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Expert: - 5/29/2011


Question
Hi, I have a buddha. He's sitting with his left leg in the meditation position, but his right knee is raised up under his chin with foot flat on floor. His hands are resting palm down on his knee, left hand first, and his head is resting on the back of his hands on his knee. His head is tilted very much to the right and his eyes are closed. He is slim and has the bumpy head covering rather than the smooth bald head (which makes me think he is Tibetan, Indonesian, or Thai, rather than Chinese or Japanese ?) I have searched the net for hours trying to find what this pose, or mudra symbolises, but with no luck . Please can you help ?Also, my friend has a buddha with a scar on his chest, I cannot find the meaning of this either.

Answer
Hi Nat,

From your description, I would agree with you that it is probably from Tibet.  I can't really comment any further.  As for your friend's "Buddha" image, it is certainly a strange one.

Having said that; please remember Buddha images are from the imagination of the sculptors, although certain hand postures may signify certain meanings.  

Regards,

Justin Choo  

Buddhists

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Justin Choo

Expertise

When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.

Experience

I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple. My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @ http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @ http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/ Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)

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