Five Hundred Arhats No.490 · The Venerable Lifting Beings' Suffering | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.490 The Venerable Lifting Beings' Suffering

'Lifting beings' suffering' means rescuing beings from every suffering, freeing them from pain and giving joy, lifting suffering and giving bliss with the hand of great compassion, universally saving the deluded; the name marks one who lifts beings' suffering and gives them joy. The venerable makes a rescuing gesture with a brave-compassionate look, possessing the brave compassion of rescuing suffering, freeing from pain to joy, lifting suffering through great compassion, universally saving beings from every woe.

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