Celebrated in mid-February, the final passing of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (in Japanese, Shaka) marks the most important event of his many lifetimes: the moment when he finally escaped from the endless, torturous cycle of life and death. The reactions of the animals and figures depicted in this hanging scroll, both semidivine and human—including Shakyamuni’s mother Maya, who descends from the sky on a cloud bank at the right—attest to the depth of their spiritual understanding. With the exception of the monk Subhadhra, all of the figures cry in distress, as do the animals moaning and writhing in the foreground. Subhadhra, who is seated calmly in front of the right corner of the bier, correctly comprehends that this final passing is a liberation and not a tragedy.