Dublin Core
Title
"The Third Stupa", (The third great Event)
Subject
Eight great events of the Buddha's life
Description
Depiction of the third great event of the Buddha's life, his first Sermon. The central scene displays the Buddha closely flanked by two disciples, all three sitting on lotus, wearing monastic garments and having a halo. The Buddha holds his hands in the anjalimudra with clasped hands (Ursula Toyko-Fuong mentions that this is the wrong mudra for this event, he should be depicted with his hand holding the dharmacakramudra). The scene is enclosed by a stūpa. The Buddha is surrounded by bodhisattvas (two groups of three at each side of the stūpa), which are kneeling on lotus thrones under flowering trees with their hands raised in adoration. On the right side of the stūpa there are two persons depicted. The inscription beside it says: "Mañjuśrī
and Puxian". In the lower right corner of the painting five people are displayed (the five companions of the Buddha who left him?) The opposite corner shows a group of five nuns. There is a large inscription stele at the front of the main scene. It is flanked by a female and male deer. The front of the central image shows a stele with a chinese inscription: "[...] The five adepts began to spread the Four Truths of the Teaching. On this site the wheel of the Law began to turn, this is the third stūpa. The translation of the title is: "Dharmacakra cautya ratna(m)", The jewel of Dharmacakra stūpa (Ursula Toyka-Fuong, 1998, 75)
and Puxian". In the lower right corner of the painting five people are displayed (the five companions of the Buddha who left him?) The opposite corner shows a group of five nuns. There is a large inscription stele at the front of the main scene. It is flanked by a female and male deer. The front of the central image shows a stele with a chinese inscription: "[...] The five adepts began to spread the Four Truths of the Teaching. On this site the wheel of the Law began to turn, this is the third stūpa. The translation of the title is: "Dharmacakra cautya ratna(m)", The jewel of Dharmacakra stūpa (Ursula Toyka-Fuong, 1998, 75)
Source
Toyka-Fuong, Ursula, "The Influence of Pala Art on 11th-century Wall-paintings of Grotto 76 in Dunhuang", in The Inner Asia International Style 12th-14th Centuries. Papers presented at a Panel of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995, edited by Deborah E. Klimburg and Eva Allinger, 67-95. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1998, 91.
Date
late 11th century
Rights
Courtesy of the Dunhuang Institute of Research, Dunhuang
Language
Sanskrit and chinese
Coverage
Dunhuang, Mogao Grotto 76, Gansu province, China