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.
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