阿弥陀如来坐像|Amida, the Buddha of Limitless Light
Unknown
ca. 1250 · Wood with lacquer, gold leaf, and color · Asian Art
Amida Nyorai—referred to in Sanskrit as Amitabha Tathagata—the Buddha of Limitless Light, sits upon a lotus pedestal with his hands forming the mudra of meditation. Amida presides over his own paradise, the Western Pure Land, to which he welcomes any being who calls upon his name. His benevolent gaze, directed toward the viewer below, is symbolic of this boundless compassion. The Pure Land sects of Buddhism, with their emphasis on salvation through faith, stirred the imagination of both courtiers and commoners alike, and temples dedicated to Amida were constructed throughout Japan.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- ca. 1250
- Medium
- Wood with lacquer, gold leaf, and color
- Culture
- Japan
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1919
