Buddha Groove: Buddha Quotes | Buddha Statues Meaning | Buddhist Traditions

The Bodhisattvas

The Buddha is a unique spiritual leader in the history of mankind. Where others preached dogma or worked for a particular land or race of people, the Buddha’s compassion extended to all beings. Gods, rituals and the after-life were not part of his philosophy; rather, his teachings were concerned with the here and now – a prescription for living by a code of ethics that would alleviate misery and ultimately lead to self-enlightenment.

A Bodhisattva is a Buddha-in-the-making, one who puts off attainment of nirvana in order to allay the suffering of his fellow beings. Can anyone become a Bodhisattva? Theoretically yes, and indeed, the term has been applied through eastern history to many renowned Buddhist teachers and rulers. In the Jataka Tales which recount the Buddha’s past lives, he often refers to himself as a Bodhisattva. This popular parable captures the essence of a Bodhisattva.

Three travelers in the desert were in desperate search of water. Seeing a high wall ahead, they hurried to it but could find no way to enter. One man climbed upon another’s shoulders to see what was behind the wall. He let out a whoop of delight and jumped in. The second one followed suit. The third man clambered up the wall with difficulty. Looking down, he saw a cool, verdant garden with fruit trees. Instead of following his companions, he jumped back into the desert to look for other wanderers and share with them, his discovery of the garden and how to reach it. Who do you think was the Bodhisattva among the three?

 

Pictured Above: Mosaic Design Buddha Statue from Buddha Groove

 

..

In depicting the reclining Buddha, what is the significance of his right hand position?

The statue of the reclining Buddha shows Buddha’s right hand in different positions. Each position has a different significance. A position where the right hand supports the head in the form of a pillow implies that Buddha is resting. The right hand placed alongside the body, depicts that Buddha has entered Nirvana – which is a state of enlightenment. In another reclining position, Buddha’s right arm is seen folded along his chest. This is when Buddha revealed that he was going to pass away and preached his last sermon to his disciples before departing from this world.

Depicted here: Reclining Buddha from Buddha Groove

What does the reclining Buddha signify?

The statue of the reclining Buddha represents Buddha’s serene and composed posture before leaving this world. The statue of Buddha in a reclining position depicts Buddha in his last hours before his passing. This is that moment when Buddha is enters “Nirvana”, which is a state of enlightenment. According to Buddhist belief, a person who attains this state does not go through the cycle of life, death and rebirth thereafter and is entirely set free from the human confines of destiny and misery. The reclining Buddha signifies tranquility and absolute detachment from the desires of the world, a state obtained on the attainment of Nirvana.

What does the Weeping Buddha signify?

The statue of the weeping Buddha depicts Buddha in a bent over position, covering his face with his hands.
 
There is a story about two warriors associated with the weeping Buddha. The warriors often faced each other during several battles. Both the warriors used masks as part of their costumes as a result of which they couldn’t see their opponent’s face. Following several such confrontations, the older warrior triumphed over the younger warrior. The younger warrior was killed. When the older warrior took off his mask, he realized that he had killed was his own lost son. Seeing this, the older warrior – who is none other than the weeping Buddha – began to cry.

It is believed that the weeping Buddha takes away the grief and troubles of the world. In return, he bestows peace and provides strength to those who rub his back.

Pictured above is the Weeping Buddha Incense Holder from Buddha Groove.

What is the significance of Turtle Dragon with Happy Buddha in Happy Buddha Statues?

The statue of a Happy Buddha sitting on a Dragon Turtle signifies happiness, good luck and fortune. The Dragon Turtle sitting on a bed of coins and gold ingots is a distinct representation of wealth and prosperity. The Dragon Turtle is a Chinese legendary symbol depicting the dragon’s head and the turtle’s body. The dragon represents courage and strength. The turtle stands for support and stability. This powerful combination of two Feng Shui symbols brings together the qualities of the dragon and the turtle, which indicates long life, permanence and success. The Happy Buddha on a Dragon Turtle is known to be a perfect remedy to combat bad luck which comes in the form of illness, financial losses and mishaps.

Pictured above Happy Buddha Statue from Buddha Groove

Why does the Laughing Buddha have a big belly?

The image of the Laughing Buddha is based on a wandering Chinese monk, Budai (Hotei, in Japanese) who lived centuries ago and is believed to be Maitreya, or the Buddha to come. The statue’s plump figure and benign countenance suggest contentment, magnanimity and plenitude. Folklore has it that rubbing his pot belly brings good fortune and wealth.

