The Vimalakirti image in Mogao Cave 220 belongs to the same image system as the one painted by Ku K’ai-chih,which has a tent-like bed.At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty,Ku K’ai-chih’s fame gradually rose.Against this historical background,painters created a new style of Vimalakirti images after learning from the ones painted in the Waguan Temple and Longmen Grottoes.Along with the translation,writing,and spread of the Vimalakirti nirdesa Sutra,this marked the historical inception of grand-scale Vimalakirti iconography.
