Of the six non-Buddhist teachers, five are male and one female. The first male figure points his finger toward the brahmin and criticizes Sakyamuni Buddha for being unfilial; the other four figures are depicted agreeing, dancing and laughing at the spectacle. The female non-Buddhist is alone on the upper right. She has long hair piled on top of her head and pigtails down her back, giving her a village woman’s appearance. Her head is tilted, playing a flute. The statue has a lively and realistic appearance, and it exhibits the artist’s incorporation of the local culture into the carving.