The Buddha preaches in Indra's Heaven and descends to earth, with hell below

As a sign of favor to his deceased mother the Buddha ascends to preach to her in Indra's Heaven (the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods). Later he descends to the human world by way of a miraculous triple ladder. At this moment he makes it possible for the inhabitants of the three worlds—the heavens, the earth, and the hells—to see each other.

In the upper part of the painting the Buddha is depicted sitting in Indra's palace attended by the Buddha's mother, to his left, and Indra, the green figure at his far right, as well as other deities. In the middle of the painting, the Buddha—flanked by the gods Indra and Brahma (who holds a parasol over the Buddha)—descends by the triple ladder as monks and celestial musicians hover in the air.

At the lower end of the painting both nobles and common people wait to greet the Buddha, while below, evildoers suffer in hell.