Sattva in Chinese Buddhist Paintings: Space Perception and the Form of Representation of Human Beings in the Tang Dynasty

ONISHI Makiko

If one considers sattva (sentient beings) as specifically referring to human beings
 then the space where they are located is traditionally limited to the human realm
 in Jambudvipa
 a part of the sah? world. Through investigating the pictorial representations of Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land
 the images of patrons making offerings
 and the pictorial representations of Maitreya Buddha’s Pure Land in Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang
 we aim to describe how this space perception worked in the form of representation in the Chinese Buddhist Paintings in the Tang Dynasty.

The journal of the Nippon Buddhist Research Association

Hozokan

87