Buddhist votive stele,

750

Seated in the middle of the upper section of this stele is Shakyamuni Buddha, the original or historical Buddha. He is flanked by his disciples, the young Ananda on the left and the ancient Mahakashyapa on the right. They are surrounded by flying celestial beings, guardian figures, and others. At the bottom of the stele, an inscription states that members of a Buddhist lay society, who are depicted in rows above the inscription and identified by name, erected the monument. Through the good deed of commissioning the stele, the members would have acquired merit that aided their journeys toward enlightenment, the spiritual goal of Buddhism. The stele’s rectilinear shape was a result of its later repurposing as a building stone.