Mogao Cave 248: Buddha Teaching the Dharma
Mogao Cave 248: Buddha Teaching the Dharma
CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Northern Wei dynasty
This image is painted on the north wall. Sakyamuni Buddha sits in full lotus position in the center, teaching the Dharma. The Buddha has blue hair and a prominent usnisa, and wears an open collar robe with a white inner robe visible on the chest. The right hand is raised with palm facing upwards. The Buddha has a petal-shaped nimbus surrounded by a mandorla. There are flying apsaras on either side of the canopy above the Buddha. Below are two rows of Bodhisattvas listening to the Dharma. The Bodhisattvas all have round nimbuses and three-pointed crowns. They stand serenely on lotus pedestals, some of them turned towards one another. Each Bodhisattva wears long celestial garments and has a stole draped over their arms.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Caves M-Mo, page 1056.
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 M-Mo},
pages = 1056,
title = {{Mogao Cave 248: Buddha Teaching the Dharma}},
volume = 7,
year = {2016}}