Friday, February 26, 2010

The Golden Buddha, next to the Big Buddha.

Here is a photo of the Golden Buddha with Sue (Steph's patient and long suffering wife) next to it to give an idea of scale.

The Golden Buddha is sitting in Bhumisparsa Mudra....that is 'Subduing Mara and Calling the Earth to Witness'. During meditation, Siddhartha is subjected to many temptations.....demons, and monsters are sent to him by the evil Mara as are storms and Mara's three daughters who try to tempt him.

Siddhartha calls on the Earth Goddess (Mother Nature) to help him overcome the evils Mara has sent. She does this by flooding the area by wringing water from her hair and drowning Mara and his demons.

Good story, eh?

The Buddha has a three fold 'umbrella' above his head....the number three represents The three pearls of Buddhism; the Buddha, The Dharma (everything to do with Buddhism) and the Sangra (the monks, the teachings).

The Buddha sits on two Nagas. These are the mythological snake like creatures that feature throughout Asian culture in various forms. The Nagas guard the Buddha and the entrances to temples amongst many other things. The hill of which this Golden Buddha sits is part of the Naga Hills.

In front of him is the Chakri or Wheel of life. Achieving Enlightenment (through the teachings of the Buddha) will result in an individual leaving the Chakri to attain a state of Nirvana.

The small Buddha statue at the front of the picture is guarded by the seven headed Naga...prince of all the spirits...........................

No comments:

Post a Comment