Maitreya

Cave #275, 420-442 AD. Northern Liang Dynasty
Mogao Caves, Dunhuang

The colossal (10ft high) Buddha Of The Future sits in typical cross-legged posture. His left hand is in varada (giving) mudra; his now-missing right hand presumably displayed fear-not. He is shown, wearing the crown and jewels of a Bodhisattva, as he waits in Tushita heaven to be incarnated as the Buddha of the next age. According to Robert L. Thorp (Chinese Art & Culture, p. 162), "Much of its surface is covered with later repainting, but the robe covering both shoulders, the ridges on the skirt, and the flattened sashes on the base are likely to be original."