Why Are Many Of The Ancient Buddha’s Smiling In Their Statues?
Friday, January 1st, 2010 at
1:00 am
I am taking a history of Asian Art class and noticed that many of the ancient Buddha statues are smiling such as the Colossal Buddha at Yungang. Is there a particular reason for this, not that its a bad thing or anything, just curious.
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Tagged with: Ancient • Buddha's • Many • Smiling • Statues • Their
Filed under: Buddha Questions and Answers
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First- to John Galt- Buddha was not fat/well fed. Please learn about Siddhartha Guatama before posting such foolish answers.
In answer to your question- anyone who is enlightened ought to be happy/content. Ever notice how much the Dalai Lama smiles? =)
So what’s wrong with smiling?
enlightenment makes them happy
Seriously, I think that is possibly the reason why. they have found true happiness
Because he’s freed himself from Samsara!
Frowning Buddha… Hmmm. Never thought of that.
Because he’s so well-fed.
buddah was happy……
That is a very good question
Here are some web sites that explain everything
Why does the Buddha smile?
Autumn light falls on the leaves
and makes them luminous against the blue,
it falls upon a woman’s form
and chisels breath to beauty -
even desire.
Breeze percolates through the light,
quivering leaves;
life is sweet.
Like a lotus, radiant, blooming
above the fetid pond it roots in,
so the luminous beauty and joy of life
flower in every corner of time and place.
Whether we find ourselves in war or peace,
satisfied or desolated,
the honeyed light
dims not its warming grace
to match the hue of our anxiety.
Somewhere in this world,
at this moment
for some individual
there is no personal God,
there is only loss, abandonment, despair.
We each will have this moment.
Yet, the light falls,
the lotus blooms,
the grace is there
amidst the wreckage we feel entangled by.
Tranquil beauty and stark terror are all one in this world.
The lotus blooms over the stench of death,
but it blooms – daily.
And so, the Buddha smiles.27 October 2001
Manuel Garcia, Jr.
27 October 2001
http://www.bobthurman.com/essay1.shtmlhttp://www.cosmicharmony.com/Av/Buddha/B…http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/thai_art…
The historical Buddha, (Sakyamuni Buddha) is long gone, but his Teachings remain. A Buddha statue or rupa (meaning “form”) is a representation of someone sitting in zazen which requires an aligned posture.
There are different kinds of rupas, meant to be used in different ways. For example, a rupa that seems to be leaning forward and has a slight smile is meant to be placed on a high shelf from which he can smile down beneficently on whoever happens to glance up. A Buddha with a very straight back is meant to be viewed at eye-level.
The pot-bellied “Buddhas” one sees in novelty shops and such are styled after Butei (Hotei in Japanese) , central figure of a koan, a monk who travelled with a bag of goodies slung over his shoulder, the contents of which he would spread out on the ground to delight others. “Butei’s bag was almost as big as his belly.” He carried bits of glass, stones, shiny things that children love. Somehow he became interchangeable with Sakyamuni Buddha in the minds of many western people. Both Sakyamuni Buddha and Butei would have objected to this most vehemently.
In Chinese folk culture, Butei was conflated with Maitreya, the coming Buddha, come down to Saha (Endurance), this world, to check things out. But Butei is usually shown with just a bag and perhaps a staff. Maitreya is shown sprawled on the ground, covered with laughing children.
Poor Butei, born centuries after the death of Sakyamuni Buddha, has even turned up in recent years as the Buddha mascot of a football team. Not that he would necessarily have had anything against football, but don’t try to force him to choose sides. He wasn’t into winning or losing. And besides which, he wasn’t who they thought he was……
In some places, people pour tea over a statue of the baby Buddha at a certain time of year. I don’t think there is a baby anything, anywhere, who would enjoy this, but that’s just my opinion.
Representations of the Buddha vary according to the culture and country in which they were made. Some look reasonably human. Some have such distorted proportions that they are really quite heinous to look upon. Like the ones with the knobs on their heads, huge hands and feet and a 17 inch waist. I mean, c’mon now……Without going into a lot of history, there are different beliefs about what the Buddha looked like and why.http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node…http://www.onmarkproductions.com/Signs-o…
because He knows that you don’t know…
EDIT: Galt, less contempt, more compassion and kindness…
Because their happy?
He has a little secret.
fuck