Family History

       


 






Amazon Ads
 
 
 
 
Portraits of 500 arhats: 丙 – Bing, third Heavenly Stem
Ink on paper, 39 x 1,820 cm, after Wang Fangyue, 1757
National Library of China, Beijing
 

 

A multitude of arhats gather within a mountainous terrain marked by steep cliffs, ancient trees, and winding paths. Some monks stand or sit in quiet groups among the rocks and pines, while others bathe or rest by a stream flowing through the foreground. Elevated above the gathering, a shrine or pavilion houses a seated figure, perhaps a Buddha, with monks arranged along the ridges in contemplative poses. Throughout the scene, the arhats appear serene and detached, their gestures calm, inhabiting a secluded realm removed from worldly distraction, their presence embodying the stillness and clarity of nirvana.