国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

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eroded banks. The Nágas are barelegged, have bestial faces with bushy, flowing

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beards, and long, wavy hair; and carry trays laden with flaming jewels.

Along the top of the next two sections a row of five seated Buddhas, with the

right hands in vítarka--mudrá and the left in dhyání-mudrá, descend on streaming

clouds. Perhaps they are the five Dhyáni Buddhas. A sixth is just discernible

farther to the right, who may be Vaj rasattva.

In the second vertical section are two scenes, surrounded and divided from each

other by elaborately scrolled clouds. The upper of these two represents a Buddha

(Vajrasattva ?), robed as a monk, enthroned in the dhyánásana attitude, the right

hand raised in vítarka--mudrá and the left touching the earth bhűmísparsa-mudrá. On

his breast is a swastika. He is addressing an assembly of monks, five on one side

and nine on the other. The subject of the lower scene (reproduced to a larger scale

below) is similarly arranged but the central figure is not in the dress of a monk,

but is nude to the waist and has nether garments, stoles, and jewellery comprising a

usual type of dress for a Bodhisattva. His hands are crossed flat against his breast,

and his audience is composed of nine Bodhisattvas, four on his right and five on

his left. There is a tenth figure, kneeling in front, facing the central figure and

therefore with back to us.

The fourth vertical section follows the same scheme as the second; two teaching

Bodhisattvas, each surrounded by an audience. The upper of the two groups is

badly faded and indistinct. The central figure lifts the right hand in teaching pose

and the left is pendent in front as though grasping something. The lower subject is

also indistinct. The Teacher has both hands level with his chest, and his audience

consists of seven Bodhisattvas, three to the left and four to the right.

The two Buddhas in the third vertical section, standing against petal-shaped

vesicas, are dressed as mendicants and have the right hands raised in teaching pose,

that of the Buddha on the right showing the web between thumb and first finger.

In the crowd of Bodhisattvas present, their hands devoutly folded, is a monk, whose

shaven head appears at the top of the central group. A fence of double rails, stiffened

with short posts set in metal `housings', standing on paved steps, divides this man-

dala from two long horizontal flower beds, intersected by two narrow green lines.

From these beds rise two rows of Bodhisattva heads, three above and four below

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a curious and unique feature. g

register extending In a lower reg idin the whole length of the wall is a refreshing and

frankly secular scene recording the approach of a caravan or procession of pilgrims

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