This is a lovely rendition of Shakyamuni Buddha! Lord Buddha has a serene expression and a hypnotizing gaze in his eyes. 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. Buddhist art pictures the Buddha in numerous manifestations, but always as a model of human potential, never as a historically identifiable person. "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. This Buddha statue has the distinguishing marks that designate his celestial status, such as the cranial bump (ushnisha) and the conspicuous mark in the middle of his forehead (urna). He wears a distinctive robe elaborately engraved with elegant flowing floral motifs. In the front center of the top of the base and also in the middle of the lower back you will find a lotus flower. The lotus flower (padma) symbolizes the complete purification of the defilements of the body, speech and mind, and the full blossoming of wholesome deeds in blissful liberation. This sculpture was hand crafted by the very talented artists of the beautiful Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal.
