Buddha And The Life And Death Of Buddha

Buddha attained enlightenment through his meditations; he was known as the Enlightened One and inspired followers through his teachings. Around the first century CE, Buddha was depicted in human form as a robed monk with elongated ears from wearing heavy jewelry as an adolescent. The robe and lack of jewelry in the representations indicate elimination of both worldly possessions and a life of wealth. In order to further differentiate Buddha from other monks and bodhisattvas (potential Buddha), artists used lakshanas, such as a dot between his brows (urna) and a knot of hair on the crown of his head (ushnisha).
This particular style that Buddha was first depicted in originated in the Gandhara region where Greco- Roman art was utilized. Some of the figures that depict Buddha from this region include Mediating Buddha and The life and death of Buddha scenes, both created in the second century CE. In these figures of Buddha they also include different mudras, the mudras express …show more content…
There are four scenes: the first is Buddha’s birth from his mother at Lumbini, the second is his enlightenment while meditating beneath the Bodhi tree, the third is his first sermon at Sarnath as the Buddha, and the last is his death when he attained nirvana. Of the four scenes Buddha can be seen in two displaying mudras. The bhumisparsha mudra (earth – touching) depicts his right hand down towards the ground (inviting the earth to observe his enlightenment) after successfully overcoming the soldiers and demons that attempted to distract him; it can be seen in the second scene of The life and death of Buddha. The abhaya mudra (do not fear) displays Buddha’s right hand up and palm turned out in which he gives a blessing to the monks and followers who had come to hear his sermon; this gesture can be found in the third scene of The life and death of the