Master Danxia Burning Wooden Buddha Statues

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

According to the Compendium of the Five Lamps, when Master Danxia of Dengzhou was staying at Huilin Temple, it was very cold, so he took a wooden Buddha statue and burned it for warmth. The abbot saw this and scolded him, saying, “Why are you burning a wooden Buddha statue?” Danxia, while sifting through the ashes with his staff, replied, “I’m burning it to collect relics.” The startled abbot asked, “How can relics come out of a wooden Buddha?” Danxia answered, “Since there are no relics, let’s burn two more.” This illustration of the story was painted by Indara during the Yuan dynasty. There is an inscription by Chushi Fanqi on the left side of the picture stating, “It is cold at the old temple, and the night passes with no regard for the winds and floating snow. There are no relics to harvest, so is it unusual to use even the wooden Buddha from the hall?” The painting was listed as a National Treasure of Japan in 1953.
The squatting monk is Chan Master Danxia. He is burning the Buddha statue and holding his hands out toward the curling flames. The standing figure who holds a long staff in one hand and points at Danxia in chatisement with the other is the abbot. Danxia laughs and has a lively expression. Dry and wet brush strokes of different thicknesses are used to paint this simple yet lively picture.