Bodhisattva

Obviously I've been inspired by eastern art in the form of anime, but I'm also a big fan of indian painting.  The Hindu and Buddhist art from India is very colorful and fanciful.  It is also rich with symbolism.  One of the commonly depicted subjects is a Buddha or Bodhisattva.  Both terms mean enlightened being, but with different connotations or criteria.  Art with hindu themes often depicts gods, and daevas and the various celestial heavens and earthly hells.

This is the beloved, immortal bodhisattva holding a lotus flower that symbolized the blooming of the enlightened mind, I think...