Wesak Celebration 

Buddha's Birthday is Celebrated on April 8, every year.

Shakayumni Buddha was born 563 - 483 B.C., from Lady Maya's body under the Bodhi tree on Lumbini grove. As soon as he was born, the Buddha took seven steps in the four directions - north, east, south, west - and then, pointing one hand upwards towards the sky and the other pointing downwards towards the ground, he exclaimed: "Whether above the sky or below the sky, I am most noble and high. I am here to bring peace to all the sentient beings in the world who are suffering."

This declaration by the Buddha is a vow to one day deliver all blind, sentient beings who are lost in the sea of suffering from their misery by providing them with the way to live life in peace and without entanglements.

The Buddha began to carry out this promise when he renounced his position as the Crown Prince, attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya after 6 years of ascetism, and then gave his very first teaching of the Dharma to 5 bhikkus at ³ì¾ß¿ø(nokyawon).

For 45 years thereafter, the Buddha traveled all over India and guided all beings to a right path of living life. The Buddha descended to the sentient (sabha) world to benefit and comfort the people, to deliver sentient beings from their suffering.
The Buddha was born on the top of a hill on a roadside, not amidst the luxuries of the royal palace and court. The birth of this teacher, who was born on the path, lived on the path, and passed away on the path, in essence is an expression of His never-ending love and compassion for all beings.

In celebrating Buddha's birthday, over 20 million Buddhists  pay their respects to the Buddha. We must also remember on this special occasion, however, to vow to find our "true Self" and to practice with the same impelling spirit as Buddha had in wanting to save all sentient beings.
We must have the wisdom to help all those who are suffering in accordance with the needs of this day and age as the Buddha did in prescribing medicine according to the nature of the person's sickness.

Let us be strong in our intent in practicing what the Buddha taught to all those sentient beings to lead them on the path of enlightenment.
Let us strive together to make Buddha's birthday a day to search for our true selves by practicing the way of the Bodhisattva

Life Of Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama lived in the present-day border area between India and Nepal in the 6th century before Christ; his exact birth date is unknown. Because the life of the historical Buddha is inseparable from legend, the following résumé is not meant to be a historically exact biography, but a short life story based on what has been passed down by generations.

563 BC - Birth

Siddhartha Gautama is born in Lumbini, near the Nepalese-Indian border to his father, King Suddhodana, ruler of the Sakya tribe, and his mother, Queen Mayadevi. The father gives his son the name of Siddhartha (=the one who obtains success and prosperity), his second name is Gautama (=name of the clan).

Seers predict that Siddhartha will either become a Universal Monarch or a Buddha. Asita, the wisest of the seers, is sure that he will become a Buddha (=one who has supreme knowledge). His mother dies seven days after the birth.

563 - 547 BC

Siddhartha spends his childhood in the palace of his father at Kapilavastu, Southern Nepal, where he is raised by his aunt Mahaprajapati until the age of seven. In his early childhood, during a ploughing ceremony, Siddhartha makes his first unprecedented spiritual experience, where in the course of meditation he develops the first jhana (=meditative absorption) through concentration.

As a young boy he learns the skills of a warrior, including the technical and athletic skills of man-to-man fight. Siddhartha is trained in spiritual disciplines and becomes proficient in the art of archery

547 BC

At the early age of sixteen, he marries his beautiful cousin Princess Yasodhara, who is of equal age.

547 - 533 BC

The young prince spends thirteen more years together with his wife in the royal court of his father. Three palaces are built for him, one for the cold season, one for the hot season, and one for the rainy season. Siddhartha enjoys the lavish court life while his father is trying to screen him from all troubles and worries. A son is born while Siddhartha is in his late twenties.

533 BC - The Four Sights

Despite of the amenities of life, Siddhartha is not satisfied with the mere enjoyment of fleeting pleasures due to his inquiring and contemplative nature. One day, he leaves the palace for an excursion and there he encounters what so far has been purposely veiled from him:

He sees a decrepit old man, a diseased person, a corpse being cremated, and a sadhu (=holy man, hermit). Siddhartha realizes that there is old age, sickness, and death, and that people ultimately have little control over their lives. The fourth sight provides the inspiration that leads to a dramatic change in his life.

