Five Hundred Arhats No.289 · The Venerable Subduer of Māra's Armies | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.289 The Venerable Subduer of Māra's Armies

'Subduer of Māra's armies' means overcoming, through the power of concentration and wisdom, the armies of the māras of affliction, the aggregates, death and the deity; the māra armies trouble the heart and the power of the path breaks them; the name marks one firm in the power of the path who can subdue the māra host. The venerable makes a subduing gesture with a fierce look, possessing the might of conquering māra through stillness and wisdom, breaking foes with path-power, the heart fearless, subduing affliction's armies through true Dharma power.

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