At the center sits Shakyamuni Buddha flanked by two standing bodhisattvas, surrounded by the Sixteen Great Arhats, two attendants, and the Four Guardian Kings of the Directions. Unusually for this iconographic theme, the painting omits Shariputra and Maudgalyayana — the two principal historical disciples normally paired with Shakyamuni.
Directly above the central figure are Amitabha and Medicine Buddha, accompanied by Nagarjuna, Asanga, Atisha, and Dromton. At the base of the lotus throne sit Chaturbhuja Avalokiteshvara at the center with White Tara to the left and Green Tara to the right, separated by two white lions. At the very bottom, six-armed Shadbhuja Mahakala is attended by five retinue figures, with wrathful Vajrapani to the left and Yama Dharmaraja on his buffalo to the right.
