Five Hundred Arhats No.492 · The Venerable Aeons of Absorption | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.492 The Venerable Aeons of Absorption

'Aeons of absorption' means cultivating meditative absorption over countless aeons, samādhi-power deep and firm, through long aeons without retreat, absorption and wisdom held in balance; the name marks one who cultivates absorption across aeons, with profound samādhi. The venerable makes a deep-absorption gesture with a firm look, possessing the depth of aeon-long absorption, firm samādhi-power, non-retreat through long aeons, balanced absorption and 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