Nine Mudras Poster A
Nine Mudras combined into One Design: Bhumisparsa Mudra (Gesture of Calling the Earth to Witness) The right hand, hanging over the knee, palm inward, points to the earth. The left hand is on his lap, palm upwards, in Avakasha Mudra (Gesture of leisure): Bhumisparsa mudra portrays the Buddha taking the earth as witness to his right to the bodhi throne, witnessing the fact that Shakyamuni has fulfilled the complete discipline and duty of a Bodhisattva. Shakyamuni’s instantaneous transformation from a Bodhisattva to the Buddha recalls the superiority of the knowledge of the Buddha, which is pure bodhi perception and the means that enables the Enlightened One to triumph over the demons. The Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya shows the same Mudra. The original pencil drawing was edited in Photoshop. Buddhapatra Mudra (Mudra of the Buddha's Alms Bowl) This is one of the mudras distinctively identified with Shakyamuni Buddha. Here the two hands are placed horizontally in opposition to hold an actual or figurative begging bowl at the level of the breast, one hand above and the other underneath. In some variations, the bowl is replaced by a wish-granting jewel or by a treasure box. The Dhyana Mudra is the characteristic gesture of Buddha Shakyamuni, Dhyani Buddha Amitaba and the Medicine Buddhas. This is the mudra of meditation, of concentration on the Good Law, of the attainment of spiritual perfection, of bodhi, or awakening. In this mudra, the back of the right hand rests on the palm of the other in such a way the tips of the thumbs lightly touch one another. The hands rest in the lap. The right hand, resting on top, symbolizes the state of enlightenment; the other hand, resting below, the world of appearance. This gesture expresses overcoming the world of appearance through enlightenment, as well as the enlightened state of mind for which samsara and nirvana are one. The position of the hands in this mudra derives, in accordance with the tradition, from the attitude, which the historical Buddha assumed, when he devoted himself to final meditation under the bodhi tree. This is the attitude he was found in when the demon armies of Mara attacked him. He was to alter it only when he called the earth to witness, at the moment of his triumph over the demons. Namaskara or Anjali Mudra (Gesture of Praying / The Diamond Handclasp) The Anjali Mudra is the mudra of offering and devotion. It is formed by joining the hands, which are held vertically at the level of the breast, palm against palm, fingers against fingers, interlocked at the tips, the right thumb covering the left. The gesture formed by the union of the two hands, recalls the co-existence of the two inseparable worlds, which are really one: the Diamond World, or vajradhatu and the Matrix World, or gharbhadhatu. These two worlds are the expression of two aspects of one cosmic life and represent the reciprocal action of the spiritual and the materials, the static and the dynamic. As this mudra is a gesture of adoration, giving homage to a superior state, it is never represented on a statue of the Buddha. It is a gesture, which belongs rather to Bodhisattvas and to lesser personages who give homage either to the Buddha or to the dharma. It is frequently seen on multiple-armed Avalokiteshvara (Kannon or Kwan-Yin). Universally used by people in India and South-East Asia for salutation, it evokes an offering of good feelings, of one’s person, etc. and also indicates veneration if it is made at the level of the face. Abhaya Mudra (Gesture of Fearlessness and Granting Protection) This mudra is generally made with the right hand raised to should height, the arm crooked, the palm of the hand facing outward, the fingers upright and joined. The left hand hangs down at the side of the body. This mudra would seem to sustain the theory that symbolic gestures originally sprang from natural movements. Certainly the outstretched hand is an almost universal iconographic symbol. Since antiquity it was a gesture asserting power. Here it is the gesture of the Buddha Shakyamuni immediately after attaining enlightenment. It is also the traditional Indian gesture of appeasement made by the Buddha when a drunken elephant, which had been goaded on by the malevolent Devadatta, attacked him. The Buddha’s gesture immediately stopped the animal in its tracks and subdued it. Accordingly, it indicates not only the appeasement of the senses, but also the absence of fear; and it confers such absence of fear on others, which is a liberating factor. Varada Mudra (Gesture of Granting Wishes) This is the mudra of Dhyani Buddha Ratnasamhava, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Taras and (sometimes) standing Buddha Shakyamuni. The charity of the Buddha is indicated by this mudra, as it is the gesture of dispensing favors. In this symbolism the right hand is directed downward. The palm should be completely exposed to the spectator, open and empty; the fingers may be slightly bent as if to support a round object. When the personage who makes this gesture is standing, he holds is arm slightly extended to the front. In seated statues, the hand remains at about breast level, a little to the side, the palm up; very often the other hand holds a corner of the kesa. As noted above, this mudra symbolizes offering, giving, welcome, charity, compassion and sincerity. It is the mudra of the accomplishment of the wish to devote oneself to human salvation. The open hand, the extended fingers, symbolize the flowering of the Buddha’s Gift of Truth. Dharmachakra Mudra (Gesture of Turning the Wheel of the Law) The mudra is especially characterized by a variety of forms, even in India. Generally speaking, the right hand is held at the level of the breast, palm facing outward, while the index finger and the thumb, join at the tips to form the mystic circle, touch the joined index and thumb of the left hand, whose palm is turned inward. It symbolizes one of the most important moments in the life of the Buddha, the occasion when he preached to his former companions the first sermon after his Enlightenment, in the Deer Park in Sarnath. Making explicit reference to the wheel as it does, this mudra is particularly steeped in the rich and ancient symbolism of the wheel in Buddhist metaphysics. Apart from the Buddha Gautama, only Maitreya (the Buddha of the future) can, as a dispenser of the Law, form this mudra. Vajrasattva Mudra Vajrasattva (Tib. Dorje Sempa), the ‘indestructible being or hero’, is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana, Mantrayana and Vajrayana buddhist traditions. Vajrasattva's name translates to Diamond Mind or Thunderbolt Mind. He is beautiful and peaceful with a sweetly smiling face and two eyes, and he sits in vajra-posture upon a white moon disc and a multicoloured lotus. With his right hand he embraces his consort, who is known either as Vajratopa (Tib. Dorje Nyenma), or Vajragarvi, the lady of ‘vajra-pride’. Vajrasattva holds a golden five-pointed vajra (dorje) in front of his heart, and with his left hand resting upon his thigh he holds an upturned silver bell (ghanta) at the level of his hip. In Tantric Buddhism (Vajrayana) the vajra and bell are used in many rites by a lama. The dorje is a male symbol that represents many things for the tantrika. The vajra is representative of compassion whereas its companion tool, the bell which is a female symbol, denotes wisdom. Some deities are shown holding each the vajra and bell in separate hands, symbolizing the union of the forces of wisdom and compassion, respectively. Vajrahumkara Mudra (The Embracing Gesture) also called "The Om Sound Gesture". The wrists are crossed at the breast. The hands hold the Vajra (=thunderbolt, male) and Ghanta (= bell, female). The right hand crosses over the left at the wrist, palms facing inwards towards the chest and usually over the heart, symbolizing the union of method and wisdom. This is the gesture of Adi Buddha Vajradara, Samvara and Trailokyavijaya. Manjushri Mudra Manjushri is depicted as a male bodhisattva wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The scripture supported by the lotus held in his left hand is a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra, representing his attainment of ultimate realization from the blossoming of wisdom.
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