Paradise of Amitabha(FIG. 7-15), on the wall of one of the
Dunhuang caves, shows how the splendor of the Tang era and reli-
gious teachings could come together in a powerful image. Buddhist
Pure Land sects, especially those centered on Amitabha, Buddha of
the West, had captured the popular imagination in the Period of
Disunity under the Six Dynasties and continued to flourish during
the Tang dynasty. Pure Land teachings asserted that individuals had
no hope of attaining enlightenment through their own power be-
cause of the waning of the Buddha’s Law. Instead, they could obtain
rebirth in a realm free from spiritual corruption simply through
faith in Amitabha’s promise of salvation. Richly detailed, brilliantly
colored pictures steeped in the opulence of the Tang dynasty, such as
this one, greatly aided worshipers in gaining faith by visualizing the
wonders of the Pure Land Paradise. Amitabha sits in the center of a
raised platform, his principal bodhisattvas and lesser divine atten-
dants surrounding him. Before them a celestial dance takes place.
Bodhisattvas had strong appeal in East Asia as compassionate beings
ready to achieve buddhahood but dedicated to humanity’s salvation.
Some received direct worship and became the main subjects of
sculpture and painting.China 1937-15Paradise of Amitabha,
cave 172, Dunhuang, China,
Tang dynasty, mid-eighth cen-
tury. Wall painting 10high.
This richly detailed, brilliantly
colored mural aided Tang
worshipers at Dunhuang in
visualizing the wonders of the
Pure Land Paradise promised
to those who had faith in
Amitabha, the Buddha of the
West.7-14Vairocana Buddha,
disciples, and bodhisattvas,
Fengxian Temple, Longmen
Caves, Luoyang, China, Tang
dynasty, completed 676.
Limestone, Buddha 44high.
Empress Wu Zetian sponsored
these colossal rock-cut
sculptures. The Tang artists
represented the Mahayana
Cosmic Buddha in serene
majesty, suppressing surface
detail in the interest of
monumental simplicity.1 ft.10 ft.7-15A
Bodhisattva
Guanyin,
Dunhuang,
late ninth or
early 10th
century.