Chan Encounter - Budai and Jiang Mohe

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

The Chan Encounter pictures by Indara portray legendary Chan school figures engaged in conversation. They were originally painted on a single scroll but were later separated. This artwork depicting Budai and Jiang Mohe was listed as a National Treasure of Japan in 1953. Jiang Mohe, also known as Jiang Zongba or as “Householder Mohe,” recited the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra daily under the guidance of the monk Budai. One day Mohe accompanied Budai when he went to bathe in the Changting River. Budai asked Mohe to wash his back for him, and when Mohe did so, he saw four bright eyes. Astonished, he exclaimed, “This monk is a Buddha!”
In the painting, the smiling Budai sits beneath a tree with his hands resting on his cloth sack. Mohe stands before Budai with his palms joined in reverence. Sparse strokes are painted to portray the compassionate Budai and the devout Mohe, a figure rarely seen in Budai paintings.