Five Hundred Arhats No.482 · The Venerable Penetrating the Sea of Nature | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.482 The Venerable Penetrating the Sea of Nature

'Penetrating the sea of nature' means penetrating the sea of dharmic nature, realizing the sea of all dharmas' nature, the suchness dharma-dhātu boundless as the sea, penetrating it without hindrance; the name marks one who penetrates the sea of nature, deeply realizing the Dharma-source. The venerable makes a deep-contemplation gesture with a profound look, possessing the depth of penetrating the sea of nature, realizing the dharma-dhātu, deep and broad without hindrance, free within the sea of suchness-nature.

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