The different types of Buddha statues and their meanings

Author : Peter Vredeveld

The history of Buddha and Buddhism is not unknown to anybody around the world. From the birth of Buddha to the death of Buddha and attaining Nirvana, everybody must have read about it in the history books or elsewhere. Coming to a topic, Gautama Buddha never preached to his followers about himself being a God or idolizing him. After hundreds of years of his death, people or the followers of Buddha preferred to idolize and worship him.

There has yet to be a registered date of the first Buddha statue built. Still, according to some research, the Gandhara Buddha statue, located in northern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan, is one of the ancient Buddha statues.

Our exclusive collection of Buddha statues

Value of a Buddha Statue

In the 21st century, Buddhism is among the prevalent religions. What makes Buddhism so unique and popular among the people of Asia and the West?

Many people around the world don't consider it to be a religion, but there are plenty of people who practice Buddhism because it is a way of life and philosophy. Though the debate about Buddhism being a religion or philosophy will never end, we are not here to discuss what it is – Philosophy or Religion.

In today's world, Buddhism is practiced mainly because it is considered an act of Meditation. People buy Buddha statues to practice Meditation because it inspires them. People claim that a Buddha statue can be helpful to mind purification and calmness in the surroundings and may be beneficial to overcome the negativity in oneself.

But there are a lot of people who buy Buddha statues for decoration purposes. To a person who prefers Buddhism as a religion, it may not be enjoyable to see people buying Buddha statues to use them as decorative items.

Meanings of different types of Buddha Statues

We can see many different styles of Buddha statues in the Buddha store. Some statues are seated, some are standing, and a few are reclining. Each of the postures or gestures of a statue has its meaning. Different types of Buddha statues we often see can be listed as:

1. Sitting Buddha

The Sitting Buddha statue is a popular type of Buddha statue. The statue represents the Buddha in a meditative sitting posture, with his legs crossed and his hands resting on his lap. This posture symbolizes the Buddha's enlightenment, as he attained enlightenment while sitting under the Bodhi tree.

2. Standing Buddha

The Standing Buddha statue is one of the most common Buddha statues. The statue represents the Buddha standing with his arms down by his sides. This posture symbolizes the Buddha's readiness to help and assist all sentient beings.

3. Walking Buddha

The Walking Buddha statue represents the Buddha walking with his right hand raised in a gesture of fearlessness or protection. This posture symbolizes the Buddha's readiness to help and guide all sentient beings on their path to enlightenment.

4. Reclining Buddha

The Reclining Buddha statue represents the Buddha lying on his side, with his head resting on a cushion or pillow. This posture symbolizes the Buddha's final moments before passing away into Nirvana, and it is often found in temples and other Buddhist sites.

Different types of statues in our gallery

Along with these styles of Buddha, we have often seen Buddha statues with different hand gestures such as:

1. Abhaya Mudra
2. Bhumisparsha Mudra
3. Dharmachakra Mudra
4. Dhayana Mudra
5. Varada Mudra
6. Vitarka Mudra
7. Namaskara Mudra

Each of the styles and gestures of a Buddha statue has significant meaning with Buddha’s life; from his birth to death and in between. There might be around 100 of other gestures or mudras which may also have significant meaning as per his life events.

There are so many famous Buddha statues in this world. When we look at those statues, we see Buddha in different or similar gestures. Let us see some of the famous statues from all over the world.

Famous Buddha Statues around the world

Some of the famous Buddha statues in this world are listed below:

1. Leshan Giant Buddha
2. Tian Tian Buddha
3. Spring Temple Buddha
4. Buddhas of Bamiyan
5. Grand Buddha at Ling Shan
6. Buddha Dordenma Statue
7. Avukana Buddha Statue
8. Buddha Park
9. Maitreya Project
10. Maligawila Buddha Statue
11. Buduruvagala
12. Gifu Great Buddha
13. Sala Keoku
14. Kamagaya Great Buddha
15. Hussain Sagar Buddha Statue
16. Monywa Buddhas
17. Ayutthaya Buddha Head
18. Gal Viharaya
19. Ushiku Daibutsu
20. Temple of the Reclining Buddha
21. Great Buddha of Kamakura
22. Temple of the Emerald Buddha

This list of Buddha statues has been found in different sources on the internet. The list may not have all famous Buddha statues, but these 22 Buddha statues fall among the famous Buddha statues worldwide.