Mogao Cave 98: Illustration of the Lotus Sutra

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Five Dynasties

This mural is located on the south wall of Cave 98. The central image is the Dharma assembly described in the “Introductory Chapter” of the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha is seated in the center, flanked by Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas. An assembly of Bodhisattvas, monks, and the Eight Classes of Dharma Protectors gather to listen to the Buddha teach the Dharma. More Bodhisattvas, depicted above, arrive riding on colorful clouds, as described in the “Chapter on Devadatta” and the “Chapter on Emerging from the Earth.” An illustration of the “Chapter on the Emergence of the Prabhutaratna Pagoda” is found above the Dharma assembly. Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna Buddhas sit side by side within the pagoda teaching the Dharma to the surrounding Buddhas, heavenly beings, and disciples. Portrayals of the “Chapter on Similes and Parables” and the “Chapter on Skillful Means” are located below the image of the “Introductory Chapter.” To the right are the “Chapter on Belief and Understanding” and the “Chapter on the Parable of Medicinal Herbs,” and to the left is the “Chapter on Peaceful Practices,” and on both sides are illustrations from the “Universal Gateway Chapter.”