The theme of the wall painting on the south wall of Mogao cave 320 has not been seen before in other caves and thus has not yet been formally denominated. The painting covering this wall consists of three parts: a preaching scene in the center, a treasure pond with lotuses and reborn souls at the bottom and a combination of the thousand-Buddha and lotus stem motifs on two sides. It is believed by the author that this is an illustration depicting the illusory landscape that appeared while the Buddha was preaching the Dharani to his followers, and was painted according to the Mahavaipulya Dharani Sutra translated by Fazhong in the Northern Liang dynasty. This sutra was popular in the Southern and Northern dynasties and exerted considerable influence on the development of Chinese Buddhism. The discovery of the Mahavailulya Dharani Sutra illustration in cave320 is a significant addition to the list of already identified sutra illustrations in Dunhuang caves.
