Buddha Shakyamuni sits in meditation at the center of this painting: He carries an alms bowl in his left hand, and his right arm is lowered in the bhumisparsha mudra, the earth-touching gesture. This gesture recalls the moment when he was challenged by the demon Mara, and he summoned the earth goddess Bhudevi [by pointing his hand toward the earth] to wittness his right to attain Buddhahood, thus defreating Mara and his host. This mudra, besides beeing the symbol of the Buddha Shakyamuni, is also used by the Buddha Akshobhya, one of the Five Transcendent Buddha, also called "Dhyani Buddhas".