The ruler of the Wuyue Kingdom of the Five Dynasties, Qian Hongzuo (928- 947) commissioned Zixian Temple at Ciyun Mountain near the West Lake at Hangzhou. There are two caves nearby, the bigger one is titled Maitreya Cave while the smaller one is titled Ksitigarbha Cave. The main deity in the big cave is a seated Amitabha Buddha flanked by the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sitting on the lotus and the Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. On either side of the Bodhisattvas are two more standing Bodhisattvas and two Heavenly Kings. Above the main statues, seven Buddhas are flanked by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding on an elephant on the proper right and Manjushri Bodhisattva riding on a lion on the proper left. Both these two Bodhisattvas are attended by Sudhana each. Judging from the holes between the Buddhas above the main statues, there must have been A wooden structure at one point which is gone now. The main theme of the Amitabha Cave centers around Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land thought. However, the flanking Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas along with attendant Sudhana are under the Huayan doctrine. The addition of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the small cave makes the entire logistics intriguing. This paper tries to explore the Buddhist thoughts delivered by these statues. Amitabha Pure Land is the blissful world created by the Sambhogakaya Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and the embodiment of His Great Vows and Virtues. It is stated in the Huayan Sutra that the Dharmakaya Buddha, Virocana Buddha, sits in the center of the Akanishs Ghanavyha that reflects the ＂One for all, all for one＂ Pure Land thought that emphases the ideas of ＂when the minds are pure, then the land is pure＂, ＂there is no difference between purity and defilements＂, and ＂entering into the dharmadatu＂ as well as the combination of mind-only pure land and reality-adorned land. Furthermore, this cave also includes the seven Buddhas and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva that express wishes for salvation and atonement so that all sentient beings in six realms could eventually be reborn in the Pure Land full of unsurpassed bliss. To encompass Pure Land, Huayan, Seven Buddhas, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva thoughts in one cave is the idiosyncratic character of this site. The main deities, the Maitreya triad, is in line with the ideology that the first King of Wuyue designated the Maitreya triad as the protecting deities of the kingdom. Therefore, it is highly possible that the main theme of this cave is to pray for the prosperity of the kingdom.
