Buddha Amitābha with Two Attending Bodhisattvas, 1200s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese ArtDevotees
Buddha Amitābha with Two Attending Bodhisattvas, 1200s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese ArtDevotees of the Pure Land Buddhist School, for which this painting was made, held the belief that if a person verbably intones the following six syllables—Namo Amituofo (南無阿彌陀佛)—with the utmost sincerity, he or she can successfully visualize the apparition of Buddha Amitābha descending along with two celestial attendants.This hanging scroll, which must have served as a visual aid for such ritual practice, is divided into two parts: the sacred words repeatedly written ten times in the upper half, and the descending Amitābha (阿彌陀 in Chinese), Mahāsthāmaprāpta (the one with a white lotus), and Avalokiteśvara (the one with a lotus-shaped incense burner) in the lower half.Size: Painting only: 134 x 79.7 cm (52 ¾ x 31 3/8 in.); Overall: 223 x 95.7 cm (87 13/16 x 37 11/16 in.)Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silkhttps://clevelandart.org/art/1974.35 -- source link
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