Chapter 5

5.1Now, Lord Śākyamuni, looking at the entire assembly, spoke to Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:

“There is, Mañjuśrī, yet another procedure from your ritual of cloth painting‍—the medium one. I will teach it now, so listen well and duly reflect upon it. {5.1}

5.2“First, to produce the medium painting, thread should be used as previously described, following the same procedure as before. The work should be done by craftsmen who have been trained beforehand, applying the same measurements as the previous cloth. Just as before, the cloth should be of excellent quality, white, tightly woven, and thoroughly clean and have fringe tassels. The painting should then be executed using uncontaminated paints free of hairs, dust, or other debris, with everything done just as before, except for the sizes and forms of the painted figures. {5.2}

5.3“First one should paint the realm of the Pure Abode, its form beautiful in every respect, abounding in things made of jewels, and adorned with garlands of white pearls. Portrayed in the middle should be Lord Śākyamuni, sitting on the lion throne expounding the Dharma and excellent in every aspect. {5.3}

5.4“To his right is Noble Mañjuśrī, the color of lotus filaments, saffron, [F.137.b] [F.154.b] or the sun, with a blue lotus near his left shoulder. With the palms of his hands folded in reverence, he looks toward Lord Śākyamuni. He has the form of a divine youth, with a gentle smile on his face, and his head is adorned with a crown of five decorative locks of hair. He is ornamented with the adornments of a young boy and inclines his head toward his right knee. {5.4}

5.5“To the left of Lord Śākyamuni is the noble Avalokiteśvara, white as the autumn moon and painted just as he was described before, but this time fanning the Blessed One with a yak-tail whisk. To his left, arranged one next to the other, are the noble Maitreya, Vajrapāṇi, Mahāmati, Śāntamati, Gaganagañja, and Sarva­nīvaraṇa­viṣkambhin. They should be painted as before and adorned with all kinds of jewelry. {5.5}

5.6“Situated above them the eight blessed buddhas should be painted in a standing position, displaying the boon-granting gesture with their right hands, their bodies covered in the yellow robes of a monk and an upper cloak. With their left hands they hold the corner of their robes. The well-fitting robes are yellowish with a slightly red hue. They are surrounded with halos of light and are excellent in every aspect. The blessed buddhas that should be portrayed are the tathāgatas Saṃkusumita­rājendra, Ratnaśikhin, Śikhin, Viśvabhuk, Krakucchanda, Bakagrīvin, Kāśyapa, and Sunetra. {5.6}

5.7“To the right of the Blessed One and near Noble Mañjuśrī should be depicted the great assembly. The eight great śrāvakas and eight pratyeka­buddhas should be painted exactly as before, except that the noble Mahā­maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra are standing up and fanning Lord Śākyamuni with a yak-tail whisk. {5.7} [F.138.a] [F.155.a]

5.8“The gods from the realm of the Pure Abode, Śakra, the lord of gods, and Suyāma , as well as the gods from the heavens of Tuṣita, Sunirmita, Śuddha, Vimala, Sudṛśa, Atapas, and Ābhāsvara should also be included. In addition, Brahmā Sahāmpati and the gods from the Akaniṣṭha heaven should be included. These and other gods who dwell in the realm of form and the realm of desire should be painted arranged in sequence, near to Noble Mañjuśrī. They should be painted arranged in tiers above the assembly with their respective features and dress. {5.8}

5.9“Below the lion throne of the Blessed One, a great mountain should be painted rising from a great ocean and extending up to the edges of the canvas. In one corner of the canvas should be depicted the practitioner in the same form and dress as in real life. He should be depicted with his head inclined toward his knees and holding an incense holder in his hand. On the same jewel mountain, below Noble Mañjuśrī, is Yamāntaka, Lord of Wrath . He should be painted as previously described. {5.9}

5.10“To the left of the Blessed One, below his lion throne, and near to the soles of the noble Avalokiteśvara’s feet, the Goddess Tārā should be painted sitting on that jewel mountain. She should be depicted exactly as previously described. The canvas should be strewn all over with flowers, such as champak, fragrant blue lotus, royal jasmine, Arabian jasmine, dhānuṣkārīka jasmine, and blossoms of the pannay tree, ironwood tree, and so forth. {5.10}

5.11“And above, in the upper two corners, two gods should be painted releasing a great flood of flowers. They each have variegated, bright forms and rest within rain clouds in the midst of space. They should be depicted as white and flying. {5.11}

5.21This concludes the detailed fifth chapter, the second in the detailed section on the procedure of cloth painting, from “The Root Manual of Noble Mañjuśrī,” an extensive Mahāyāna sūtra that forms a garland-like basket of bodhisattva teachings.