Five Hundred Arhats No.266 · The Venerable Sound of the Celestial Drum | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.266 The Venerable Sound of the Celestial Drum

'Sound of the celestial drum' is like the heavenly drum that sounds by itself, ringing without being struck, proclaiming all dharmas impermanent and selfless; the drum-tone signifies the Buddha's teaching arising naturally to fit the occasion; the name marks one whose Dharma-voice is like the celestial drum, sounding unstruck. The venerable makes a listening gesture with a clear, far look, possessing the remoteness of the self-sounding drum, a Dharma-voice natural, arising to fit the moment, rousing beings through effortless wondrous tone.

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