533 BC - The Renunciation

In the night of his 29th birthday, Siddhartha gives up his life as a prince and secretly leaves the court while everyone is asleep. He travels far and crosses the river Anoma, where he shaves his hair and hands over his princely garments to his groom Channa, with instructions to return them to the palace.

533 - 528 BC

The Bodhisattva (=future Buddha), who once lived in luxury, becomes a penniless and homeless wanderer. He leads a life of self-mortification and spiritual study, becomes first a disciple of several then famous Brahman teachers, and later attracts his own disciples.

After a long and exhausting period of searching and self-mortification, he finally becomes disillusioned with the Indian caste system, Hindu asceticism, and the religious doctrines of his time. He gives up the ascetic life and loses all of his disciples as a result. Nevertheless, he continues his search for truth through the practice of meditation.

April/May 528 - Enlightenment

While meditating under a Bodhi tree in Bodh-Gaya, south of Gaya in the state of Bihar, India, the Bodhisattva experiences the Great Enlightenment, which reveals to him the way of salvation from suffering. He spends seven weeks meditating in the vicinity of the site of the Bodhi tree and attains the status of a fully realized Buddha at the age of 35.

June/July 528 BC - First Sermon

Buddha finds his former five disciples in Benares. In his first sermon he teaches them what will become the gist of Buddhism. Upon hearing it, one of the disciples instantly attains the status of an arhat (=one with enlightened wisdom). This event marks the beginning of the Buddhist teaching and his disciples become the first five members of the sangha (=Buddhist order).

528 - 527 BC

During a short period of time, Buddha establishes a great reputation in western Hindustan by converting thousands of people to the dhamma (=the Buddhist teaching). People hear the dhamma delivered either by himself, or by the monks of his order. During this time he delivers the fire sermon.

March 527 BC

The Buddha briefly returns to the palace of his father to convert the royal family and ordains many of the Sakya tribe.

523 BC

Four years later Siddhartha's father, King Suddhodana, dies. Buddha returns to the palace and Mahaprajapati, where Buddha's aunt -upon meeting Buddha- becomes the first woman to ordain, despite of the protest of some contemporaries. From this moment on women were admitted to the sangha. According to Indian tradition, however, they were separated and under the authority of male monks.

524 - 483 BC

In the 45 years following his enlightenment, Buddha travels around Northern India to teach the tenets of Buddhism. He is extremely successful and attracts first thousands, then ten thousands, and later hundred thousands of people from all walks of life, who voluntarily decide to follow his teachings, the dhamma. During the monsoon, when traveling becomes difficult due to the weather, Buddha and his close followers interrupt their journey. During these month, monks, as well as laypeople, receive the teachings at a site selected for retreat. One such site is Sravasti in Nepal, which has become very famous since then.

Buddha's success does not only attract admirers, but also provokes envy and ill will. Several attempts are made on his life, but all of them fail. Although he is being criticized and defamed, this does not affect the popularity of his teaching.

483 BC

Having achieved the goal of spreading the teaching to the greatest number of people, Buddha dies at the age of eighty years, as a result of food poisoning. He dies in a forest near Kusinagara, Nepal, in the company of his followers reclining on a bed where he speaks his last words: "All compounded things are ephemeral; work diligently on your salvation." With these words on his lips, he passes into the state of Nirvana.

Buddha images provide a serene and reassuring reminder of the basic tenets of Buddhist religion.  Just as Buddhist religion is practiced in many different ways, Buddhist imagery also serves a wide variety of ritual purposes and has different meanings for different people. 

Buddhism in Southeast Asia:

The dominant form of Buddhism in Southeast Asia (and also Sri Lanka) is Theravada Buddhism.  Theravada literally means “way of the elders” and Theravada Buddhism is based on the oldest recorded Buddhist teachings, the 2000-year-old Tipitaka texts.  The core of these teachings is the Buddha's sermons examining the role of suffering in human existence, the causes of suffering, and the mental disciplines that can help people to minimize or escape from suffering.

Sometimes people are surprised by Buddhism's focus on suffering, as though a religion talking about suffering were like a politician talking about raising taxes.  Directly addressing the suffering that people experience is a very practical and realistic approach to understanding the true nature of life.  Buddhists try to develop understanding and mental discipline that will allow for compassion and peace of mind in the face of adversity.

