The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c9.94

c9.94

(¹) This restriction is necessary for three reasons. First, we must reckon with the progressive crowding together of images of Buddha on the façade or inner walls of the same sanctuary at the expense of various donors. -- Secondly, we must not forget the relatively ancient juxtaposition (cf. pl. XXVI, 1) of the seven Buddhas of our age : but we are prepared to believe that there may be a close connection between this motifs and the « grand miracle », either because in the latter the Buddhas prefer to affect the number 7 in rows (cf. p. 161, n. 1 and p. 163), or becanse the representations of the « seven Buddhas » are strongly influenced by those of the *mahâ-prâtihârya* (as is notably the case at Ajaṇṭa for the pl. XCI of GRIFFITHS, in contrast to pl. LXI). Finally, we do not pretend do deny that at a fairly late period there may have been sought, in a mechanical repetition of images of the Master, an automatic accumulation of merit : but it is our opinion that the origin of this inept procedure must be sought in the single motif where its employment was canonically justified.