The life of the Buddha for his followers is a well-laid map, which can lead the human being to the zenith of their consciousness, by achieving Enlightenment. The splendor of Buddha’s inspiring life stories is preserved in the timeless tradition of Indian art where images, icons, and scenes are used by artists as cues to remind the devotee-viewer of the extraordinary life incidents of the Buddha. In this copper with gold Buddha Shakyamuni statue, the story of one such event is narrated by the simple use of a Mudra (hand gesture), known as the “Bhumi-Sparsha Mudra” (earth-touching gesture).
Sitting on a refined golden lotus throne whose petals are skillfully sculpted and embellished with tiny turquoise and coral stones, this Nepalese copper with gold Buddha is emanating the brilliance of the Enlightened One. The life event alluded to earlier is one from before the Buddha achieved Nirvana when he was sitting under the Bodhi Tree at Bodha Gaya. The Shakya prince had been in deep meditation for a long time and had braved many obstacles that stood between him and the supreme knowledge.
Seeing the growing aura of the Buddha, Mara, the demon of basal desires was irked and with his notorious army, he attacked the Tathagata who was quietly immersed in dhyana (meditation). All the efforts of Mara to disrupt the Buddha’s dhyana were wasted and even under the devious attacks of his army, Buddha remained as still as the vast ocean. Seeing him so, Mara who was enraged beyond a limit, challenged the Buddha to display his abilities, to give proof of his achievement of enlightened wisdom. Empowered by the divine strength of Bodhi (supreme wisdom), the Buddha in the response to Mara’s challenge opened his eyes and gently touched the Earth.
Behold! The earth trembled with a roaring sound and the goddess of earth, Vasudhara herself materialized to proclaim the glory of the Enlightened One. In this manner, the Buddha not only answered the vicious attacks of Mara with a godly calmness but also used the adverse situation as a chance to let the whole world know of his attainment of Nirvana. In this gilded copper Buddha statue, the moment when he touched the earth is recalled, and with what magnificence!
The Buddha is in the Padmasana (the lotus posture), his left hand placed in his lap in the dhyana mudra (gesture of meditation). The characteristic features of the Buddha- his symmetrically coiled hair, half-opened eyes, sharp nose, elongated earlobes, soft lips, three auspicious lines on the neck, and a refined physique are all delineated with a perfected mastery in this Nepalese Buddha statue. The glazing of gold on the countenance of the Buddha has introduced an other-worldly radiance to the copper icon.
A splendid golden robe adorned with floral patterns and bordered by fine flowing vegetation clings closely to the celestial body of the Buddha with such finesse that upon closer observation, you can see a soft wavy incised line on the torso of the gilded copper Buddha statue, marking the flesh folds present on the belly. The endpiece of the robes falls over the left shoulder of the Buddha and is beautified with a floral motif and turquoise and coral stones.
The enthroned Buddha in Bhumi-sparsha (earth-touching) mudra comes with a removable aureole which is strikingly designed with a mastered hammering of the gold plate to reveal lovely motifs on the golden aura of Tathagata. Brimming with the aura of the Enlightened Wisdom, this Nepalese Buddha in earth-touching posture is a visual recording of the Buddha’s message to his followers- to always remain on the path to Nirvana and never let the chaos outside disturb the stillness within.
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