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Whether in the form of a wall painting, a statue, or some other
religious artifact, an image of Buddha is meant to serve as an
inspiration to Buddhists and as a way to honor and remember
Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, as well as other Buddhas. But
before you can honor a Buddha through his image, you have to
recognize him—and there are many depictions in Buddhist art
that resemble "The Enlightened One."
Images of Buddha didn't begin to appear until the 1st century A.D.,
about 500 years after his death, yet they all share common traits.
The following interactive reveals enough of these traits to allow
you to easily recognize an image of Buddha. It will also help you
understand the meanings of the five most common hand gestures, or
mudras, used in Buddhist art.
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Sources
Chanda, Ramaprasad. The Hair and the Usnisa on the Head of the
Buddha and the Jinars." Indian Historical Quarterly, 1934.09.
Kumar, Nitin. "Mudras of the Great Buddha." www.exoticindia.com.
Vessantara.
Meeting the Buddhas: A Guide to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and
Tantric Deities.
Glasgow: Windhorse Publications, 1993.
Rick Groleau is managing editor of NOVA online.
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