Witnessing that, the Earth Goddess wrung her hair, releasing flood waters that swept away the Demon Mara and all the temptresses he had released. The Buddha meditated all night to overcome the fears and temptations sent by Mara, and then called the Earth Goddess to witness that the Buddha achieved enlightenment in order to share with the rest of the world. Unfortunately Mara, the Demon of Illusion, tried to dissuade The Buddha from the final last steps. It is the story of how the Buddha, after six years, finally was at the verge of enlightenment. This posture is known as Calling The Earth to Witness, and it is the definition of the moment of enlightenment for the Buddha. (Click To View Larger Image) Calling The Earth To Witness / Earth Touching BuddhaThe most common pose you will find in Thai temples is with the legs crossed, the left hand in the lap, and the right hand pointing to the ground with the palm facing inward toward the Buddha. This pose is also known as the Amithabha Buddha, which means 'Boundless Light.' Many of the largest Buddha Statues in Japan, such as the Great Kamakura Buddha Statue at Kotokuin Temple, and large statues in Korea are in the Meditation Pose. The silhouette of the statue is shaped - more or less - like a triangle, which represents stability. Occasionally, an alms bowl is placed in the lap as well.Īs this statue generally represents focused concentration, the eyes of the Buddha are either depicted as halfway closed, or closed nearly all the way. In this pose, the Buddha is depicted with both hands in the lap, face up, and the legs are crossed, either in a Double Lotus pose (with the ankles of each leg tucked behind one another in a locked position), or in a Single Lotus pose (where one leg rests on top of the other leg). People will often buy a Meditation Buddha if they want to set up a 'serenity room' or a corner of their house where they can sit in calm for a little while and unwind. This statue is for people who are either looking for peace and clam in their lives, or for those who wish to improve their own meditation skills. (Click To View Larger Image) Meditation Buddha / Serenity Buddha / Calming BuddhaAnother of the more common rupas is of the Buddha in Meditation.

This statue signifies courage and offers protection from fear, delusion and anger. The main features of this pose, aside from the raised right hand, is that The Buddha can be depicted either sitting or standing, and the left hand may either be extended outward or palm up in the lap. The second meaning, Overcoming Fear, is closely related to the first (since one who is receiving protection would be less fearful). The first is that of the Protection Buddha, as the raised right hand symbolically represents a shield. (Click To View Larger Image) Protection Buddha / Overcoming FearThis depiction of a seated Buddha with the right hand raised and facing outwards has two common meanings. In general, the carvings of the Buddha that you can buy are representations of highly venerated statues that are enshrined at major temples throughout the world, or are reproductions of well known sculptures that were originally commissioned by royal patrons, and as such, their meanings and significance are similar to the original statues. And each posture will have a specific hand gesture, called a Mudra, associated with the posture. (Note: You can see more examples by Visiting our Buddha Statues For Sale Page on this site.)Also referred to as an asana or an Attitude, there are over 100 poses illustrating the life of the Buddha.

Each traditional pose has a significance related to an important event in the the life - or past lives - of the Historical Buddha. If you know what to look for, you can tell the meaning of a Buddha Statue by looking at the pose / posture, and the accompanying hand gestures.

Closed hands prayer pose