Avalokitesvara in a White Robe
Ink on silk
Avalokitesvara in a White Robe
JAPAN; Kamakura period
This picture was painted in the 13th or 14th century and is listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. It depicts a scene from the “Gandhavyuha Chapter” of the Avatamsaka Sutra in which the pilgrim Sudhana goes to Mount Potalaka to meet Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Avalokitesvara wears a white robe and sits on a rock at the base of a mountain, appearing calm and tranquil. A vase containing a willow branch is placed beside the Bodhisattva. Sudhana is in the bottom left corner, set apart from the Bodhisattva by water. Gazing reverently at Avalokitesvara, he respectfully joins his palms. A bamboo grove and a cascading waterfall are painted in the background. In the top left corner there is a four line inscription by the monk Yakuo Tokken.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting A-H, page 80.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting A-H},
pages = 80,
title = {{Avalokitesvara in a White Robe}},
volume = 14,
year = {2016}}