Bindulabara and Thangka, the Buddhist monk of Bantoga

[Tangka of Bindulabara and Bantoga]

Bindulabara and Bantoga, 16th to 17th century, Beijing, cloth, color, 140 cm high, 84 cm wide, 86 cm vertical and 54 cm horizontal. The old collection of the Qing Palace
At the top of the picture is the Venerable Pendulabara, holding the sutra in his left hand, holding the bowl in his right hand, looking up at the sky, and Feitian is pouring water into the bowl. Behind the Venerable is the eastern Shengshenzhou, where he lives (one of the four continents mentioned in the Buddhist cosmology). There is a mountain in Shengshenzhou, and there is a cave in the mountain. Because a Bodhisattva prays in it, he has wonderful magic power. Anyone who meditates in the cave can fully settle down, so it is named “Shengjing Cave”. At the bottom of the painting, the person who made the Zen meditation seal was the Buddha who was famous for his stupidity, but he gained the fruit position by persevering in his hard work. The person on the right of the Venerable One may be the legendary doctor Jain, who invited the Buddha and his disciples to lunch, but refused to invite him to pay attention to the mandala. At the far right of the picture, there is another person who is covering his nose and laughing at the idiot of the Venerable. His expression is vividly portrayed.