Yongyeonsa Temple: Assembly at Vulture Peak

SOUTH KOREA, North Chungcheong, Chungju; Joseon dynasty

This painting, originally kept in Yongyeonsa Temple, South Korea, depicts the Buddha teaching the Dharma at Vulture Peak. Sitting on a tall Sumeru throne, the Buddha reaches down with the right hand to form the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra. The patterned monastic robe leaves the broad right shoulder bare. Beams of light radiate from behind the head. Floral patterns adorn the pentagonal aureole and petal-shaped nimbus that surround the central figure. Two unique figures are painted beside the nimbus. One wears the head of an elephant, the other dons the head of a lion.
The Four Heavenly Kings, ten Bodhisattvas, and the Ten Great Disciples flank the Buddha. Deities watch from the clouds above. There are fewer figures depicted in this artwork than in other similar Korean paintings.