1440

Buddhist Vinaya

Vinaya are texts on discipline for Buddhist monastic life. This set contains ten separately bound chapters; nine deal with rules for nuns and the tenth describes those for monks. The frontispiece of this sutra is printed with the delicate ink lines commonly seen in depictions of religious themes in the Ming dynasty. This panoramic view shows the historical Buddha Shakyamuni seated on the lion throne at center with his hands held in the gesture of preaching. He is flanked by large groups of followers, among them the eighteen luohans (disciples of the Buddha) and attending deities from Chinese folk beliefs. All of the figures stand amid swirling clouds, with other celestial deities flying at the top of this image to complete this heavenly assemblage.