Kaihua Temple Great Hero Hall: Illustration of the Returning Favors Sutra - Chapter on the Bad Prince

CHINA, Shanxi, Jincheng; Northern Song dynasty

These scenes from the “Chapter on the Bad Prince” in the Returning Favors Sutra are painted on the west wall of the Great Hero Hall. On a day of travel outside the city, the good prince observed a farmer plowing a field, a weaver at her loom, and a butcher selling meat. Upon returning to the palace, he decided that he would find a way to help his subjects and make their lives easier. The prince went to the king and stated his desire to go to sea in search of the wish-granting wish-fulfilling jewel. The king and queen agreed to his request after the prince fasted in protest. He then set off on a voyage accompanied by his younger brother, the bad prince. Not long after going to sea, the good prince found the wish-fulfilling jewel. But the bad prince, greedy and jealous, gouged out the eyes of the good prince, stole the jewel, and escaped. However, on his way home, the good prince met the cow deity, who licked his eyes and restored his sight. With the help of the king and princess of a neighboring country, the good prince was able to return home and recover the wish-fulfilling jewel, which he used to ease the sufferings of all sentient beings.
Scenes in the mural include Prince Observing the Weaver, Butcher Preparing Meat, Setting Sail, and Cow Healing the Prince. In the image of the weaver, the prince watches a woman work with shuttle and cloth under the dim light of an oil lamp. The next mural shows the prince observing the butcher preparing meat for four men who sit at a table behind him. The illustration of the princes going to sea depicts a Northern Song dynasty boat getting ready to set sail. The sailors stand ready at the sails, punting poles, oars, and rudder, and the princes bid farewell to their parents. In the mural showing the cow healing the prince’s eyes, the prince sits on the ground with his eyes closed while the cow licks him. These murals, painted by the artist Guo Fa and others, contain realistic images of everyday secular life. The depictions are colored with malachite green, azurite, cinnabar, ocher, and lead powder and represent a rare visual portrayal of life during that period.