Kizil Cave 38: Life of the Buddha - Monkey Offering Honey

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This mural is located on the right side of the barrel-vaulted ceiling in the main chamber. According to the “Chapter on Madhhuvasistha” from the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, there was a monkey who lived in the forest during the Buddha’s time. The monkey asked the disciple, Ananda, to bring him the Buddha’s alms bowl. Ananda complied, and the monkey filled the bowl with fresh honey and offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha asked the monkey to remove the insects from the honey and then dilute it with water. The monkey did as he was asked and re-offered the honey. As the Buddha ate the honey, the monkey, proud of his achievement, jumped excitedly for joy. Alas, the monkey did not realize that he was jumping in the direction of a ravine, and inadvertently jumped into it and died. The monkey was then reborn as the son of a brahmin and became a monk.
In this painting, the Buddha wears a monastic robe which covers both shoulders and is seated on a circular mat beneath a tree. His usnisa is blue and he has a white and brown nimbus. The Buddha’s head is tilted slightly to one side, and his hands form the dhyana (meditation) mudra. The tree above the Buddha has flowers blooming among the leafy foliage. The monkey, to the left of the Buddha, kneels on one knee and offers the honey in an alms bowl.