Mogao Cave 280 was built in the late Sui dynasty. An examination of the images of a bodhisattva riding an elephant, a bhiksu chanting scriptures, and a nirvana depiction scene in cave 280 suggests that the bodhisattva in the first picture represents Samantabhadra Bodhisattva as the protector of people who believe in the Lotus Sutra, the bhikkhu represents Buddhist master Varaprabha preaching the Lotus Sutra, and the nirvana image indicates that the Lotus Sutra was preached by Buddha just before attaining nirvana. These mural themes are very important for studying Buddhist belief in the Lotus sutra.
