Everything about Buddharupa totally explained
Buddharūpa (बुद्धरूप, literally, 'Form of the Awakened One') is the
Sanskrit and
Pali term used in
Buddhism for statues or models of the
Buddha.
Commonalities
Despite cultural and regional differences in the interpretations of texts about the life of the
Buddha, there are some general guidelines to the attributes of a Buddharupa:
- Fingers and toes are elongated proportionately
- Long, aquiline nose
- Elongated earlobes
- Head protuberance
- Broad shoulders
The elongated earlobes are vestiges of his life as a prince, when he wore extravagant jewellery. The "head protuberance" symbolises the loose connection between the mind and the body of a Buddha or
Bodhisattva.
Regional variations
From a gaunt seated ascetic to a laughing big-bellied wanderer, there are a variety of buddha depictions across cultures.
Proportions
The Buddharupas of India, Tibet, and the other Buddhist cultures usually depict a well proportioned figure, but sometimes he's shown emaciated, in recollection of the
Buddha's years of ascetic practices.
Japanese Buddharupas are often very square and stolid, while Indian and South-East Asian ones are often thin.
The Buddharupa most Westerners are familiar with is the
Hotei "Happy" or "Laughing" Buddha. He is depicted as fat and happy, often travelling or bearing wealth. This is a Chinese image, and is in fact a Chinese Buddhist monk who so completely and totally embodied the buddha-nature of all sentient beings that he was considered to himself be a Buddha.
Postures, gestures and artefacts
He is sometimes shown reclining, recalling the Buddha Shakyamuni's departure into final nirvana.
Sometimes he's holding various symbolic objects, or making symbolic
mudras (gestures).
The clothing also varies; in China and Japan, where it's considered socially improper for monks and nuns to expose the upper arm, the Buddharupa has a tunic and long sleeves, much like the traditional monks and nuns, while in India they're often topless.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Buddharupa'.
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