Seated Buddha's Influence On Asian Art

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Upon entering the Museum of Arts you turn right and enter a room that is titled the Asian Art. Once there you feel as though you have stepped into Asia and back in time to centuries long now gone. The artifact that I first took notice of was the Seated Buddha Sakyamuni since this has been an object we studied in class. The Seated Buddha is a statue and is representative of the 2nd – 3rd century. Devotion was given to Sakyamuni by the early Buddhist as a miraculous mortal teacher. (Buddha Head) He was not viewed as a cosmic ruler like most. You can see from the photo below (labeled photo 1) that the head is circled by a “halo”, signifying a symbol of the sun disk or magic radiance. This is where the term the “Enlighted One” comes from. (Buddha Head) The Seated Buddha’s right had is raised which indicates the universal gesture of reassurance or blessings. This gesture is also known as abhaya mudra. The tuft of hair, known as the urna, in the middle of his forehead is also significant and is another sign of a holy person. The Seated Buddha sculpture has western influences in the way he is dressed as well as his features. The idealized images of the Greek god Apollo has been suggested to be the influence for the finely pleated rode and drapery style of the Greco-Roman West Buddha is wearing. Gandhara was known as an abundant crossroads for exotic good and cultural ideas between East and West. …show more content…

This figure was from the 13th - 14th Century, known as the Sukhodayan period, and is seated in the lotus position or the padmasana. (Buddha Protected) This Buddha rests one hand in his lap and the other is on his right knee. This is known as the “earth-touching gesture”. It is believed that Buddha is summoning the Earth to be a witness to the fact that he has fought evil and triumphed with

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