Mogao Cave 17: Liu Sahe

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Tang dynasty

Discovered in Mogao Cave 17, these are two pieces of a large silk painting. One piece is kept in the British Museum while the other is in the Guimet Museum of Asian Art. The painting depicts the story of the monk Liu Sahe from the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420).
Liu Sahe, whose Dharma name was Huida, once predicted that a huge Buddha statue would appear on Yurongshan (Imperial Portrait Mountain), and stated that the strength of the country would determine if the statue would be completed or not. A century later, a cliff ruptured due to a lightning strike and a headless Buddha image formed naturally in the rock. Attempts made by the villagers to add a head to the Buddha were in vain. Finally, a head sculpture found in another area was added to the Buddha statue during a time when the country was strong and peaceful. Because the prediction came to pass, Liu gained the respect of the villagers of Hexi, who made images of his tale in the Mogao Caves. The story was also recorded in the Book of Liang, Biographies of Eminent Monks, Collected Records of Spiritual Responses of the Three Jewels in China, Record of Buddhist Kingdoms, Forest of Gems in the Garden of the Dharma, and Vinaya Master Daoxuan’s Record of Miraculous Responses.
The first fragment shows Liu Sahe and the large flaming mandorla of a partially visible Buddha on the right. The Buddha, meant to be the central figure of the painting, bares his right shoulder with the arm held down. Above the Buddha, mountain ranges are depicted with bold lines beside a canopy. Liu has a red nimbus and stands facing the Buddha. He wears a red inner robe and a blue monastic robe. The standing Buddha image painted on the lower left beside Liu illustrates his prediction.
The second fragment shows a Bodhisattva kneeling on a blue lotus and raising flowers toward a large incense burner. Between the Bodhisattva and the incense burner, there is a green Buddha’s head placed atop of a blue rectangular object. The remaining spaces are filled with many small figures.