Five Hundred Arhats No.54 · The Venerable Whose Vajra Breaks the Māra | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.54 The Venerable Whose Vajra Breaks the Māra

'Vajra' is the indestructible, keen wisdom of prajñā, and 'breaking the māra' is shattering the obstructions and defilements of the demon. The venerable looks upright and awe-inspiring, embodying the valor of one who severs the bonds of affliction with the vajra sword of 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