Bodhisattva and attendants

Bodhisattvas are princely disciples of the Buddha who have attained enlightenment but choose to remain accessible until all sentient beings have been saved. They are therefore saviors, unlike luohans, who are protectors of the Buddha Law. In the Water-Land Prayer rite for which this painting was made, it would have been displayed in an upper chamber among the deities, as of looking down at the mortals below.