Page 69 - Christies September 13 to 14th Fine Chinese Works of Art New York

ElEgancE PErsonifiEd:

a Pair of Tang sTanding Bodhisattvas

Elegantly outftted in the sumptuous trappings of an Indian prince of old, these transliterated as 摩伽羅, 摩竭羅, and 摩迦羅) that incongruously springs from
compelling sculptures represent bodhisattvas 菩薩, benevolent beings who the bodhisattva’s hip, two stems of a lotus plant rise up Dashizhi’s right arm,
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have attained enlightenment 菩提 but who have selfessly postponed entry one supporting a leaf, discernable in profle at the elbow, and the other a small
into nirvana 涅槃 in order to assist other sentient beings—有情 or 眾生—in lotus bud, visible at the shoulder. 4
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gaining enlightenment. Bodhisattvas are presented in the guise of an early
Indian prince, a reference to Siddhartha Gautama’s worldly status before he A translation of the Sanskrit name Avalokiteshvara, Guanshiyin means “[The
became the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni 釋迦牟尼佛, implying that just One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World”, a reference to Guanyin’s
as Siddhartha 喬達摩悉達多 (traditionally, c. 563–c. 483 BC), who was born a ability to hear both the cries of the aflicted and the prayers of supplicants.
crown prince, became a Buddha 佛, so will bodhisattvas eventually become An earthly manifestation of the Buddha Amitabha, Guanyin guards the world
Buddhas, once all sentient b1eings have attained enlightenment. in the interval between the departure of the Historical Buddha Shakyamuni
and the appearance of Maitreya 彌勒, the Buddha of the Future. The Lotus
Meaning “enlightened being”, a bodhisattva is an altruistic being who is Sutra—known in Sanskrit as the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra and in Chinese
dedicated to assisting other sentient beings in achieving release from as the Miaofa Lianhua Jing 妙法蓮華經—is generally accepted as the earliest
the samsara cycle of birth and rebirth 輪迴 through the attainment of sacred text that presents the doctrines of Avalokiteshvara, that presentation
enlightenment; bodhisattvas thus embody the Mahayana Buddhist 大乘佛教 occurring in Chapter 25. Titled Guanshiyin Pusa Pumenpin 觀世音菩薩普門品
ideal of delivering all living creatures from sufering 普度眾生. Thanks to the and devoted to Guanyin, that chapter describes Guanyin as a compassionate
enormous stores they have amassed, bodhisattvas are able to assist others bodhisattva who hears the cries of sentient beings and who works tirelessly
through the transfer of meritorious karma to those in need, a concept known in to help all those who call upon his name. Thirty-three diferent manifestations
Sanskrit as parinamana and in Chinese as huixiang 回向 or 迴向. of the bodhisattva are described, including female manifestations as well as
ones with multiple heads and multiple limbs. This chapter has long circulated
As evinced by these majestic sculptures, bodhisattvas generally are depicted independently as stand-alone sutra called the Avalokiteshvara Sutra, or
with a single head, two arms, and two legs, though they in fact may be shown Guanshiyin Jing 觀世音經 in Chinese, and is commonly recited or chanted at
with multiple heads and limbs, depending upon the individual bodhisattva and Buddhist temples in East Asia.
the particular manifestation as described in the sutras 佛經, or sacred texts.
Richly attired, bodhisattvas, who may be presented either standing or seated, Mahasthamaprapta, or Dashizhi 大勢至菩薩 in Chinese, literally means “arrival
are represented with long hair often arranged in a tall coifure, or bun, atop the of great strength” and represents the power of wisdom. This bodhisattva
head and often with long strands of hair cascading over the shoulders, as seen awakens in humans their need to be liberated from the samsara cycle of birth
in these sculptures. Though not present here, a crown sometimes surrounds and rebirth 輪迴. In the pairing of the two bodhisattvas with Amitabha to form
the high topknot. Bodhisattvas wear ornamental scarves, dhotis of rich silk an Amitabha Triad 阿彌陀三尊, Guanyin enacts Amitabha’s compassion, and
brocade, and a wealth of jewelry that typically includes necklaces, armlets, Mahasthamaprapta brings to humanity the power of Amitabha’s wisdom.
bracelets, and anklets. Each of these fgures wears a scarf, a necklace, and Among the earliest of the bodhisattvas described in the sacred texts, Dashizhi
armlets, for example, and one of them wears a string of beads that encircles is also viewed as a protector of the Buddha and of the dharma 法, or canon
the waist, falls to the knees in two broad ellipses, and then loops around to the of Buddhist teachings. In the Shurangama Sutra, known in Chinese as
fgure’s back. Like Buddhas, bodhisattvas have distended earlobes; some wear Dafoding Shoulengyan Jing 大佛頂首楞嚴經, Dashizhi recounts that he gained
earrings, others do not. Though bodhisattvas generally are shown barefoot, as enlightenment through meditation and through the practice of Buddha
in these sculptures, both early Indian and early Chinese images of bodhisattvas recitation, thus underscoring the merit both of meditation and of chanting
may be shown wearing sandals, often of plaited straw. 3 sutras during Buddhist worship.
These sculptures represent two specifc bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, the Although appearing in early Mahayana sutras, Dashizhi was seldom worshiped
bodhisattva of compassion—who is known in Chinese as Guanshiyin Pusa 觀世 or represented in India but played an important role in Mahayana Buddhism
音菩薩, or more simply as Guanyin Pusa 觀音菩薩—and Mahasthamaprapta, the as practiced in East Asia. Apart from the Shurangama Sutra, Dashizhi is also
bodhisattva of the power of wisdom, who is known in Chinese as Dashizhi Pusa introduced in the Infnite Life Sutra—known as the Sukhavativyuha Sutra in
大勢至菩薩. By Tang times 唐時代 (618–907) these two bodhisattvas typically Sanskrit and as the Wuliangshou Jing 無量壽經 in Chinese—and in the Sutra of
were presented as a pair and in association with the Buddha Amitabha 阿彌 Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, or Samantabhadra Meditation
陀佛. (Fig. 1) In fact, Guanyin is regarded as a spiritual emanation of Amitabha Sutra, known in Chinese as the Guan Puxian Pusa Xingfa Jing 觀普賢菩薩行法
and is identifed by the small representation of Amitabha that appears in 經, which is included in the Lotus Sutra as Chapter 28 but is regarded as an
the bodhisattva’s crown or, in this instance, at the front of the tall topknot of epilogue to that sutra.
hair. The vase that the bodhisattva holds in the lowered left hand—the vase
possibly originally a kundika 淨甁, or sprinkler for dispensing holy water in Originally set on a temple altar, these two sculptures would have appeared on
purifcation rituals—also fgures among the iconographic symbols associated either side of a Buddha, forming a triad 三尊. (Fig. 2) The Buddha, which could
with Guanyin. The covered jar—in other instances a long-necked water bottle have been either standing or seated, likely would have been Amitabha. Though
水瓶—at the front of the tall bun of hair symbolizes wisdom and identifes the Guanyin typically appeared to the left, and Dashizhi to the right, of the central
other bodhisattva as Dashizhi. Emerging from the mouth of a makara (variously Buddha image, the placement occasionally was switched, so it is impossible

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