But he’s more than just a good luck charm favored by Chinese restaurateurs and businessmen. The Laughing Buddha’s big belly is a symbol of tolerance; also, that prosperity and wealth can go hand-in-hand with enlightened awareness.

Why is Buddha shown to have long ears?

A short answer to that would be: nobody knows for sure!

The Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha, in Lumbini, and grew up in Kapilavastu, modern day Nepal.  Going by the recorded cultural practices of that time, might not the Prince have worn the chunky ear ornaments favored then by men?  In time, these heavy jewelry pieces would have resulted in long earlobes. This is perhaps the most prosaic explanation available.

There is also a symbolic significance to the Buddha’s elongated earlobes. In Eastern cultures, large ears are associated with wisdom and revered by others (think Lord Ganesha and in more modern times, Mahatma Gandhi). These are ears that are big enough to listen to all our tales of suffering.  Magnanimity and compassion therefore are also qualities linked to such physical features and the Buddha was certainly the embodiment of these virtues.

Finally, there is perhaps, a message to Buddhists in those ears. Every human is a potential Buddha; as such we should remain open to the suffering of others.

Fast Facts

Buddhism was founded in 520 BC.

The Buddha was born and raised as a prince living in the lap of luxury at Kapilavastu in Nepal about 2500 years ago. His name was Prince Siddhartha Gautama.

At age 29 Prince Siddhartha renounced his family and a life of luxury.

The Buddha attained enlightenment under a bodhi (fig) tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, in eastern India.

Buddhism has three major divisions – Theravada, Vajrayana and Mahayana.

The three jewels in Buddhism are – the Buddha, the sangha (monastic community), the dharma (teachings of the Buddha)

According to Buddhism the three delusions that plague mankind are ignorance, desire and anger. The three virtues that can be developed to combat these vices are moral discipline, concentration and wisdom.

An Introduction to the Buddha and Buddhism

Buddhism has captured the hearts and imaginations of seekers of spiritual understanding across the world. Some 2,500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the royal Shakya Clan of Nepal, meditated under the bodhi tree (a type of fig tree) in the Indian town of Bodh Gaya (in eastern India) and attained enlightenment. Today, thousands of pilgrims still travel to this sacred town.

A Special Destiny
‘Buddha’ means ‘the awakened one’ and this is the title Siddhartha was known by after his enlightenment. His was a miraculous birth, heralded by an auspicious dream the queen mother Mahamaya had. Siddhartha was a unique infant, and was able to speak to his mother soon after he was born. He told her that his calling was to liberate mankind from suffering.

When Siddhartha turned 16, he won the heart and hand of the beautiful princess Yashodhara in a competition of physical strength and strategy against her many suitors. Although he lived a life of pleasure and luxury in the palace, he knew there was something far more meaningful to seek out. On seeing the suffering of fellow human beings he renounced the royal life and set out to find answers to life’s most important question: what is the purpose of all life?

Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree
Reaching the town of Bodh Gaya in what is today the state of Bihar (India), Siddhartha decided to meditate until he found the answers he sought, and to this end, he sat under a bodhi tree. He had a vision of all his previous lives , battled with the demons who threatened his meditation and, finally, many days later, on a full moon night, he discovered the Truth that liberates and became the Buddha.

At first, it seemed to the Buddha that no one would understand the Truth, but Brahma, the King of the gods (in the Hindu pantheon), persuaded him to teach what he had learned, and the Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath near Varanasi (in north India). During the sermon he explained the basic tenets of Buddhism – the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

The Popularity of Buddhism
Buddhism spread quickly throughout Asia, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and by around 520 to 550 AD had reached Japan. Buddhism came to America in the 19th century and influenced prominent personalities like Emerson, Thoreau, Aldous Huxley, and Eric Fromm. In Europe, great thinkers such as Jung, Heidigger, and Toynbee were impressed by Buddhism. A large number of American intellectuals have taken to Buddhism in their search for ways to tame the “monsters of the mind” so easily created by material excesses. The ultimate goal of the Buddhist is to accept responsibility for his own circumstances and to understand how he himself creates illusion and suffering.

The Philosophy of Buddhism
Buddhist philosophy accepts the inevitability of disease, death, and emotional pain in a human’s life. The cause of human suffering is attributed to the attachment to things that have shape and form. The antidote offered is simple – to cure suffering, free yourself from attachment. Practical ways to end suffering has been prescribed through eight pursuits – right speech, right action, right livelihood, right concentration, right view, right intention, right mindfulness, and right effort.