Bodhidharma Crossing the Sea

Executed primarily in fine line ink technique (baimiao), a Bodhidharma is shown riding his walking staff through turbulent waves. He holds a flaming pearl in his right hand and peers over his shoulder at a dragon emerging from a bank of dark, threatening clouds. Dragons were believed to affect rain and thunder, and those who could summon dragons could share their power to make rain. Buddhist monks and Daoist sages were both thought to have control over the powers of the universe. The swirling waves, clouds, and contorted dragon represent the forces of nature over which an enlightened follower of the Buddhist law (dharma) could gain mastery.