Five Hundred Arhats No.497 · The Venerable Mindful of Sattvas | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.497 The Venerable Mindful of Sattvas

Sattva is close to Sanskrit for 'sentient being' (also implying the brave mind of a bodhi-sattva); 'mindful of sattvas' means ever keeping all sentient beings in mind, holding beings through the bodhi-mind, seeking their ease. The name marks one mindful of all sentient beings, never forsaking them. The venerable bears an Indian look with a kindly mindful air; partly transliterated, the title is kept objectively, conveying only his mindfulness of sentient beings and compassionate non-abandonment.

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