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Amitabha is seated against a richly decorated torana dvara or “arch gateway” decorated with the familiar figure of Kirtimukha, a mythical animal holding snakes and two makaras, along with figures of horses and elephants. Accompanying them are three Chaityas which adorn the top of the arch/gate. He is dressed in clothes of royalty. The protuberance on the top of his head denotes superb mental acuity and his long earlobes denote superb perception.
In this beautiful sculpture the eight-faced, sixteen-armed, four-footed Hevajra is depicted lithely dancing clasping his consort Nairatmya (“selfless one”) in a close embrace.
One pair of legs assumes a powerful stance, the left knee bent (alidha), the other pair assumes a dancer’s pose (ardha pariyanka). Crushed underneath are four corpses representing the four Maras or demons who embody all the active hindering forces within the psyche and in the objective world, that work to deflect us from the spiritual goal. In his eight right hands he holds eight skull cups each containing an animal: an elephant, a horse, a donkey, an ox, a camel, a man, a tiger and a cat. In his eight left hands he also holds eight skull cups with the eight deities of the cardinal directions.
Nairatmya, the consort of Hevajra has two hands and two legs. In her left hand she holds a skull cup while the right hand holds a vajra. Her left leg is bent down along with his, while her right leg is wrapped around his waist. Her expression is also wrathful. They both wear elaborate belts with beaded festoons, garlands of severed heads and skull tiaras.
Carrying skull cups in all of the hands is one of the most distinctive features of Hevajra. The skull cup represents the mind aspect of the body, speech, and mind notion. It also represents death and impermanence, the illusory nature of all the phenomena. The animals and gods in Hevajra’s skull cup may symbolize a universal range of all matter and beings, alive, on earth and in the heavens. Thus, the sixteen skull cups collectively symbolize the sixteen voidness or Shunyata.
Hevajra is a wrathful emanation of the Buddha Akshobhya. He is a popular deity in Tibet, where he belongs to the yidam (tutelary, or guardian, deity) class. His worship is the subject of the Hevajra Tantra, a scripture that helped bring about the conversion of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan (1215–94). He is one of the more common yet complex deities depicted in Buddhist art!
This serene golden Burmese Buddha statue is seated in padmasana with the left hand resting on his lap and right hand extending over the knee in the bhumisparsa mudra. Lord Buddha’s erectly held head, framed by large curved ears and tall ushnisha, surmounted by a water drop shaped finial, has the sharply chiseled features and downcast eyes associated with late Ava period figures. The Buddha is seated on a scalloped lotus leaf that resets on a magnificent throne formed by the broad shoulders of a trio of caparisoned elephants (gajasana). This wood sculpture is a one of a kind statue, hand carved by the very talented artists of Myanmar (Burma). Every piece is truly unique!
Lord Buddha’s hands are in the dharmachakra mudra. This is the gesture of teaching. Dharma means ‘law’ and chakra means ‘wheel’ and is usually interpreted as turning the Wheel of Law. This was the hand gesture exhibited by Lord Buddha while preaching his first sermon after his enlightenment in the Deer Park at Sarnath, near Varanasi. This discourse is known as the ‘first turning of the wheel of dharma, when the Buddha taught the doctrines of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Noble Path to five Indian mendicants. This one of a kind Buddha statue is hand carved out of rain tree wood by the very talented artists of Bali, Indonesia!
This beautiful Shakyamuni Buddha statue is seated in dhyana asana or meditative pose. In this position, the legs are crossed, closely locked with the soles of both feet visible. Lord Buddha is seated on a double lotus throne with rounded lotus petals. His youthful face conveys a gentle inward expression. His monastic robes are flanked with beautifully carved foliate vines. The protuberance above his head denotes superb mental acuity and his long earlobes denote superb perception. The third eye in the center of His forehead is a symbol of spiritual awakening of knowledge and wisdom. The third eye in this particular piece is silver plated.
Located on the backside of the statue you will find a wheel and deer emblem representing the natural harmony and fearlessness of the deity’s pure realm and the Buddha’s first teachings at Deer Park in Sarnath. Like the solitary rhinoceros the deer is a symbol of renunciation, as he never sleeps in the same place on consecutive nights. The gentleness and grace of the deer represent the qualities of the true Buddhist mendicant.
The Buddha Shakyamuni, at the moment of enlightenment, invoked the earth as witness, as indicated by the fingers of his right hand, which spread downward in bhumisparsha mudra, “the earth touching gesture”. As the Buddhist sutras narrate, the sun and moon stood still, and all the creatures of the world came to offer respect to the Supreme One who had broken through the boundaries of egocentric existence. All Buddhist art celebrates this moment and leads the viewer toward the Buddha’s experience of selfless and unsurpassed enlightenment.
