Six-Armed Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Sitting in a Posture of Roya Ease: Folio from a Manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom)

Mahavihara Master

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Lavishly illustrated Perfection of Wisdom texts are understood to contain the totality of Buddhist ideology. Often they were not read but instead were placed on altars so they could be venerated almost like images. This well-preserved Indian palm-leaf manuscript probably made its way to Tibet, where it survived in the cold, dry climate. Six-Armed Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Sitting in a Posture of Royal Ease In this multiarmed depiction, Avalokiteshvara simultaneously holds a mala (string of prayer beads), a text, and a vessel with flowers. With his other hands, he gestures to offers boons (varada mudra) and displays the teaching gesture (dharmachakra mudra), providing a path to enlightenment. He sits within an elaborate stacked structure that likely is the source for Tibetan and Nepalese altars.

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