Five Hundred Arhats No.483 · The Venerable Penetrating the Dharma | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.483 The Venerable Penetrating the Dharma

'Penetrating the Dharma' means penetrating all dharmas without hindrance, fully conversant with teaching and meaning, teaching Dharma to benefit beings through penetrating wisdom; the name marks one who penetrates the Dharma, eloquent without hindrance. The venerable makes a penetrating gesture with a fluent look, possessing the fluency of Dharma-penetration, mastery of meaning, unhindered eloquence, guiding beings through penetrating wisdom.

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