Taima Mandala

JAPAN; Kamakura period

Once kept in Taimadera Temple in Nara, this intricate mandala serves as a tool for contemplating the Western Pure Land as it is described in the Amitayurdhyana Sutra. Amitabha Buddha sits on a lotus throne in the center of the painting. The Buddha is flanked by Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas, each of whom is surrounded by a group of 17 Bodhisattvas. Ornate canopies hang above the central figures, and apsaras fly on trails of cloud at the top of the painting. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, heavenly musicians, disciples, monks, and devotees fill the heavenly palaces in the background. In the lower register, beings are born from lotuses that rise from a pond. Heavenly beings dance on a platform below the pond, and Buddhas teach the Dharma on both banks.
Rectangular panels on the sides and bottom of the picture contain scenes from the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, in which King Ajatasatru (reigned circa 491–459 BCE) imprisons his parents, King Bimbisara and Queen Vaidehi, and takes over the kingdom. Sakyamuni Buddha appears to Queen Vaidehi and teaches her the Sixteen Contemplations of the Western Pure Land that will lead to rebirth there. The panels on the left depict, from bottom to top, King Ajatasatru persecuting his parents. On the right, the first thirteen of the Sixteen Contemplations are portrayed from the top to the bottom. The pictures on the bottom panel illustrate the last three contemplations as well as Amitabha Buddha and a retinue of Bodhisattvas welcoming deceased beings to the Pure Land. The beautifully detailed mandala is primarily colored in gold, giving it a dazzling appearance.