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Just about every designer knows that when a customer asks for a room which is relaxed as well as beautiful, there is only one route to go with the decor, and that’s East. Imagine fountains, bonzai, elegant plants, lovely screens and exotic statues. You can bring a feel of the orient in numerous ways, however one of the most straightforward would be to add a statue of the Buddha. There are more than one hundred ‘standard’ positions and three distinct orientations for these statues, so there will be one which would be appropriate for virtually every space or room, even when it’s an unusual shape or dimensions.

Side tables and desks almost all seem to cry out for a sitting Buddha, gardens and balconies might be perfect for a standing Buddha, yet quite a few areas need an subject significantly broader than tall. There an excellent decor item is a reclining Buddha.

All Buddha statues share 32 features believed to have been bodily characteristics of the first Gautama Buddha who was born around 563 BC. These are also referred to as the ‘Thirty Two Signs of a Great Man’, and consist of:

•    flat feet

•    a pointed head

•    beautiful gold skin

•    long fingers all the same length

•    long toes all the same length

•    a robe draped over one shoulder

•    long ear lobes

The Buddha wasn’t in favor of idolizations of his own body, and so the real question is actually, why are there so many Buddha statues?

It appears this may be another matter which can be attirbuted to  the Greeks, and on one Greek in particular, Alexander the Great. When Alexander  conquered India and Afghanistan, he placed lots of military and artisans in the regions, hence the art associated with the region had been heavily affected by classical sculpture, as well as through Greek concepts of Gods and men. Alexander was widley known for enjoying the imitation of his own face, understanding the worth of paintings and statues as products of propaganda.

This might be why Alexandrian India, with a partially Greek population as well as ties to Greek tradition, was the first region to create Buddha statues. These became immensely popular and the concept propogagted with Buddhism itself, however as Islam restricted the rendering of the human form and considered such sculpture as idolatry,  countless ancient and exquisite statues of the Buddha in that area are no longer standing.

Generally there are a few established poses for these sculptures that refer to certain ideas or events in the life of the Buddha.

But the most significant is the reclining pose of the Buddha. Presently there are 2 variations. One shows the Buddha, relaxing with his head in his hand. This is the sleeping Buddha, however the alternative pose, where Buddha’s feet are resting together, represents the day the Buddha entered Nirvana.

At age eighty, the Buddha sat down to rest and told his disciples he was about to enter parinirvana, the state that occurs when the body of a person that has achieved total awakening or enlightenment finally dies. He ate his last meal and after that became strongly ill. He asked his followers for any concerns that they had and when there weren’t any he offered all of them his last instructions. “All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.” Tradition states that that when his body was set between the sala trees, the flowers bloomed, though it was not the time of year.

This is the occurrence symbolized by the reclining Buddha statue.  In Thailand the most common pose shows the Buddha with legs crossed and with his left hand in his lap while the right points to the ground, palm inward in a pose called ‘Calling the Earth to Witness’ and relates to the exact of the Buddha’s enlightenment.

Whatever form your space, right now there is a Buddha statue that will probably fit, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility to your world and surroundings.