18th Century Tibetan Shakyamuni Buddha




The Buddha Shakyamuni, in a pose of enlightenment, the passive left hand having it's palm facing out, in an active gesture of peace, bearing no agression, and the active right hand resting in the lap in a gesture of meditation. As the Buddha has broken through the boundaries of egocentric existence and relaxes into compassion. All Buddhist art celebrates this supreme moment and leads the viewer toward the Buddha's experience of selfless enlightenment. The earliest forms of Buddhist art were semiabstract: bodhi-trees, wheels, stupas, and even the Buddha's stylized footprints served as supports for contemplating what was ultimately beyond words or forms. As the Buddha himself continually taught, it was not he who was continually revered but the possibility he presented. "Don't look to me," he said, "but to the enlightened state."

One of the most cherished Tibetan Bronzes in my growing collection......

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