I bought a buddhist incense burner...?

Question

and it has the buddha with his legs crossed and one hand on his lap; the other hand is holding a small ball. What does this ball mean? Is the skinny buddha the zen buddha?

he has a red cloth on and is hard to tell if he's smiling or not.

the buddha itself is made of bronze color...

Answer 1

It's likely it's a depiction of Shakyamuni Buddha or maybe even Medicine Buddha (if the skin is blue) holding a little jar, which represents the Dharma which is the "medicine" or solution to "suffering".

That he's skinny is just a cultural depiction, more realistic since the Buddha wasn't fat, due to their eating habits and such.

Every depiction of the Buddha has meaning, from the placement of the legs, how many arms, the color, what he's holding (ex. Manjushri holds a lotus at his heart and a sword in his right hand to slice down ignorance, and the lotus is about the Dharma), the mudra (or hand gesture, which can range from "do not fear" to other meanings), etc.

If you're interested in learning about it there are various books on the topic in various Buddhist websites (www.snowlionpub.com or wisdompubs.org) or at the local big bookstores. Thangkas and statues are VERY RICH in meaning and each one tells a little story.

Hope this helps some.

_()_

Answer 2

Sounds like the similar Buddha to the one we have. It"s the happy smiling Buddha, holding a ball in his hand, a hat on his back,and some things in a bag. Sorry but don't know what the ball means though. I'm not Buddhist but like his teachings.

Answer 3

Skinny Buddha is the Buddha of Southeast Asia, or Lesser Vehicle. I don't remember what the ball means. It has something to do with the spirit or something...sorry.

Answer 4

I think that's the Happy Buddha (BoDai), he holds a ball but I don't know what it means. ANd I'm Buddhist T_T

Answer 5

~~~iz,,, I am not sure exactly but I think it is a reference to The Cosmic Egg (seriously) from which all Universal Life emanates.