Buddha Statues represent the “enlightened one”, the idol of the Buddhist religion. They are a symbol of Buddhism’s founder, Siddhartha Gautama, who preached that to attain Nirvana, a state without suffering, one must eliminate all craving from their life. This can only be done by pursuing the eightfold path.
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The primary role of Buddha statues is to convey the calm feelings that reflect ones proper mental discipline as having the control over the negative emotions of fear and greed. However, Buddha statues also serve an important role in conveying teachings, particularly in traditional societies with low literacy rates.
While Buddha Statues come in a wide variety of poses, the most common is the Buddha in Lotus Position. This is a position of meditation that symbolizes perfect balance of thought and tranquility. In this statue, the hand positions, called mudra, have the fingers of the right hand resting lightly on the fingers of the left as they lay in the lap of Buddha. The legs are crossed in what is called the Lotus Position. The left foot is placed on the right thigh and the right foot is placed on the left thigh. Many Buddha statues sit on a pedestal in the form of a lotus blossom. The lotus represents the Buddha Mind because, though growing in mire, it puts forth beautiful, immaculate flowers.
Other popular positions include statues with the right hand raised in abhayamudra – the gesture of dispelling fear. These statues symbolize protection and peace in one’s home or garden. Statues Calling the Earth to Witness are represented by Buddha’s right hand touching the ground in a gesture that symbolizes unshakable faith and resolution. The reclining Buddha representing the Buddha’s death and passage to Nirvana symbolizes complete peace and detachment from the world.
Some Buddha statues are actually based on Bodhisattvas, people could have passed to Nirvana, but instead chose to remain in this world out of compassion for other human beings. The Avalokitesvara’s main purpose is to listen to the cries for help from those in trouble and provide them with aid. He is the protector from danger and his sacrifice symbolizes infinite compassion, the sharing of mankind’s misery and a willingness to help those in distress. The eight arms symbolize his reaching out with compassion to save the world. The famous Chinese view of Avalokitesvara is a women known as Kuan Yin (or Kwan Yin).
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