This standing 'bodhisattva' is a good example of the sculptures found in the magnificent and elaborate Shanxi Buddhist temples. Standing at 2 metres high, it is built from a wooden frame which was then plastered with a clay mixture before pigments were painted on the surface. Masculine in form, the bodhisattva stands in a majestic posture, his right hand is extended in alms-giving gesture, while his restored left hand probably once held a lotus. Departing from the earlier Indian form, his courtly attire is composed of generous layers of silk, hiding most of his physique and exposing only the chest.Bodhisattva is a Sanskrit term in Mahayana Buddhism, which refers to one who has achieved salvation but chooses to forgo entering 'nirvana' (the Supreme state free from suffering and individual existence) out of compassion for the suffering of others.
