Chonglongshan Rock Carvings East Cliff Niche 2: Sakyamuni Buddha and Mahakasyapa
Chonglongshan Rock Carvings East Cliff Niche 2
CHINA, Sichuan, Neijiang
East Cliff Niche 2 has an open entrance and measures 4.6 m wide, 7.2 m high, and 2 m deep. The main statue is Sakyamuni Buddha. Dressed in a monastic robe over an inner robe, the Buddha stands upon lotus pedestals.
The right side is inscribed with a statue of a smiling Mahakasyapa facing the Buddha. On the upper sections of the wall are reliefs of apsaras and several flowers. This imagery is derived from the story of the assembly on Vulture Peak where Sakyamuni Buddha held up a flower and Mahakasyapa responded with a smile. This is an important story in the Chan school of Chinese Buddhism. Based on this story, Mahakasyapa succeeded the Buddha in becoming the First Patriarch of the Chan school.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E, page 208.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves A-E},
pages = 208,
title = {{Chonglongshan Rock Carvings East Cliff Niche 2}},
volume = 5,
year = {2016}}