Mogao Cave 454: Spread of Buddhism - An Shigao Encountering a Python

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Song dynasty

This illustration is found on the upper left section of the mural on the Spread of Buddhism, which is located on the ceiling of the corridor. Stories depicting the spread of Buddhism to China were a prominent theme in Dunhuang from the Late Tang period (846–907) to the Song dynasty (960–1279). According to the Records of the Auspicious Signs of the Buddhas, the early Buddhist missionary An Shigao once encountered a former classmate who was reborn as a python as a result of his rage in his human life. Fearing his next life would be in hell, the python asked An Shigao for help. An Shigao then built a pagoda for the python.
The painting is in the upper right section of the Spread of Buddhism mural and includes two scenes. In the lower scene, the python is shown inside a hall with a sloping roof. Three people kneel in front of the hall. The one in the front holds an incense burner with a long handle, and the others join their palms in reverence. The upper scene illustrates the python in a mountain setting. Two people kneel facing the python. The one in front holds an incense burner with a long handle, and the other joins palms. This is thought to represent a farewell scene, after An Shigao has fulfilled the python’s wishes.