Welcoming Descent of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light, and His Holy Retinue
In the Pure Land faith, believers pray to be delivered from life on this earth and reborn in the blissful paradise of Amida Buddha. Paintings like this one, worshipped in Pure Land temples, show Amida, at center in gold, and his celestial attendants descending from the heavens to deliver salvation to a believer. They descend on a bank of colorful clouds, led by two bodhisattvas—Kannon, at lower left, who extends a lotus pedestal to the devotee, and Fugen, who holds his hands in prayer.
Like many early Buddhist devotional paintings, this one has suffered extensive damage through centuries of use. The acts of preserving and preparing sacred Buddhist images are considered meritorious. The work was repaired several times by patching surface losses and repainting parts, retaining its legibility and integrity as an image of worship.
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