The differences between Theravada Buddhism and the many forms of Mahayana Buddhism practiced in Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan come in the incorporation of other teachings and practices. The Buddha’s own words make little reference to supernatural forces or places so Buddhism has been very flexible in blending with other religious beliefs.  Buddhism has countless divisions that vary in their rigor of study, the role of supernatural elements, and the style of rituals and practice.  One of the basic differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism is that Theravada does not incorporate the compassionate Boddhisatva figures such as Tara/Kuan Yin/Kannon that are an important aspect of Mahayana Buddhism

Role of Religious Art and Imagery:

The Buddha himself was simply a man who achieved enlightenment (a complete understanding of the nature of life) through experience, observation, and meditation.  Buddhism’s primary focus is therefore on the Buddha’s teaching, not on the Buddha’s person.  Buddhist sites are sometimes decorated with representations of the teaching such as the footprint (representing the Buddha’s impact) and the wheel (representing the Buddha’s teaching described as the “wheel of law”).  

The most basic role of Buddha images is to convey the feeling of calm and detachment that reflects proper mental discipline with control over the negative emotions of fear and greed.  The Buddha's serene appearance sets an example for his followers.

Buddha statues and other Buddhist art also serve an important role in conveying teachings, particularly in traditional societies with low rates of literacy.  Classic postures are associated with particular lessons and/or moments in the Buddha’s life.  Production of religious art is considered a generous or “merit making” activity because it helps spread Buddhist teaching and reduce people’s suffering.

Traditional Rules for Making Images:

Many old texts describe the Buddha's appearance and include lists of distinguishing characteristics, however these traditions vary from country to country and have been interpreted differently over time so there is no universally accepted standard for the Buddha's appearance.  Some of the characteristics found on nearly every Buddha image are:
 

• All the fingers and toes are of the same extended length
• Long aquiline nose
• Elongated ears
• Protuberance in the top of the head (symbolizing great mental power and the soul’s loose attachment to the body)
• Broad shoulders

In practice, craftsmen often copy the forms of famous temple images rather than designing new correct images.  The craftsmen’s skill is reflected in fine details and materials rather than originality of the design.

The traditional belief in Southeast Asia is that a Buddha image should be made from the best possible materials.  For the small wooden statues kept in homes, the best materials are rich tropical hardwoods:

• Teak – a moderately hard wood with a rich brown color.  Teak is prized for its durability.  Most large wooden temple images are made from teak.
• Yamane – a moderately hard wood with an whitish tone that occasionally has hints of green or gray.  Yamane wood is considered auspicious and was used to carve the throne of the Burmese kings.  Marionettes are also traditionally made from yamane wood.
• Padauk and miscellaneous hardwoods – Padauk wood has a beautiful reddish tone.  Use of padauk and other hardwoods is uncommon, but their dense grain and rich color can create images of exceptional quality.  Thitsi wood has a dark red/purple coloring that looks especially beautiful.
• Ebony – Burmese yindaik wood, commonly called ebony but different from African ebony, is extremely hard with a dark coffee tone.  The weight and density of the wood make it very difficult  to carve, but the resulting images can have an amazing smoothness and capture fine detail.
• Sandalwood – Prized for many centuries for its relative rarity and rich aroma, sandalwood's very hard wood, dense grain, and beautiful caramel color are perfectly suited to the needs of a craftsman.  Sandalwood images can have a beautiful elegance and lifelike detail.  The wood is relatively expensive because of the small size of the trees; it’s unusual to find one over six inches in diameter.
• Tharakhan - a Burmese hardwood with rich intoxicating scent like cedar.  Often used as a substitute for sandalwood, Tharakhan has a similar color but with streaks and spots that sometimes enhance and sometimes inhibit the character of a carving
• Rainwood - a common commercial hardwood that is fast-growing, durable, and moderately priced.  The grain is quite coarse and the wood's coloring is uneven so rainwood tends to be used for items where decorative details will be stained, painted, or applied  rather than carved into the wood.   The same wood is also called Raintree wood and Monkey Pod wood.

