Visualizing the Spirit Consciousness: Reinterpreting the Medicine Buddha Tableau in Mogao Cave 220 (642 CE)

A groundbreaking interpretation of the Medicine Buddha tableau in Mogao Cave 220 (642 CE) reveals that Buddhist art from the early Tang dynasty visually encoded states of consciousness and spiritual transformations, particularly those of the transmigrating spirit consciousness (shenshi). The study suggests that lighting devices, dancers, and bodhisattvas were strategically integrated to depict this intangible entity, bridging physical objects with spiritual representations. This approach offers a novel cognitive framework for understanding Buddhist murals as visual expressions of ritualistic transformations, advancing the interpretation of Mogao Cave 220's pictorial program.

Peng, X. (. (2025). Visualizing the Spirit Consciousness: Reinterpreting the Medicine Buddha Tableau in Mogao Cave 220 (642 CE). Religions, 16(10), 1225. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16101225