Five Hundred Arhats No.314 · The Venerable Dhūta Monk | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.314 The Venerable Dhūta Monk

Here dhūta is the Sanskrit for 'shaking off'; the name means one who keeps the twelve dhūta practices, shaking off the dust of affliction, with few wishes and contentment, dwelling in solitude; the name marks one who lives the dhūta life, austere and diligent. The venerable wears rag-robes with a lean, hardy look, possessing the austere firmness of shaking off worldly dust, few wishes and contentment, dwelling apart, cleansing affliction through the dhūta practices.

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