'Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace...'
Whether devout Buddhist, or casual admirer of the Buddha image, and Asian style decor as a whole, few would argue that Buddha statues are not limitless in their varied beauty, and in their ability to inspire those who look upon them towards greater deeds. A Buddha statue quickly becomes the centerpiece of any room, or place of worship, as a timeless icon of spiritual harmony, repesenting the private quest fought within all of us, to obtain a Nirvana like inner peace.
'It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.'
The Buddha as depicted in the traditional Buddha statue is ‘Siddhartha Gautama’, an Indian prince who lived from 563 to 483 B.C. and the man who would ultimately become 'The Enlightened One.'
The young prince grew up skilled in sports, arts, and the sciences, without need of instruction, and once stated that ‘he could count all the atoms in the world in the time it takes to draw a single breath’. Later after witnessing the suffering of his people he left his kingdom, upon a spiritual quest. And ultimately Buddha became teacher, and inspiration, to all who bore witness to his wisdom.
'No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.'
The earliest Buddha statue is thought to have been made roughly five hundred years after his death, as a monument to his glory. Because while the Buddha is not considered to be a God in the traditional sense, he is worshipped by millions of people, in a manner not dissimilar to the worship of any other Deity.
'There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.'
Within Buddha imagery the position of the hands offer different insights depending upon how they are held. If the Buddha is depicted in the traditional lotus position holding his right hand up and leaving his left hand relaxed, the Buddha represents ‘fearlessness and confidence’, while if the Buddha is depicted with the hands laying facing up finger to finger in the center of the lap, the Buddha represents ‘boundless life and infinite light’.
'We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.'
