Mogao Cave 159: Sutra Illustrations

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

There are three sutra illustrations on both the north and south walls of the main chamber, with three smaller panels of images below each mural.
On the south wall are illustrations of the Maitreya Sutras, the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, and the Lotus Sutra. The illustration of the Maitreya Sutras is divided into two distinct sections. In the upper register is a palace and courtyard above the clouds, with Maitreya Bodhisattva seated in the center of the courtyard teaching the Dharma. This represents the Sutra on the Ascent of Maitreya. In the middle and lower registers are images of the three assemblies of Maitreya from the Sutra on the Descent of Maitreya, with the focus on the first assembly in the middle. Maitreya Buddha is seated with legs pendent, teaching the Dharma, and is surrounded by Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, and other heavenly beings. Below this are scenes of King Sankha’s ordination, and brahmins destroying the treasure platform. On each side in the lower register, Maitreya Buddha is again shown seated with legs pendent, surrounded by Bodhisattvas, representing the second and third assemblies. The three panels below the illustration have suffered extensive damage. The only one that is still visible depicts the story of the wedding of a 500 year old woman.
In the center of the illustration of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra is a Buddha with a blue usnisa who wears a robe draped over the left shoulder. The Buddha sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne, surrounded by Bodhisattvas and apsaras. Light radiates from the urna between the white eyebrows of the Buddha, and a two-story palace is seen above him. A Buddha and two Bodhisattvas sit on the upper story of the pavilion, and an audience of Bodhisattvas gather on both sides to hear the Dharma. A large lotus blooms within the lower story. Below the central Buddha image, two heavenly beings dance ecstatically on a carpeted platform, and below this are three platforms linked together by bridges. The two side platforms each hold a Buddha and three Bodhisattvas, while musicians and dancers perform on the central platform and on the bridges. Below the illustration, three panels depict the story of Ajatasatru and the Sixteen Contemplations.
In the center of the Lotus Sutra illustration is the Buddha teaching at Vulture Peak, surrounded by Bodhisattvas and disciples. Above are lush mountains covered with trees, and below is a lotus pond. Two semicircular lines of Bodhisattvas and disciples stand on the upper part of Vulture Peak, and above them is the scene of Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna Buddhas seated in the Prabhutaratna Pagoda described in the “Chapter on the Emergence of the Prabhutaratna Pagoda.” These central images are surrounded on either side and below by narrative illustrations of different chapters, including the “Chapter on Similes and Parables,” “Chapter on Willing Acceptance,” “Chapter on the Parable of Medicinal Herbs,” “Chapter on the Parable of the Phantom City,” and “Chapter on Peaceful Practices.” The three panels below the illustration depict the “Chapter on the Merit of Rejoicing,” “Chapter on the Past Deeds of the King Subhavyaha,” and the “Universal Gateway Chapter.”