Meaning of Buddha Images:

In keeping with their emphasis on the oldest and most fundamental teachings, Theravada Buddhists produce only a narrow range of Buddhist imagery.  Nearly every Southeast Asian Buddha image is made in one of these postures (mudras) that can easily be identified by the position of the hands

• Dispelling Fear: Hand raised with palm facing outwards and fingers extended in a universal gesture of protection, benevolence, and peace.
• Teaching: Hand raised with palm facing outwards and index finger forming a circle with the thumb.
• Teaching the First Sermon: Both hands together at the chest with fingers on one hand forming a circle representing the “wheel of law” while the other hand touches the wheel to set it in motion (representing the beginning of Buddhist teaching)
• Meditation: Hands resting together on the lap.  The gesture symbolizes perfect balance of thought and tranquility.
• Calling the Earth to Witness:  With palm inwards, the right hand touches the ground and “calls the earth to witness” the Buddha’s enlightenment.  The gesture symbolizes unshakable faith and resolution and is the most common posture for Southeast Asian temple images.
• Passage to Nirvana: The reclining Buddha representing the Buddha’s death.  The posture symbolizes complete peace and detachment from the world.
• Offering or Wish Granting: Hand points down with palm facing out.  The gesture represents the offering of Buddhist teaching to the world.  Sometimes the teaching, and its benefit, is symbolically represented by a small piece of medicinal myroloban fruit.  One particularly majestic style of standing offering image with the robes flared out is also known in Thailand and Laos as the “Calling for Rain” posture.

Each of these positions can be associated with a moment in the Buddha’s life that has an important lesson, although the description of these scenes varies considerably. 

Magic and Luck:

The Buddha himself did not speak about faith or belief. He explained his ideas logically and asked people not to blindly follow the words of any teacher, including himself, but to look at their own experience and consider which ideas helped them cultivate compassion and avoid delusions.  However, as Buddhism spread it became extended by other elements that fit the traditions and needs of different peoples.  The resulting diversity of forms of Buddhist practice makes it very difficult to make universal statements about "Buddhist" beliefs.  

"Luck" provides an example of the range of possible interpretations.  Some people believe that prayers to, or possession of, a Buddha image will bring them good luck.  In Thailand vendors sell lottery tickets outside Buddhist temples and some monks enjoy bursts of fame for their success in predicting winning numbers.  On the other hand the Buddha's own teachings are often interpreted to rule out the existence of luck.  "The Law of Causation" says that everything happening in the world is a natural product of cause and effect relationships.  Nothing happens randomly or by chance and if you want something good to happen in the future then you should practice good deeds now.

Some Buddhists believe that all Buddha images have a protective supernatural power.  People even treasure natural forms such as a tree trunk that grew in a form resembling a Buddha image.  Some Buddhists believe that Buddha images have no special power until they are blessed by a Buddhist monk in a ceremony that calls a spirit inside them.  Some Buddhists believe that Buddha images have only an inspirational power.

Perspectives on Use of Buddha Images:

While the interpretations and meanings can vary, traditionally all Buddha images were made for religious purposes.  Naturally, Buddhists can have strong feelings about the proper and respectful treatment appropriate for Buddha images. Observation of traditional guidelines shows respect for religious teachings and reinforces understanding.  Failure to observe traditional guidelines shows disrespect and can be offensive.

The confusing aspect of these guidelines is that in different places there are different traditions for respectful treatment.  For example, in Thailand many people wear small Buddha amulets because they like to have the Buddha’s presence and sometimes they believe the amulet may provide some supernatural protection.  In contrast, many Burmese believe it is improper to wear a Buddha amulet because the wearer shows disrespect by placing his head above the Buddha.  In their own way both ideas are respectful.   Another example is that the Burmese religious authorities have asked that images of the Buddha not be used in any business advertisement or promotion including book and magazine covers.  They considered it improper to associate Buddhist imagery with any commercial activity or product.  Many other Buddhists are less strict and accept Buddha images in conjunction with books or other materials about Buddhism.  But most Buddhists agree that use of Buddha images in any commercial context other than promotion of Buddhist teaching is disrespectful.

