How come I see so many different statues of Buddha?

Answer 1

This is a very good question. Not only are there many statues of Buddha, but there are many HUGE statues of him--the one in Leshan, China, just for example, is 233 high.

I don't know why. It is said that if you meet the Buddha on the road, you should kill him. That is, the point of Buddhism is not to exalt Siddhartha Gautama himself. But then you have people adulating him as if he were a god. And I guess that this is the bottom line: People revere him as something other than--or larger than--himself. Perhaps idolatry is a good substitute for the practice of nonattachment as a means to end suffering.

Couldn't ultimately tell you why, though.

Answer 2

Not quite sure how to answer this, but I think what you mean is why are there so many types of Buddha statues, right???

You might be seeing seated Buddha, the tradtional pose, standing Buddha, and the reclining Buddha- these are the 3 forms of Buddha seen in statue form.
Ho-Ti often gets confused for Buddha (he's the fat one you see with hands raised overhead - a Japanese God of happiness).

There are also othere bodisattvas- beings of compassion that have an appearance similar to Buddha, but often have conical headdresses, or might be female, not male. Tara & Avalokiteshvara are 2 common bodisattvas you might see in statue form. Buddha will always have long earlobes, and a dot at his 3rd eye.

Answer 3

The right hands of these statues are usually in a sign of peace, with the thumb and index finger touching and the other three fingers pointing upwards. Sometimes the left hand is pointed down, if the statue is a standing Buddha, or in his lap, if he is a sitting Buddha. The hand facing down can mean either to direct all worship to his feet (as in the case of Vishnu in Hinduism) if the sect actually worships the Buddha, or it can also connote a symbolic meditative aloofness for lower pleasures. The down-facing fingers of the left hand are also sometimes seen as a mudra for concentration. These gestures originated in India, but found roots in many cultures' religious symbolism.

Answer 4

There are also many depictions of Jesus. Short answer: different cultural associations...

The Chinese Buddhas are not depictions of Guatama Buddha, but other Buddhas.

Answer 5

Different cultural interpretations, different mudras and symbolism shown on the statue.

Answer 6

U see many just at Menards I'd say b/c Garden lovers are really into putting Budda in there gardens right now.

Answer 7

Cause you're in a Souvenir Shop in China Town, at the moment.

Answer 8

The artist were different?

Answer 9

When the Buddha announced his impending exit from the sphere of mortality, his dear disciple Ananda burst into tears. “Lord, you have been the polestar of our spiritual path so far. Whom should we contact for guidance and higher instructions when you will not be there in the land of the living?” he asked.

The Buddha replied: Atmadeepo bhava - Be light unto yourself.

Your wavering, questioning self must be silenced at the still point of concentrated consciousness. Amidst the darkness of worldly delusion only the emanation of radiance from within - like the full moon - can bring enlightenment. Guru Purnima symbolises emanation of inner illumination, the awakening of the sleeping Buddha within.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna advised his dear disciple Arjuna: “Lift yourself up with the help of your self ”. You are your best friend, philosopher and guide, at the same time you can be your worst enemy as well. Arjuna was never advised to seek refuge in a guru. Rather, he was advised to rise above all religious rituals and seek refuge in Him, the embodiment of eternal Being, the pure Consciousness, and real Self behind the apparent ripples of delusion.

The concept of seeking the light within is perfectly in tune with scientific spirituality. Whenever we sincerely seek intuitive guidance from within we create a magnetic pool to attract the requisite energy vibrations of infinite potentiality hidden within us. Each soul is potentially divine and we need to awaken this divinity through concentrated efforts and continuous aspiration. This is spirituality. No one else can make us gain the same; we need to source it from inside.

In the Mahabharata, when Dronacharya refused to accept Eklavya as his disciple, the boy made an image of Dronacharya and started practising archery in front of the image. Consequently, he mastered the art of archery as good as Arjuna who was the best direct disciple of Dronacharya, through assiduous practice and intuitive skills. The secret lies in intense aspiration leading to requisite release of the potential hidden within through the psychology of faith in a guru despite the physical absence of the guru in the learning process.

Aurobindo had an experience in cosmic consciousness due to his intense aspiration and soul searching. He never had a guru. Although he received instructions on yoga from Bhaskar Lele, he never accepted him as his guru and his teachings did not lead him to self-realisation.

A true guru can be instrumental in transformation of our ego into divine self and release of divine consciousness through the mechanism of faith. But the dogmatic claim of the essentiality of a guru in the spiritual path falls apart on closer scrutiny. The life of the Buddha, Christ, Ramakrishna, Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi and others bear ample testimony to the fact. Guru Purnima, therefore, is an occasion for awakening of our inner illumination in full beam for manifestation of the divinity already within us.

Answer 10

because people like making fat religious statues