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0301 Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2
中国砂漠地帯の遺跡 : vol.2
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 / 301 ページ(カラー画像)

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doi: 10.20676/00000213
引用形式選択: Chicago | APA | Harvard | IEEE

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recalls Japanese art at its best. Far away in the back-
ground the mountains of Meru, the range representing the
Himalaya in Indian mythology, and appropriately assigned
to the 'King of the Northern Region,' close the scene.
The whole bears the impress of a master hand, and could
hold its own in any collection of Far Eastern art.

The silk paintings which represent scenes in Buddhist
heavens are particularly numerous; but as most of them
are large and crowded with figures, it is difficult to repro-
duce them adequately here. They usually show a Buddha
as their central figure seated on a lotus platform, with
an elaborate structure resembling the terraced gardens
which often adjoin Chinese temples, and surrounded by
a host of saints and heavenly attendants. Two or more
Bodhisattvas, distinguished by larger size and more lavish
adornment, are seated by his side or symmetrically en-
throned in separate pavilions. On a series of elegantly
decorated terraces below we see crowds of haloed figures
representing Arhats or saints enjoying the divine presence,
and the scene is rendered festive by the dancing which
gracefully whirling girls perform to the music produced by
Gandharvis and other celestial entertainers. Lotus-filled
tanks are often shown between the terraces; and in the
background architectural vistas, sometimes of considerable
beauty, provide an appropriate setting to the amenities of
this heavenly revel.

It is difficult, without protracted research, to ascertain
which of the various heavens known to Buddhist mytho-
logical fancy is intended in each picture. Nor does it
much matter from the artistic point of view or that of the
student of religion. Whether it is Sukhavati, the heaven
far away in the extreme west of the world, or Maitreya's
paradise where dying Hsüan-tsang fondly hoped to be
re-born, it is clear that what the pious donors and painters
of these pictures looked forward to as the final goal of
bliss was a very human paradise not lacking the good
things of this world. However remote this conception is
from the true Nirvana, the Enlightened One's real goal,
we may appreciate the air of dignified repose and enjoy-
ment which all these scenes breathe. Their architectural