Five Hundred Arhats No.306 · The Venerable Saṃgha | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.306 The Venerable Saṃgha

In this name, saṃgha is the Sanskrit word for the monastic community, the harmonious assembly, with a nominal ending; listed among the five hundred arhats, the saṅgha's harmony is taken as title to signify harmony with the community and a pure assembly. The venerable appears as an Indian monk with a concordant look; the title is kept objectively without miraculous legend, conveying only the six harmonies and concord without strife.

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