Sudeoksa Temple: Vairocana Buddha

SOUTH KOREA, South Chungcheong, Yesan; Joseon dynasty

This painting of Vairocana Buddha was listed as Treasure No. 1263 in 1997. Vairocana wears a resplendent headdress adorned with nine Buddha images. Dressed in an ornamented monastic robe, the Buddha stands upon two lotus pedestals, holding both hands to the shoulders. The nimbus is bordered with eight red circles containing gold Chinese characters that read “Reward body of Vairocana Buddha.” Around the edge of the intricately patterned aureole, there are eight symmetrically arranged Buddha images.
Radiant lines of colored light emanate from Vairocana and fill the background. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and apsaras are painted at the top of the picture. Dharma protectors and the Ten Great Disciples stand beside Vairocana’s nimbus. The white-robed Avalokitesvara is depicted below on the right. On the left, bare-headed Ksitigarbha is shown holding a monk’s staff and a jewel. Suryaprabha and Candraprabha Bodhisattvas stand beside Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha. More Bodhisattvas and the Four Heavenly Kings are painted in the lower corners.