Five Hundred Arhats No.401 · The Venerable Subduing Dragons and Giving | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.401 The Venerable Subduing Dragons and Giving

'Subduing dragons and giving' means subduing fierce dragons, gathering through generosity, taming the stubborn and giving fearlessness, like catching a dragon in the bowl, subduing all venom of anger through compassion, then benefiting beings through generosity; the name marks one skilled in taming the stubborn, able to give fearlessness. The venerable makes a subduing gesture, fierce yet kind, possessing the majestic kindness of subduing fierce dragons, taming the stubborn, giving fearlessness, subduing anger and giving aid through compassion.

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