Five Hundred Arhats No.439 · The Venerable Above the Dharma | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.439 The Venerable Above the Dharma

'Above the Dharma' means the most noble among dharmas, lord within the Dharma, beyond all expression, realizing the highest dharma, the reliance of all dharmas; the name marks one who realizes the highest dharma, noble within it. The venerable has a noble, lofty presence, possessing the eminence of being highest in the Dharma, beyond expression, the reliance of all, ruling dharmas through the highest dharma.

Painted by Li Zongyi in the freehand Chinese ink (xieyi) tradition, the brushwork is fluent and the ink tones layered from dense to pale, capturing the arhat’s spirit in a few assured strokes. The blank paper itself breathes Zen; figure and spirit are one, blending monastic solemnity with the literati’s ease. Each of the Five Hundred Arhats bears its own name and practice, uniting faith, art and collectibility — an original, non-reproducible hand-painted work.

Size: approx. 100×50cm (4.5 square chi) | Traditional hand-painted Chinese ink Zen Buddhist figure painting | On paper