Stele of the Buddha Maitreya

Maitreya, the buddha of the future, is the subject of this stele. He sits on his throne, legs down, surrounded by disciples and bodhisattvas. The seven buddhas of the past appear in the halo. Side niches in the bottom register contain portraits of the stele’s donors. The inscription refers to the Tang emperor Gaozong (reigned 649– 683) and his consort, Empress Wu Zetian, who usurped the throne in 690.

Inscription: [In 687] the Buddhist disciple Guanqiu Hashen prays for peace [health and happiness] for all the members of his family. Reverently this image of the Buddha Maitreya is [offered for the] purpose that the Heavenly Emperor and the Heavenly Empress control all the myriad states, may deceased parents be incarnated in the Pure Land, and may the deceased souls of the last seven generations be free from sorrows and miseries. The image is worshiped with whole heart by the entire family [including] the elders and young, close and distant [relatives]. [These devotees also include] Mushen’s deceased wife, surnamed Sun; his sons Shouzhen, Yuanzhao, Silan, Fengxian; his eldest daughter, second, third, fifth, eighth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth daughters, Zhang Chongyi; and his thirteenth daughter, Yuanzhao’s wife, surnamed Zhang.