Mogao Cave 17: Illustrated Manuscript of the Lotus Sutra - Universal Gateway Chapter

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty to Five Dynasties

This illustrated manuscript dates from the late 9th or early 10th century. The “Universal Gateway Chapter” of the Lotus Sutra begins with Aksayamati Bodhisattva posting a question to the Buddha, and goes on to describe how the compassionate Avalokitesvara relieves the suffering of beings and rescues them from calamities. Each section of text from the sutra is paired with a relevant illustration. For example, above the text that states “If an enemy who wishes to harm a man pushes him down a pit of great fire, let his thought dwell on the power of Avalokitesvara and the fiery pit will be transformed into a pond,” there is an image of one figure pushing another towards a raging fire. In the other scenes, more devotees are shown encountering dangers and escaping unharmed after calling upon the Bodhisattva. Avalokitesvara is depicted several times, sitting on a lotus throne and wearing golden ornaments.
A reed pen, rather than a brush, was used to outline the expressive illustrations. The first picture shows the different forms of appearances that Avalokitesvara would manifest to guide sentient beings. The bottom two pictures show the later section of the chapter, which gives a summary of the content in the form of stanzas. The colors of the images remain bright, but some of the sections are missing.