Description
Cast brass piece featuring Buddha as he is laying down in his bed, about to enter Nirvana.
A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana. He is lying on his right side. His head resting on a cushion or relying on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand.
This particular position of the Buddha is better known as the mahaparinirvanasana in Buddhism. Buddha is said to have known that his death was approaching while in this position. The Buddha asked his disciples to make a couch for him in a bush to make it easy for him to lie down. Although he had attained enlightenment and became the Buddha, as a human being, the Buddha had to leave his physical appearance. This moment is believed to have taken place in Kushinagara in India when he was eighty years old. Therefore this physical demise of the awakened world is termed as Mahaparinirvana, the state beyond Nirvana.
The reclining Buddha should be taken as an object of encouragement that all beings have the potential to be awakened or enlightened and release themselves from the suffering which is characterized by the cycle of rebirth. The serene and smiling expression of the Buddha in reclining Buddha statue portray the compassion and calmness that comes with the enlightenment. There are many iconic reclining Buddha statues all over the Buddhist nations like Chaukhtatgyi Paya in Burma, Dambulla in Sri Lanka, Wat Pho in Thailand, Monolithic Buddha in Cambodia and many more.
Dimensions 15 × 3 × 4 in