Hand signs (called mudras in Sanskrit) play an important role in Buddhist art. They represent specific events
from the life of Sidharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. These events symbolize
moral principles important to the discipline. There are six important hand signs:
(1) dhyana mudra, (2) varada mudra, (3) abhaya mudra, (4) vitarka mudra, (5) dharmachakra mudra, and (6) bhumispara mudra. The use of these hand signs was popularized by Buddhist universities in India around
the 4th or 5th century ad. This paper will examine the symbolism behind the six main hand signs and reveal
their message, which will be valuable for modern society.
Key words
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References
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Brewster EH. The life of Gotama the Buddha. In: World history: patterns of interaction. Boston, MA: McDougal Littell Inc. Available at: http://www.classzone.com/books/wh_survey05/page_build.cfm?id=primary_sources&ch=3.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 7,
2007
Received:
February 21,
2007
Footnotes
No benefits in any form have been received or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
