Item: Amitabha Buddha

Amitabha Buddha (Tibetan: san gye o pame. English: the Buddha of Boundless Light)associated with the pureland of Sukhavati and teaching to the eight great bodhisattvas, shravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

In the perfect vajrasana posture of meditation, red in colour with one face and two hands, blue-black hair in tufts, with a red top-knot ornament and the split ears of a prince, he wears highly stylised robes only slightly reminiscent of a fully ordained monk. The two hands are placed in the lap in the gesture (mudra) of meditation and support a black begging bowl filled with nectar. With the two legs folded in vajra posture, above a multi-coloured lotus and double peacock supported throne, he is surrounded by a dark blue areola under a canopy mounted in a wish-fulfilling tree blossoming behind, adorned with hanging jewels. At the sides stand two bodhisattva attendants. On the left side is white Lokeshvara. On the right side is blue, peaceful, Vajrapani.

Surrounding the central figure are registers with predominantly figures of the four armed Chaturbhuja Lokeshvara. In the vertical registers alongside the central Amitabha are rows of Buddhas which appear to be from the set of Thirty-five Confession Buddhas. This would mean that the composition belongs to a painting set. of unknown number, but possibly as few as three.

In the bottom left corner is a donor figure along with two female figures seated slightly behind.

Jeff Watt [1-2018]

Wisdom Calendar 1992 - Cover (full catalog list)

Thematic Sets
Subject: Composition - Repeated Figures Main Page
Subject: Repeated Figures (Masterworks)
Collection of Richard R. & Magdalena Ernst
Collection of Richard R. & Magdalena Ernst (Masterworks)
Buddhist Deity: Vajrapani (Amitabha Set of Three)
Subject: Composition - Repeated Figures (Early Works)
Buddhist Deity: Amitabha Buddha, 阿弥陀佛, འོད་དཔག་མེད། (Painting Masterworks)
Buddhist Deity: Amitabha Buddha Main Page (阿弥陀佛 / འོད་དཔག་མེད།)