The medicine Buddha Bhaishajya-raja with eight bodhisattvas

A tutelary god of physicians, Bhaisajyaguru is widely worshiped in many countries whose dominant faith is Buddhism, such as Mongolia. In this painting the Medicine Buddha is depicted sitting on a lotus pedestal emerging from the water. He is flanked by two stupas (commemorative monuments); the stupa on the right contains an image of Usnishavijaya, a longevity goddess, and the left-hand stupa carries an image of the four-armed form of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The Medicine Buddha holds a myrobalan plant with three fruits in his right hand and a bowl in his left. In Tibetan medicine, the myrobalan's fruit is used to cure various diseases and is revered as "the king of [vanquishing] all disease." The Eight Great Bodhisattvas-whose identities are distinguishable by their colors, hand gestures, and symbolic implements-stand in rows above and below Bhaisajyaguru.

The high horizon, soft mountain peaks, and pastel-colored clouds seen in this work are all characteristic of the Mongolian style of thangka (Buddhist devotional) painting.