Shakyamuni Buddha: the historical Buddha with scenes from his life

Abstract

Shakyamuni Buddha, the sage of the Shakya clan, is seated in the midst of scenes from his final, historical life. The golden-skinned Buddha touches the earth with his right hand, a traditional gesture signifying the moment of his enlightenment. In his left hand he holds a begging bowl filled with rice shaped into a relic mound (stupa). Fourteen vignettes around the primeter of the painting depict the life of the Buddha as a mortal, beginning at the top and proceeding in a clockwise direction.