Buddha 'touching the earth' - 50 cm - 19th Century - Skulptur - Myanmar (ehem. Birma)

Wooden Buddha, Burma, 19th century.
With its original polychromy

50 cms x 30 cms

The craftsmanship displayed in this piece is exceptional, showcasing a fascinating duality depending on the viewer's perspective. When observed from above, it conveys a warm and positive expression, while from below, it exudes a hypnotic and serious demeanor, as if passing judgment on the observer.

In this representation we can see Buddha seated while displaying the bhūmisparśa mudrā. Literally bhūmisparśa
translates into 'touching the earth'. It is more commonly known as the 'earth witness' mudrā.
This mudrā, formed with all five fingers of the right hand extended to touch the ground,
symbolises the Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, when he summoned the earth
goddess to bear witness to his attainment of enlightenment.

The right hand, placed upon the right knee in earth-pressing mudrā, and complemented by the left hand-which is held flat in the lap in the dhyāna mudrā of meditation, also symbolises the union of method and
wisdom, samsāra and nirvāṇa , and also the realisations of the conventional and ultimate
truths. It is in this posture that the historical Buddha Śākyamuni overcame the obstructions
of Māra while meditating on Truth.

The tips of the thumb and the forefinger of his left han are made to touch each other, so as to form a circle, the other fingers being kept open. This is the mudrā adopted by teachers when an explanation or knowledge is being given and is called cinmudrā, vyākhyānamudrā or sandarśanamudrā. For instance vyākhyāna literary
means “essence, exposition of truth”. Normally this is a gesture for Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru,
“the Buddha of Medicine Master”.

This sculpture belongs to the Burmese Theravāda school of Buddhism, literally the 'Doctrine of the Elders', the oldest form of the Buddha's teachings. Theravāda is the only one of the old schools of Buddhism that has survived among those which Mahāyānist Buddhist have called 'Hinayāna'. Strictly speaking, Theravāda was one of
the schools within the Hīnayāna; it is, however, the only one still existing today.

Hīnayāna is also referred to as Pāli Buddhism or Southern Buddhism, since it is prevalent chiefly in
countries of South- and Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos) and
developed between the death of the Buddha and the end of the first century BCE. Its
doctrines are essentially based on the sūtras, which are said to have been spoken by the
Buddha himself.

The Buddha is regarded by these schools as a historical person, an earthly man and teacher, not as a transcendent being. The essence of the teaching is expressed in the four noble truths, the doctrine of dependent arising (pratītya-samutpāda), the teaching of anātman, and the law of karma. The basic practice of the Hīnayāna is
described in the teaching of the eightfold path.

Condition:

Wear and tear consistent with its age. Original polychromy, there is flacking of the paint present and a crack runing through the middle at the base. These things only add to the charisma and energy that this unique statue emits.