Raising the Alms-Bowl

Produced in late Ming or early Qing dynasty China during the seventeenth or eighteenth century, this handscroll depicts the conversion of Guizimu to Buddhism. Guizimu is the Chinese Buddhist form of the goddess Hariti, a flesh-eating demon notorious for stealing other women's children. According to Buddhist legend, mothers in Rajgir in northern India, terrorized by Hariti's child-stealing, appealed to Buddha for help. To teach Guizimu the pain of losing a child, the Buddha hid one of her own children beneath his magical alms bowl. In her grief, Guizimu attempted to lift the bowl by force but was unable to do so.

In the version of the story illustrated here, she recruits an army of demons—shown at left—to assist her. Despite their collective strength and the mechanical devices they employ, including a giant lever, the bowl remains immovable. Only when Guizimu renounces child-stealing and accepts Buddhist principles is she able to lift the alms bowl and be reunited with her child.