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Illustrated Manuscript on the Meditation Methods of the Five Families
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Illustrated Manuscript on the Meditation Methods of the Five Families
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Illustrated Manuscript on the Meditation Methods of the Five Families
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Illustrated Manuscript on the Meditation Methods of the Five Families
CHINA; Tang dynasty (618–907), dated 855; Line drawing on paper; 30 x 1,797 cm; Onjoji Temple, Otsu, Shiga, Japan
This manuscript is thought to be a copy of a scroll that was originally painted in color by the Indian monk Subhakarasimha. The Japanese monk Enchin received the manuscript from his teacher, monk Faquan of Qinglong Temple in Chang'an (present day Xi'an, Shaanxi). The manuscript is thought to be the oldest extant scroll of Buddhist iconography, and was listed as a National Treasure of Japan in 1953.
The scroll depicts the meditation methods of the five families of the Diamond realm: Buddha, vajra, jewel, lotus and karma. The illustrations are based on the six mandalas described in the Chapter on the Diamond Realm |
