Buddha Teaching the Dharma

PAKISTAN

This Gandharan relief shows the Buddha seated in full lotus position upon a multi-layered lotus throne under a canopy of Bodhi branches. The figure is mustached, which was common in depictions of this period. Both arms of the Buddha are badly damaged, but the positioning of the right hand suggests that he was making the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra. There are numerous figures, such as Bodhsiattvas, heavenly beings, and disciples around the Buddha. The figures are either seated on thrones or standing on lotus-shaped pedestals. Two smaller Bodhisattvas stand in attendance on either side of the Buddha. Two Naga Kings, Nanda and Upananda, emerge from a pond beneath the Buddha’s throne with only their upper torsos showing. The nagas make an offering of the thousand-petaled lotus on which the Buddha sits.
The Lotus Sutra, Tathagatagarbha Sutra, and Samdhinirmocana Sutra relate that, when the Buddha was in deep meditation, he emitted a bright light that reached all corners of the universe. Wherever the light shone, numerous lotuses and Buddha images were manifested. Some scholars believe, however, that this relief depicts the Miracle at Sravasti, while other scholars believe it is an image of Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land.