Tabo Monastery Central Hall: Fifty-Three Visits of Sudhana - Teachings from Manjusri

INDIA, Himachal Pradesh

Located at the bottom of the left side of the west wall of the assembly hall within the central hall of Tabo Monastery, this mural depicts one of the Fifty-Three Visits of Sudhana described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. According to the sutra, upon returning to Sumana after visiting 110 cities in search of spiritual mentors, Sudhana contemplated Manjusri Bodhisattva. Instantly, Manjusri laid his hand on top of Sudhana’s head from a distance of 110 yojanas away and taught him the Dharma.
The city of Sumana is portrayed with a series of colorful, irregularly stacked buildings. Sudhana sits in the center of the picture. He has long hair that hangs over his shoulders, and wears a robe with wide sleeves that hide his hands, a feature of western Tibetan clothing. On the left, Manjusri’s hand is shown emerging from a cloud and touching the top of Sudhana’s head. The hand is painted again on the far left to represent the vast distance it has traveled.