Every decorator understands if a client wants a space which is calm as well as tranquil, there's only one route to go with the decor, and that's East. Imagine water features, bonzai, elegant flowers, beautiful screens and exotic statues. You can add a feel of the orient in many ways, but one of the most straightforward is to add a sculpture of the Buddha. There are more than one hundred known poses and three distinct orientations for these statues, so there will be one which will be ideal for almost any space, even when it's an unusual shape or dimensions.

Side tables and desks all seem to benefit from a sitting Buddha, gardens and balconies might be just right for the standing Buddha, however some areas need an subject much wider than it is tall. There the perfect decorate element is a reclining Buddha.

All Buddha statues display 32 features believed to have been bodily features from the first Gautama Buddha who was born around 563 BC. These are also referred to as the 'Thirty Two Signs of a Great Man', and consist of:

•    flat feet

•    a pointed head

•    beautiful gold skin

•    long fingers all the same length

•    long toes all the same length

•    a robe draped over one shoulder

•    long ear lobes

The Buddha was not in favor of idolizations of his own form, and therefore the real question is actually, why are there any statues of the Buddha at all?

It seems this may be another thing which may be blamed on  the Greeks, and on one Greek in particular, Alexander the Great. When Alexander  conquered India and Afghanistan, he kept many military and artists in the regions, therefore the art associated with this region was heavily inspired by classical sculpture, and through Greek ideas of Gods and mortals. Alexander was famous for taking pleasure in the reproduction of his own visage, understanding the worth of paintings and statues as items of propaganda.

This may be why Alexandrian India, with a partially Greek population as well as ties to Greek culture, was the earliest area to create Buddha statues. These became exceptionally popular and the concept propogagted with Buddhism itself, however as Islam forbade the manifestation of the human form and viewed such sculpture as idolatry,  countless ancient and amazing statues of the Buddha in that region have since been destroyed.

Generally there are a few established poses for these sculptures which relate to certain principles or occasions in the life of the Buddha.

But the most fascinating is the reclining pose of the Buddha. There are not one but two variations. The first shows the Buddha, resting with his head in his hand. This is the sleeping Buddha, but the other similar pose, where Buddha's feet are resting together, symbolizes the day the Buddha went into Nirvana.

Aged 80, the Buddha took a moment to rest and informed his followers he would soon enter parinirvana, the state which happens whenever the physical body of an individual that has accomplished total awakening or enlightenment finally passes away. He consumed his last meal and after that grew to become strongly ill. He asked his followers for any doubts they had and when there weren't any he offered all of them his final instructions. "All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence." Custom states that that when his body was laid between the sala trees, the flowers bloomed, despite the fact that it was not the time of year.

This is the event commemorated by the reclining Buddha statue.  In Thailand the most common pose shows the Buddha with legs crossed and with his left hand in his lap while the right points to the ground, palm inward in a pose called 'Calling the Earth to Witness' and refers to the specific of the Buddha's enlightenment.

Whatever shape your room, generally there is a Buddha statue which will fit, bringing a feeling of peace and tranquility to all your surroundings.

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Buddha Head

translates from Sanskrit to mean 'touching the earth.' gesture or motion of the hands and body to express a feeling.|Mudras are gestures or motions of the body and hands used  to express a a thought or feeling without speech.]  Mudras are [an important part of Buddhist meditation rituals.|Buddhist meditation rituals are based on the many different mudras.] Buddha statues and is also referred to as the 'earth witness' mudra.|Buddha statues are often depicted in the earth touching mudra which is also known as 'the earth witness' position.]

can be recognized by the position of the right hand. The fingers reach downward with the palm facing toward the body.|To perform this mudra, the hand is placed on the ground with all fingers touching. The palm faces inward.] symbolic of the moment when Buddha summoned the goddess, Shthavara to witness the moment in which he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.|It's believed that Buddha assumed the earth touching position after he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree to call the Earth goddess to witness the event.] For this reason, the pose is also known as 'Summoning the Earth Goddess to Witness.'

In the earth touching pose, the right arm rests on the right knee with the fingers extended downward. This position is one of the most common mudras seen in Buddha statues. The left hand rests in the lap, palm up in the mudra of meditation (dhyana mudra). The combination of mudras is intended to symbolize the union of wisdom and method, Nirvana and Samasra. (Buddhist teachings tell the tale of how Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, assumed the earth touching pose to resist against the temptations and distractions of the demon Mara who sought to lure the Buddha from his spiritual life.|The teachings of the Buddhist faith speak of how the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, resisted the temptations of the demon Mara by taking the earth touching pose.] Mara existed in many incarnations in Buddhist lore, from all powerful, evil creature to impish nuisance. One story tells of how Mara summoned his daughter's to seduce the Buddha and distract him from his spiritual journey. This has parallels to the mythology of other cultures, similar to Greek sirens.

The second of the Five Great Buddhas (Five Dhyani Buddhas), Akshobhya, is depicted in the earth touching pose. Akshobhya is a manifestation of strength, confidence and determination and the use of the Bhumisparsha mudra is a reflection of that. The concept of the Five Great Buddhas was an evolution of the Buddhist theology. Initially only two existed, wisdom and compassion.

Akshobhya is the wise Buddha of the East, believed to possess a mirror-like wisdom that converts anger to wisdom. He is associated with the element water, mirror-like itself and symbolic of Akshobhya's ability to help people see things as they truly are.

The simple beauty of this mudra is a welcome reminder that temptation can be confronted by strength and this is the reason many Buddhists display Buddha decor in the earth touching pose.

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The figures and statues of the Buddha that can seen in Hindu temples or bought from specialist shops, are stylisations of Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha. He was born in the ancient province of Nepal around 400BC, and was the son of King Suddhadana and Queen Maya Devi. According to legend, the Queen had a special dream the night that the future Buddha was conceived. She saw a white elephant with six white tusks enter her right hand side and ten months later the young Buddha was born.

When Siddhartha reached the age fo 27, he renounced his kingdom and inheritance, and became a beggar or medicant. He sought and attained enlightenment in six years under a pipala tree and became a Buddha, in Bodhgaya. After enlightenment, he is believed to have said: “Through many births I have passed; the builder of the house of pain is gone and I am free from any more births”.

Throughout his life, the Buddha Shakyamuni preached 'dharma', and Indian spiritual and religiious expression meaning a person's righteous duty or virtuous path. In a Hindu's life, a dhama is affected by how old that person is, their class, occupation and sex.

Buddha statues & ornaments are found in a wide variety of poses, the most common of all the type is the sitting Buddha statue in a lotus position. The posture shows an advanced inner and outer balance and tranquillity. Buddha statues showing meditation, have the posture of the hand or mudra - fingers of the right hand resting on the left as they sat in the lap of the enlightened Buddha's lap whist he sat in a lotus position. Many Buddha statues sit on a pedestal in a lotus blossom, which has come to represent the ‘Enlightened Being’ or ‘Emptiness’.

Buddha statues make wonderful unusual gifts for anyone. If you wish to see our range along with other products such as recycled glassware, visit our website at paprikashop.co.uk.