Welcoming Descent of Amida and Bodhisattvas

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Like many of the works of art created to represent the Pure Land belief in salvation through faith, raigō ("welcoming descent") paintings like this one were indispensable religious furnishings at the time of death. Such raigo paintings depict the scene in which Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha) and his attendants descend from heaven to take a believer back to the Western Paradise on a lotus throne. The scrolls were often hung by the bedside of the dying to ensure the prospect of rebirth in paradise. Since traditionally the dying lay with their heads to the north and their faces turned west, raigō paintings usually depict the Buddha and his entourage coming from the upper left down toward the lower right so as to meet the gaze of the dying. Sometimes silken cords were attached to Buddha's hand, offering the dying physical assistance during the journey to paradise.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art