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Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Great Buddha Bay Niche 15: Illustration of the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents
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Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Great Buddha Bay Niche 15: Illustration of the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents
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Dazu Rock Carvings Baodingshan Great Buddha Bay Niche 15: Illustration of the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents
CHINA, Chongqing, Dazu; Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)
ddhas of the current bhadra kalpa.
Eleven scenes from the Sutra on the Profound Kindness of Parents are carved in the middle tier. The central scene is from the “Introductory Chapter” of the sutra, depicting a couple holding an incense burner and praying to the Buddha for a son. Carvings and inscriptions of the ten favors bestowed by parents on their children are depicted on either side of the couple. The left side shows the first favor of providing protection during pregnancy, the third favor of forgetting all of the pain of childbirth once the child has been born, the fifth favor of keeping the child in a dry place, the seventh favor of washing away the filth, and the ninth favor of deep caring and sacrifice. On the right side are the second favor of bearing suffering during childbirth, the fourth favor of eating something bitter so the child may have something sweet, the sixth favor of nourishing the child with the mother’s milk, the eighth favor of being concerned and worried when the child is far away, and the tenth favor of ultimate love and sympathy. These carvings offer insight into family life during the Song dynasty (960–1279). Scenes of beings suffering in the Avici Hell are carved in the lower tier. |
