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Lord Buddha’s face exudes an intense sweetness and serenity. A slight, enigmatic smile plays across his lips. Long, pendulous earlobes reach down to touch his shoulders. This beautiful kneeling Buddha is inlaid with red, green and silver glass mosaic. This teak wood sculpture is a one of a kind statue, hand carved by the very talented artists of Myanmar (Burma).
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!
Mahakala, Glorious Lord of Pristine Awareness. Fiercely wrathful, staring with three bulging round eyes, mouth gaping with bared fangs and hanging snakes for hair. Holding aloft in the right hand, pointed to the sky, a flaming lance, and in the left a poisoned heart and lasso.
Mahakala is adorned with a crown of five dry skulls, earrings and a skirt of fresh human heads. Tucked into the sash at the waist is a ghandi stick made of sandalwood. He is dressed in boots, with the right leg bent and left straight standing atop two human corpses, thus symbolizing the death of negativities and the complete uprooting of negative patterns to such a point that, like a dead body, they will not come to life. Mahakala stands surrounded by the burning flames of pristine awareness.
Both Hindus and Buddhists worship Mahakala. Buddhists consider him as a manifestation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Mahakala is always seen in the entrance of Buddhist monasteries. He is regarded as the protector of the Buddhist doctrine.
This lost wax method copper sculpture is a one of a kind statue, hand cast by the very talented artists of the beautiful country of Nepal. Every piece is truly unique!
Lord Buddha’s hands are in the dharmachakra mudra, the gesture of teaching. Dharma means ‘law’ and chakra means ‘wheel.’ Together they mean “turning the Wheel of Law.” This hand gesture was used by Lord Buddha while preaching his first sermon in Sarnath.
This sculpture was entirely hand carved and hand painted in Bali, Indonesia. Every piece is truly unique!
Apsara is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are beautiful, supernatural women that are youthful, elegant and proficient in the art of dancing. Apsaras are said to be able to change their shapes at will. They are sometimes compared to the muses of ancient Greece. Each of the 26 Apsaras at Indra’s court represents a distinct aspect of the performing arts.
These heavenly beings are not worshiped as Buddhist divinities. Their function is to protect Buddhist law by serving the Deva.
This sculpture was entirely hand-crafted and painted in rural villages in Cambodia. Every piece is truly unique!
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