Mogao Cave 85: Illustration of the Lankavatara Sutra

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

This mural is painted on the east slope of the ceiling of Cave 85. The oldest illustrations of the Lankavatara Sutra in the Mogao Caves date from the Mid-Tang period (756–846). This one was painted during the Late Tang period (846–907).
Three chapters from the sutra are illustrated in this mural. The central image is Sakyamuni Buddha teaching the Dharma to King Ravana in the city of Lanka on the towering, hourglass-shaped Mount Malaya, as described in the “Chapter on King Ravana’s Request.” The city walls are painted in a diamond pattern, with a city gate at the front and watchtowers in the four corners. The Buddha is seated in full lotus position with a disciple and a Bodhisattva on each side. King Ravana and his wife sit before the Buddha, and four monks kneel, listening to the Dharma.
The illustrations of the “Chapter on Stop Eating Meat” are depicted on the right side. They include butchers, hunters, King Sibi offering his flesh to save a dove, and a Bodhisattva teaching the Dharma to animals.
On the left side are depictions of the numerous parables found within the “Chapter on the Collection of All Dharmas,” including the parable of the shining mirror, the parable of the pottery master, the forestry skills parable, the gandharva city parable, the parable of lights, the monkey parable, the parable of the skilled doctor, the parable of mother and child, the parable of clean clothes, the parable of the bird flying through emptiness, and the parable of the king of the four continents.