Artist: Tan Yao (patron)
Title: Cave 20 , Amitabha Buddha, detail of the aura (prabhamandala) behind the Buddha
Material: sandstone
Site: Yungang, Shansi
Current Location:
Period/Date: Ca. 460-475 C.E. Bei Wei Dynasty
Iconography/Iconology: As early as the 3rd century C.E. Buddhist literature began to state that a fully enlightened Buddha began to radiate other Buddhas from the aura that surrounded his body. One description explicitly states that from each pore of a Buddha's body emerge 84,000 rays of light (prabha). Each of those rays, in turn, produce 84,000 Buddhas. The aura surrounding the Buddhas from the 3rd and 4th centuries on frequently contain multiple images of Buddhas. While these have been variously interpreted by scholars over the years, the probable explaination is that the teachings of a Buddha produce endless other Buddhas. Therefore the light of the teachings leads to the enlightenment of others.
Stylistic Comments: A detailed examination of the kneeling bodhisattva images seen directly above the shoulder of the Buddha in this detail indicate a direct Indian Kashmir tradition. This is not surprising as Tan Yao's immediate predecessor as master of the Buddhist community under the Bei Wei dynasty was from Kashmir who probably arrived in China with an entourage of craftsmen, thereby providing an Indian impetus for the desiign of the images in the cave.
