A Study on the Vimalakīrti Sutra Illustration in Cave 32 of the Yulin Grottoes
Cave 32 at the Yulin Grottoes was excavated in the ruling period of Cao Yanlu,a military governor of the Gui-yi-jun regime.The left wall of the main chamber of the cave is painted with a unique illustration of the Vimalakīrti Sutra,the most distinctive features of which are an image combination of Asura guarding Mt.Sumeru and an illustration of the chapter on the Pure Land in between images of Vimalakīrti and Manjusri.The presence of the second motif reflects an emphasis on Buddhist Pure Land belief and the further consolidation of Sakyamuni's supreme position in the Buddhism of the time.These themes may have been inspired by the Pure Land belief expressed in the sutra's"Chapter on the Buddhist Pure Land,"which was intended to guide and enlighten Buddhist followers in practices related to entering the Pure Land.
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