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Western Paradise of Buddha Amitâbha

China

Not on view

Buddha Amitabha in his Western Paradise is depicted here as Buddha Amitayus of Infinite Life. Crowned and surrounded by bodhisattvas, monks, and disciples, he holds a vase of longevity in his hands. The title, written horizontally above the image, reads, “Picture of the adornments of [the two kinds of] circumstantial and direct [retributions] in the world of ultimate bliss in the West.”

Below the garden-palace complex in the background, the souls of devotees emerge from lotus flowers to be reborn in Paradise, also known as the Pure Land.

Western Paradise of Buddha Amitâbha, Hanging scroll; 
woodblock print, ink on thin paper, China

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