The Medicine Buddha Sutra: A Treasured Oriental Art Treasure Through a Long and Winding Journey

This massive mural, the Medicine Buddha Sutra, comes from the Lower Guangsheng Temple in Hongdong County, Shanxi Province, China. It is a masterpiece of Yuan Dynasty murals, over 700 years old. The exhibit we see today is the original piece that was peeled off the walls of the Lower Guangsheng Temple.
The mural's transnational journey was fraught with difficulties. In the 1920s, China was in turmoil, warlords were ruling, and the people suffered greatly. The Guangsheng Temple fell into disrepair, and the monks had no money to support themselves or maintain the temple. In 1929, the monks sold the Medicine Buddha Sutra mural to two American businessmen for 1600 silver dollars, barely managing to keep the temple afloat. After changing hands several times, the mural eventually reached the United States, where it was acquired by an American dentist. This dentist was Arthur Sackler, a renowned American collector of Chinese art in the 1960s. He purchased several wooden crates containing fragments of the mural at an auction. Sackler was a passionate collector of Chinese artifacts and possessed a large collection of rare Chinese treasures. Because the mural was too large to store or display at home, in 1964, Sackler, in his mother's name, donated it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, bringing it back into the public eye.
The mural, titled "The Medicine Buddha Sutra," was broken into hundreds of pieces when it was sold. The Metropolitan Museum of Art meticulously restored it to its original state and placed it in the largest gallery of its Chinese collection, quickly making it one of the museum's most famous Chinese art pieces. This "Medicine Buddha Sutra" mural is 15.2 meters long and 7.52 meters high, with vibrant colors and a total area of 196 square meters. Even in China, it is rare to see a Yuan Dynasty mural restored to such a complete state. This provides a precious opportunity for global audiences to appreciate the essence of ancient Chinese mural art up close.
Seeing is believing. After reading these words, have you already felt a longing for a particular artifact? However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the vast collections of the four major museums. Each artifact is a witness to historical changes. When we gaze at these treasures, we are not only appreciating art, but also engaging in a dialogue with a civilization from thousands of years ago. If you have the opportunity to embark on a journey, you must stand in front of the display case and encounter them in person. The awe and joy of this firsthand experience far surpasses what words and pictures can provide.