Finding Nirvana: The Death of the Buddha

Parinirvana signified that the Buddha had reached nirvana and was free from samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Sculptures of the serene Buddha at the point of this transformation were prevalent throughout Asia and often depict him reclining on his right side, using his bent arm to support his head. 

sculptures of parinirvana

In Japan, paintings depicting the scene, known as nehanzu—literally “parinirvana picture”—date back centuries. The earliest existing example, now designated a national treasure, dates to 1086 and can be found in the Kongobuji Temple on Mount Koya, the center of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, which is one of Japan’s major schools of Buddhist thought and practice.

The Art Institute’s nehanzu, a monumental scroll painting over 15 feet tall, was created in the late 17th to early 18th century by a workshop unknown to us today. It recreates the story as laid out in the renowned nehanzu above and also shows the influence of famous examples of the medieval period.

The scene is set in a grove of sala trees; tradition held that Buddha was born under such a tree. Buddha was tired and had asked Ananda, one of his disciples, to prepare a bed.

In the grove, he rests on a splendid platform adorned with gold brocade, lacquer, and ornamental metal fittings. His figure is painted in gold with the addition of finely cut gold leaf for the pattern on his robe, which would have caught the low light in a large temple hall.

He seems to radiate light, faithfully following the description in the sutras that say his body would become bright at his death. Though his expression is one of peacefully sleeping, the scene around him is far from calm. He is surrounded by bodhisattva—beings who have reached enlightenment but elect to stay on earth and help others—as well as by disciples, heavenly kings, deities, and demons, not to mention a menagerie of animals and insects, some real and some mythical.

displays of grief

The bodhisattvas, also rendered in gold with blue hair and complex jewelry, may have reached enlightenment but they are not immune to grief.

Among the retinue are Buddha’s mortal disciples: one blows his nose as the others wail and wipe their tears. The monk Mahakasyapa, who arrived after the Buddha had passed, dries the tears of a mourner off the Buddha’s feet, which he tenderly holds.

Even animals and insects have come to gather and mourn. A white elephant and a blue lion dog (shishi) cry out, and above them, a woman-headed bird creature (kinnara) clasps her hands in prayer.

Creatures in mourning

In the sky above, descending from on high, the Buddha’s mother Maya and her retinue ride down on clouds. She holds her sleeve to her face and reaches out a hand towards the Buddha while her attendants have similar expressions of heartbreak.

A mother’s heartbreak

The skill and devotion of the artists who created this work is obvious in the careful rendering of each individual’s grief on the vast expanse of silk with gold and other expensive pigments. It is even more remarkable to think that this work would have been viewed only once a year. When large nehanzu were ceremonially hung on the 15th day of the second lunar month to honor Buddha’s passing, monks and other devotees often broke down in tears. It is as if the large hanging scroll brought the body of the Buddha close to his worshippers, collapsing the space between reality and painting.

Take advantage of this opportunity to see this magnificent work in the exhibition On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, running through March 15, 2026.

—Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston Curator of Japanese Art, Arts of Asia

Topics

• Collection
• From the Curator
• Arts of Asia