Tuyoq Cave 20: Monk in Meditation

CHINA, Xinjiang, Turpan

This image is found on the lower south wall within the main chamber. Four sections of the painting can be identified. The first is believed to be a vision of a pillar. In the painting, a three-tier platform stands at the center of a pond, beside which is a meditating monk. Part of a cartouche explains that the monk is meditating on the vision of the pillar. The second section is believed to be the vision of leaves. A tree stands at the center of a pond, with a second meditating monk to the side. The third section is better preserved than the others. In it, a tree stands at the center of a pond, at the top of which are two bannars drifting in the wind. Among the leaves are red and blue flowers. A long lotus stem decorated with shiny wish-fulfilling jewels is depicted on both sides of the tree. The cartouche explains that the monk is meditating on the Western Pure Land. The cartouche of the fourth section is missing but there is a building with an oval tree crown at the top. A lotus flower is found at the center of the tree, inside which is a kneeling child. Bright light, on both sides, is emitted from wish-fulfilling jewels.