Mogao Cave 17: Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara

CHINA, Gansu, Dunhuang; Later Han dynasty

This painting portrays Amoghapasa with three eyes and eight arms. The Bodhisattva wears a crown decorated with a Buddha image. A deerskin is draped over the left shoulder. The white infallible noose, a symbol of Amoghapasa’s ability to lead beings to enlightenment, hangs around the neck and over two of the arms. The left hand in front of the chest holds a lotus bud, and the right hand holds a lotus. Two raised hands grasp tridents. The middle two hands hold a vase and a willow branch, while the two lower hands carry prayer beads and a vase. Amoghapasa stands on a lotus pedestal from which two lotuses rise, flowering beside the middle of the aureole. The inscription in the lower register dates the picture to 950 and states that it was commissioned by Deng Xingquan in prayer for the well-being of his family. Figures representing Deng and his family are painted beside the inscription.