Buddha Hands

During our Southeast Asia trip we saw literally hundreds of statues of the Buddha. Did you know that the position of his hands has meaning?  I am sure the hands are to remind followers of his teachings.

The reclining Buddha represents his serene and composed posture before his death    This is the moment when Buddha enters "nirvana'.  According to Buddhist belief, a person who attains this state does not continue on the cycle of life and death and rebirth and is entirely free from the confines of destiny and misery.  Michael Wilcox explained to us that 'nirvana' is actually a state when all individual desires go away.  A person in nirvana is totally self-less and only thinks of others.  

 As you can see this reclining Buddha was quite large!

This posture with one hand in his lap and one pointing down is known as "Calling the Earth to Witness" and it is the moment of enlightenment for the Buddha.  It is the story of how after six years, he was at the verge of enlightenment but Mara, the Demon of Illusion, tried to dissuade The Buddha from the final last steps.  Buddha meditated all night to overcome the fears and temptations sent by Mara and then called the Earth Goddess to witness that he had achieved enlightenment. In this way he shared his enlightenment with the rest of the world. 

This position is known as the 'teaching Buddha'.  The cupped hand denotes charity and the upraised hand depicts tranquility, a sort of 'calm down' sign.  

In this pose, Buddha is touching his 3rd finger.

This denotes the 'middle way'.  Buddha didn't encourage luxury or asceticism. He wanted his followers to choose a balanced approach to life and the regulation of impulses and behavior.

                                                

I believe there is much to admire in these teachings.  Didn't Jesus of Nazareth teach many similar things?  

As we approach death we can be peaceful because of our knowledge of the plan of salvation and the power of the atonement and the resurrection. 

We believe that all the earth "shall see the salvation of the Lord....every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed." (2Ne 19:17)

Luke 17:33 "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."  In other words, he who lives only unto himself withers and dies, while he who forgets himself in the service of others grows and blossoms in this life and in eternity. It is in forgetting self that we become tranquil. Charity equals tranquility. Luke 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." 

Don't we as Christians seek to live a balanced life and to learn to regulate our appetites, passions, and behavior?  By doing this we become like the Savior.  We learn HEAVEN!

Doctrine and Covenants 84:45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

 46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.

Every man.....including Buddha!