Five Hundred Arhats No.444 · The Venerable Breaking Wrong Views | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.444 The Venerable Breaking Wrong Views

'Breaking wrong views' means refuting every wrong view, setting forth right view, cutting the net of wrong views with the sword of true-Dharma wisdom, freeing beings from error to truth; the name marks one skilled in refuting wrong views and establishing the true Dharma. The venerable makes a refuting gesture with an upright look, possessing the rectitude of refuting wrong views, setting forth right view, breaking dark with wisdom, turning beings from error to truth.

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