Mogao cave 395 was carved in the Sui dynasty and renovated twice in later times. Images of Master Zhigong and Vaisnavara painted during the Five Dynasties are painted on the south and north walls of the cave’s corridor, respectively, while the wall paintings on the north and south walls of the main chamber that were created during the Western Xia dynasty depict eight scenes of Guanyin(Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) saving people from various disasters. Research indicates that the theme of the wall paintings on the top of the corridors is the thirty-three manifestations of Guanyin, and that in combination with the scenes of Guanyin rescuing people, the paintings of cave 395 form a complete illustration of the chapter “The Universal Gate of Guanyin”from the Lotus Sutra. Although the cave was renovated in the Five Dynasties and Western Xia periods, the design of the cave remained the same because belief in both the Lotus Sutra and Master Zhigong remained consistent and widespread through the Western Xia dynasty. Finally, this study emphasizes the importance of researching renovated caves.
