The Medicine Buddha Transformation Painting in Guangsheng Temple

Unexpectedly, the most important part of Guangsheng Temple (for me personally) is the Mahavira Hall in the Lower Temple, also known as the Rear Buddha Hall. When I saw the introduction mentioning that the murals had been sold to the United States, and later heard the guide mention the Metropolitan Museum in New York... I suddenly realized, could this mural be the one I saw at the Metropolitan Museum years ago? Indeed, it is this very mural! Instantly, my blood surged, and I was overwhelmed with emotion. The puzzle I had been searching for years finally had an answer. At this moment, on the other side of the earth, her original visage quietly displays the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation on a huge wall to people from all over the world. What a captivating shock and charm that makes people stop and admire! 'The Medicine Buddha Transformation' (formerly known in China as: The Assembly of the Medicine Buddha), when will you return home? Those scattered mural fragments are waiting to reunite with you. In the 1920s and 1930s, China was plagued by warlords, and people's lives were extremely difficult, including monks. Guangsheng Temple, which was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty, had become increasingly dilapidated due to years of neglect. The monks scattered, and neither the temple nor the local government had the resources to repair it. In 1928, American relic dealers Warner, Pullen, and Skemen discovered Yuan Dynasty murals in the Mahavira Hall (Rear Buddha Hall) of the Lower Temple in Guangsheng Temple. They were amazed and contacted local gentry like Li Zongzhao to purchase them. Monk Zhenda believed that instead of waiting for the hall to collapse and the murals to be destroyed, it was better to sell the murals to preserve the hall. After discussions with local officials and gentry, the murals on the four walls were divided and sold for 1,600 silver dollars. During the entire process of selling the murals, the county magistrate of Zhaocheng, Zhang Mengzeng, and local gentry Zhang Ruiqing and Wang Chengzhang were also involved. Sadly, people at the time did not see this as a shameful act. On the contrary, they considered selling the murals to preserve the temple as a righteous act worthy of praise. Therefore, they even inscribed a stone tablet to commemorate the event, recording the sale of the murals in detail. A total of four murals from Guangsheng Temple were sold, including murals on the east and west walls of the front and rear halls. After several transfers, the murals were eventually shipped to the United States under the planning of the great antique dealer Lu Qinzhai. Upon arrival in the United States, the 'Medicine Buddha Transformation' mural on the east wall of the Rear Buddha Hall was acquired by New York dentist Sackler, who loved Chinese cultural artifacts and was very wealthy. He had purchased and collected a large number of Chinese relics. Finding it difficult to keep such a large mural at home, Sackler donated it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1964 in his mother's name. The mural was sold in hundreds of pieces and was later completely restored by the Metropolitan Museum. The restored mural is permanently displayed in a hall named after Sackler and quickly became the museum's most famous Chinese art collection, stunning the world. 'Transformation' means another form of expression of Buddhist scriptures without using text. The Medicine Buddha Transformation means the expression of the Medicine Buddha Sutra through paintings. The entire mural is 15.2 meters long and 7.52 meters high, making it extremely grand in scale. In the center of the painting, the Medicine Buddha sits on a lotus throne, with a kind and round face, dignified posture, black hair in a topknot, ears hanging down to the shoulders, wearing a Buddhist robe, chest exposed, right arm bare, left hand resting on the knee, right hand forming a mudra, and both feet in a lotus position on the lotus throne. The Medicine Buddha in this mural has his left hand resting on his knee, which is different from the usual depiction of the Medicine Buddha holding a medicine vessel in his left hand. On either side of the Medicine Buddha are the Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva, also seated on lotus thrones, forming the 'Three Honored Ones of the Medicine Buddha,' also known as the 'Three Saints of the East.' Surrounding them are the 'Eight Great Bodhisattvas' standing around the 'Three Honored Ones of the Medicine Buddha.' Below the lotus thrones of the 'Three Honored Ones of the Medicine Buddha,' there are two Bodhisattvas or children offering flowers. On both sides of the painting are twelve Yaksha generals and various guardian deities, protecting the Pure Land of the East. This painting is grand in scale, with numerous figures, complex colors, and exquisite line drawing. Despite over seven hundred years of vicissitudes, it remains magnificent and is considered an artistic treasure.