The bronze sand gate statue made by Gao Yi

[The bronze sand gate made by Gao Yi]

The bronze sand gate made by Gao Yi, in the ninth year of the Ming orthodoxy (1444), is 21 cm high and 17.5 cm wide
The statue is made of copper, which is used as the image of Shaman. It has a bald head, white hair between the eyebrows, long eyebrows, eyes slightly closed, large ears drooping, and is dressed in cassocks with decorative edges. Sit with your left hand flat in front of your belly, holding the precious pearl in your hand, and your right hand clenched with fists, hollow, sitting on the seat of Sumiti. There is a small animal in the middle of the seat, looking up. The back of the seat is engraved with the inscription “The ninth year old son of the orthodox Ming Dynasty, the Buddha maker’s high righteousness”
From the perspective of image, this statue should be the Earth Treasure Bodhisattva. Dizang Bodhisattva is named for “being as calm as the earth, and as quiet as the secret”. He, together with Manjusri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokitesvara, are known as the four great Bodhisattvas in China. After Sakyamuni Nirvana and before Maitreya was born, he vowed to spend all six lives, save all suffering, and finally wish to return to the positive results. Therefore, he is also known as the “Great Wish Bodhisattva”. To provide for the land, 10 kinds of benefits can be obtained, such as the land is abundant, the house is always safe, the first to die, the existing life is long, the purpose is desired, there is no water and fire, the elimination of waste, the elimination of nightmares, access to God’s protection, and the frequent occurrence of holy causes. According to the “Dafangguang Ten Wheels Classic”, the image of the land collection appeared in the Northern Liang Dynasty, and was widely popular in the Tang, Five Dynasties and Song Dynasties, and lasted until the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The folk belief is especially strong. There are mainly two kinds of images: Shaman and Bodhisattva. The shaman usually wears cassocks, one holding a tin stick and the other holding a treasure bead. The statue has a pearl in its left hand and a hollow in its right hand. It is presumed that the original holding is a tin stick. This is a valuable material for the study of the Tibetan belief in the Ming Dynasty.