Five Hundred Arhats No.480 · The Venerable Breaking the Foe-Thieves | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.480 The Venerable Breaking the Foe-Thieves

'Breaking the foe-thieves' means breaking the foe-thieves of affliction, which rob wholesome roots as a thief harms his master, breaking the thieves of affliction with the sword of wisdom so wholesome roots are unharmed; the name marks one skilled at breaking the thieves of affliction. The venerable makes a thief-breaking gesture with a resolute look, possessing the resolve of breaking affliction-thieves, guarding wholesome roots, cutting thieves with wisdom, keeping the dharma-body unharmed.

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