Proper Treatment of Buddha Images:

In view of the differing traditions, one can broadly say that a proper use of Buddha images is one that shows recognition and respect for the religious meaning.  Proper uses could be described as a focus for meditation, a focus of worship, or a reminder of Buddhist doctrines.  In keeping with the importance of these images, Buddhists also observe a variety of guidelines about placement of images within their homes:

• Location of images – In Southeast Asia, Buddha statues are normally placed in a location removed from ordinary worldly affairs.  Many Thai and Burmese homes have a separate room, alcove, or cabinet for storage of religious images.  But some people take another view and place a Buddha image in a place of prominence as a constant reminder of the importance of Buddhist teaching in all aspects of life.
• Height of images – Traditional practice was that images should be high enough that the image’s feet were at or above the eye level of people in the room in order to avoid accidentally soiling the images. The Buddha image should be higher than any other figures displayed in the room.  Elevation also serves as a reminder of the importance of avoiding pride and ego.  From an esthetic point of view, some types of wooden images look less elegant viewed from above when you are looking into the grain.

Improper Treatment of Buddha Images:

Improper treatment encompasses any use of Buddha images that does not recognize and respect their spiritual importance.  Examples would be:

• Decorative use – It can be disrespectful to ignore the spiritual meaning of a statue and acquire it solely for its esthetic properties.  Most Westerners have a basic understanding of Christian values and teachings represented in a Jesus image.  Hopefully if you own a Buddha image then you have some basic understanding of Buddhist values and teachings.
• Kitschy and commercial use – It is disrespectful to treat the Buddha’s image in the same manner as a fictional character goods brand like Hello Kitty or Michael Jordan.  Many Buddhists consider it disrespectful to print Buddha images on common products like clothing, bags, and accessories.  It is disrespectful to use the Buddha’s image and name in promotion of commercial activity.
• Meaningless use – Buddhism is sometimes improperly associated with vague New Age mystical beliefs.  Buddhism is a very old religion with a deep and profound scholarly tradition.  It is disrespectful to use a Buddha image simply to provide an aura of exoticism and mystery. 

Antique Buddha Images:

These have become popular "collectible" items in Western countries.  Aside from the issue of respectful treatment, the biggest moral issue related to these items is the fact that nearly all are not antique.  Production of fake antiques is a huge business in Southeast Asia and craftsmen have become experts at copying historical styles and creating a patina of age and wear.  These fakes are offered on line and at well-known retail businesses.  The images may be attractive, the prices may be fair (or maybe not), and they may provide an inspirational presence, but they just aren't old.  In one sense that's good news since export of genuine antique Buddha images from Southeast Asia is illegal and robs people of their cultural and spiritual heritage. 

Other Buddhist Images:

Images of the historical Buddha (born as Siddhartha Gautama) are part of every Buddhist tradition.  Other figures that are part of some Buddhist tradiitons include:

• Boddhisatvas.  People whose karma was so elevated that they could have passed to Nirvana, but instead chose to remain in this world out of compassion for other human beings.  They may be able to ffer assistance or comopfrt to people in suffering.  The most widely knwon and represented Boddhisatva is Avalokiteshvara, represented in female form in Tibetan tradition as Tara, in Chinese tradition as Kuan Yin (or Guan Yin or Kwan Yin), and in Japanese tradition as Kannon.
• the "Laughing Buddha."  A folk figure of an itinerant Chinese monk named Ho-tei is widely referred to by non-Buddhists as the "laughing Buddha" or "happy Buddha."  According to some beliefs he is an incarnation of a Buiddha who will appear in the future and might properly be called a boddhisatva.
• Monks and teachers.  All Buddhist traditions offer great respect to the monks who give their lives to perfection of virtue and work for the education and enlightenment of all of us.  In Mahayana tradition images are often made to honor famous teachers.  The most basic Buddhist prayer is: I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (Buddha's teaching) and the Sangha (the community of Buddhist monks).  

Selecting a Buddha Image:

It is not necessary to belong to a Buddhist group in order to study Buddhist teaching and derive comfort or guidance from Buddhist religion and philosophy. It is not necessary for a Buddhist to have a Buddha image.  Respectful use of an image can provide a beautiful, positive, and reassuring presence.  If you want an image then I encourage you to choose whichever image helps to evoke strengths already inside you.

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 Items at this on-line store are shown as curios.  We make no claims nor guarantee any magical or supernatural powers for any item.  The names and assumed powers are derived from books, folklore and various other sources. The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.