This paper identifies the attendant kneeling on the Buddha’s right hand seen in the Parinirvāṇa scene in the fifth cave of Nanxiangtang Mountain 南響堂山, China, constructed in the Northern Qi era （550-577）, and points out that the depiction of Jīvaka in the Japanese Parinirvāṇa statuary group in Hōryūji Temple 法隆寺 was influenced by Chinese antecedents. Furthermore, the two aspects of （1） the characteristics seen in Chinese Northern Dynasties （386-581） examples, and （2） the relation between the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa 維摩詰所説経 and Beixiangtang Mountain 北響堂山 and Hōryūji Temple, demonstrate an emphasis on the humanity of the Buddha and Bodhisattva through his manifesting aspects of birth, aging, sickness, and death. The author goes on to consider the significance of the presence of Jīvaka in the Parinirvāṇa scene.
