Artists unknown
Pu Hsien/Samantabhadra (All-Good Buddha), China, Yuan Dynasty, 14th century
Bronze
11 ¾” x 10” x 4”
Acquired during the tenure of founding director Lloyd Nick.
Collection of Oglethorpe University Museum of Art
Samantabhadra, one of the eight immortal Buddhist archangels, was known as Pu Hsien in China, Kuntu Zangpo in Tibet, and Fugen in Japan. Each of the eight symbolizes one of the eight qualities of the enlightened mind, such as love, compassion, or wisdom. Samantabhadra embodies the primordial human aspiration to goodness and happiness. Pu Hisien sits on an elephant, symbol of perfect meditative stabilization (chan in Chinese; zen in Japanese). His left foot is in the posture of meditation, while his right is in the hero pose, indicating that practitioners of his yogas cultivate the perfect marriage of meditation and activity.
