Buddha statues

Sanskrit describes a Buddha statue or pictorial representation as ‘Buddharupa’. Literally it means ‘ The image of the enlightened one’. A Buddharupa is an emblem of extreme tranquility and meditation. As the history of Buddha goes, the Prince Siddhartha Gautama witnessed so much suffering that he renounced the world to spread the message of Nirvana. Nirvana means a state of enlightenment, non-suffering and elimination of all craving by following the famous eightfold path.

The prime function of a Buddha statue is to communicate the peace of mind and discipline wherein one is in control of conflicting emotions and has a hold over his mind and negative feelings such as lobh (greed), jealousy etc.

In states where people are illiterate and unable to grasp the true meaning of his teachings, Buddha statues play a crucial role to convey such messages. Buddhists believe that respecting the statues or Buddharupas by bowing to it and offering flowers, incense etc. is an expression of their aspirations to adapt the same spiritual and sacred thoughts as the Lord himself.

Statues of Buddha are available in various postures and poses…but the most widely known is the ‘Lotus Position’. The Lotus position has the Lord sitting in a meditative pose, on a Lotus pedestal, with legs crossed (right toe on the left thigh and vice versa) and the fingers of his hand in a ‘mudra’ lying in his lap. The statue in the Lotus position is that of complete balance of mind and body.  Why a lotus? Because it signifies the tranquil and beautiful mind of the Buddha that grows clean and pure as the lotus petals, in spite of growing within morass and muck.

A few other well-known positions of Buddha statues include ‘Abhaymudra’. Abhay is a Sanskrit word for ‘Fear’. Other popular positions include statues with the right hand raised in Abhayamudra - the gesture of expelling fear. These statues stand for the protection and peace of one’s home. A reclining position of the Buddha speaks of his death and transition to Nirvana depicting total disconnection with the worldly matters. Another type of statue is the Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas are manifestations of those people who were eligible for Nirvana but due to their empathy towards the human race, preferred to stay in this world.

One of the most adorable and accepted forms of the statue is the Laughing Buddha or the Happy Buddha. The Laughing Buddha statue is actually a Chinese monk called Ho Tai who was believed to be the re-incarnation of the Buddha by the Chinese people.  ~ author Karishma Bajaj. 

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