The first humanlike representations of the Buddha are said to have been drawn on canvas from rays of golden light emanating from his body. Later Buddhist art pictured the Buddha in numerous manifestations, but always as a model of human potential, never as a historically identifiable person. All forms of the Buddha, however, are commonly shown seated on a lotus throne (as seen here), a symbol of the mind’s transcendent nature. As a lotus rises from the mud to bloom unsoiled in open space, so too does the mind rise through the discord of its own experience to blossom in the boundlessness of unconditional awareness.
“Be a light unto yourself,” Buddha Shakyamuni declared at the end of his life. Become a Buddha, an awakened being, he urged, but never a blind follower of tradition.
The base of this piece is sealed with a double vajra symbolizing the balance of the four elements and harmony of the four directions.
This sculpture was handcrafted in Patan, Nepal by master artisans of the Shakya clan who are considered among the best in the world. These craftsmen are the modern heirs to a centuries-old tradition of creating sacred art for use in temples and monasteries. The fine metalworking techniques have been passed down from generation to generation since ancient times.
This sculpture is a one of a kind statue, handcrafted by the very talented artists of Nepal.
The iconography of Quan Yin depicts her in many forms, each one revealing a unique aspect of her merciful presence. In this statue she is portrayed standing on a blooming lotus base with water lilies. She wears a beautiful flowing robe and ornaments symbolic of her virtues. Her head is bent slightly forward as if looking, listening for any cry for help. The wood grain has a beautiful gradation of color. The carving on this piece is absolutely superb!!!
About Quan Yin:
Quan Yin (also spelled Kuan Yin or Guan Yin), is known as the Goddess of Compassion, and she is one of the most popular deities in all of Asia. Her name in Chinese roughly translates to “The One Who hears the Cries of the World”. Many believe that she is the female representation of Avalokiteshvara, the Tibetan and Nepalese God of Compassion. As a Bodhisattva, she has chosen to put off her complete, unexcelled, perfect enlightenment for the benefit of beings everywhere, and will wait as long as there is one being who is not enlightened.
This wood sculpture is a one of a kind statue, hand carved by the very talented artists of Bali, Indonesia. Every piece is truly unique!
Newly added colorful and vibrant hand carved and hand painted Cambodian Buddhas! These beautiful wood Buddha statues are seated in dhyana asana, the meditative pose also called padmasana. Their hands are in dhyana mudra which is the mudra of meditation. It is also called samadhi or yoga mudra.
This prayer wheel is decorated with beautiful shades of fiery red and turquoise. The cylinder contains a tightly wound scroll with the sacred text printed on paper. The text is a sutra or invocation to Avalokiteshvara. The syllables Om Mani Padme Hum are carved outside the wheel in Tibetan. Prayer wheels are used primarily by the Buddhists of Tibet and Nepal, where hand held prayer wheels are carried by pilgrims and other devotees and turned during devotional activities. This prayer wheel is handmade in Nepal and is excellent addition to your Buddhist accessories or as a gift for anyone who practices meditation. It is both a spiritual tool and work of art!
Green Tara embodies the Earth element. She is a powerful goddess, a bodhisattva in female form who helps us to overcome both material and spiritual obstacles.
This beautiful statue embodies Green Tara’s deep visceral connection to the Mother Earth. Here she is seated in the pose of ease (lalita asana), her right hand is shown in varada mudra (boon-granting gesture) because she is quick to respond to the petitions of those who seek her aid. Both her right and left hands gracefully hold full blooming lotuses. Lotuses are symbols of purity and spontaneous generation and hence symbolize divine birth. This piece is an exceptional find, a goddess in the simplicity of her power and radiance!
This statue is made of copper and is inlaid with coral and turquoise. Her ankle length dhoti is engraved with floral motifs. She sits on a single lotus base with broad petals. Located on the lower backside of the statue you will find an engraved wheel and deer emblem representing the natural harmony and fearlessness of the deity’s pure realm.
This sculpture was handcrafted in Patan, Nepal by master artisans of the Shakya clan who are considered among the best in the world. These craftsmen are the modern heirs to a centuries-old tradition of creating sacred art for use in temples and monasteries. The fine metalworking techniques have been passed down from generation to generation since ancient times.
This sculpture was handcrafted by the very talented artists of Nepal.
Milarepa is held in the highest esteem by all Tibetans as the archetypal yogi. His heroic quest for knowledge is legendary. He is renowned for his ecstatic verse and in this image, his parted lips suggest the singing of songs for which he is famed throughout Tibet. His left hand is held up towards his ear, often interpreted as the gesture of listening to the songs of nature or the teachings of the masters. His half-closed eyes suggest a state of reverie. He wears large hoop earrings and a meditation strap over his right shoulder passing beneath his cloak. He is seated on an antelope skin draped over the base of the statue.
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