Five Hundred Arhats No.381 · The Venerable Removing the Coverings | Traditional Hand-Painted Chinese Ink Zen Buddhist Figure Painting | 100×50cm

Five Hundred Arhats · No.381 The Venerable Removing the Coverings

'Removing the coverings' means removing the five coverings (desire, ill will, dullness, restlessness, doubt) and all obscuring veils, making the heart pure and clear, not covered; the name marks one skilled in removing coverings, with a clear pure heart. The venerable makes a dispelling gesture with a bright look, possessing the clarity of removing coverings, beyond the five veils, a pure clear heart, transcending every covering's shroud with a pure heart.

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