Mogao Cave 285: Monk in Meditation

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Western Wei dynasty

This detail is found on the left side of the north slope of the ceiling. It is part a row of similar images that line the bottom of the four slopes of the ceiling. Thirty-five individual monks are depicted meditating in mountain caves. The small meditation caves are painted using a simple line drawing technique. In this image, the monk is seated in full lotus position on a chair. His hands are placed in front of his abdomen and held inside his sleeves. The monk wears inner and outer monastic robes with open collars.
His cave is surrounded by overlapping mountain peaks and peaceful forests that contain small images of animals such as a running deer, a goat drinking from a pond, and a tiger searching for prey.