Reclining Buddha

Last updated
Buddha in parinirvana, Gandhara art, 2nd or 3rd century Paranirvana.JPG
Buddha in parinirvana, Gandhara art, 2nd or 3rd century
Buddha entering nirvana, Bac Ninh province, Vietnam, 17th century AD Buddha entering Nirvana, view 1, Bac Ninh province, 17th century AD, lacquered wood - Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts - Hanoi, Vietnam - DSC04973.JPG
Buddha entering nirvana, Bắc Ninh province, Vietnam, 17th century AD

A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana. [1] He is lying on his right side, his head resting on a cushion or relying on his right elbow, supporting his head with his hand.

Contents

This pattern seems to have emerged at the same time as other representations of the Buddha in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara.

In Thai art

Reclining Buddha of Galvihara at Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka, 12th century) Galvihara-sunny.jpg
Reclining Buddha of Galvihara at Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka, 12th century)

For Thai Buddha attitudes (Thai : ปางพระพุทธรูป; parang Phra phut ta roupe), the reclining Buddha (Thai : ปางไสยาสน์; paang sai yat) can refer to three different episodes, whilst the attribute of each remains unclear.

Notable examples

The reclining Buddha of Zhangye Zhangye Dafo Si 2014.01.02 15-33-30.jpg
The reclining Buddha of Zhangye
The reclining Buddha of the Hpo win caves Monywa-hpo-win-d03.jpg
The reclining Buddha of the Hpo win caves
Golden gilded reclining Buddha at Sambok Mountain in Kratie, Cambodia Golden gilded reclining Buddha.jpg
Golden gilded reclining Buddha at Sambok Mountain in Kratié, Cambodia
Butunehanzu (Fo Nie Pan Tu ) at Kongobu-ji (Heian period) Buddha's Nirvana.jpg
Butunehanzu (仏涅槃図) at Kongōbu-ji (Heian period)
The reclining Buddha of Wat Pho 021-Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Ratchaworamahawihan.jpg
The reclining Buddha of Wat Pho
Reclining Buddha statue in the Revival Le period Restored Le Dynasty (9735622033).jpg
Reclining Buddha statue in the Revival Lê period
Reclining Buddha Statue in Mendut Temple complex, Indonesia. Reclining Buddha Statue in Mendut Temple complex.jpg
Reclining Buddha Statue in Mendut Temple complex, Indonesia.

Burma:

Reclining Buddha at Chua Linh-Son Buddhist Temple -- Santa Fe, Texas Reclining-Buddha at Linh Son Buddhist Temple -- Santa Fe, Texas.jpg
Reclining Buddha at Chua Linh-Son Buddhist Temple -- Santa Fe, Texas

Cambodia:

China

Pakistan:

India:

Indonesia:

Japan

Malaysia:

Sri Lanka:

Tajikistan:

Thailand:

United States

Vietnam:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat Phra Kaew</span> Royal temple complex in Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Phra Kaew, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace in the historical centre of Bangkok. It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's palladium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhothai Historical Park</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sukhothai Historical Park covers the ruins of Sukhothai, literally 'dawn of happiness', capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries, in north central Thailand. It is near the city of Sukhothai, capital of Sukhothai Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai art</span> Overview of art in Thailand

Thai art refers to a diverse range of art forms created in Thailand from prehistoric times to the present day, including architecture, sculpture, painting, textiles, decorative arts, crafts, ceramics, and more. While Buddhism has played a significant role in Thai art, with many sculptures and paintings depicting Buddha images and religious themes, nature, including flora and fauna, as well as mythical creatures, has been a major inspiration for Thai art, with colorful motifs appearing in various types of art forms. In contemporary Thai art, traditional works remain significant and continue to influence artists' concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat Pho</span> Buddhist temple in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Pho, also spelled Wat Po, is a Buddhist temple complex in the Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is on Rattanakosin Island, directly south of the Grand Palace. Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan. The more commonly known name, Wat Pho, is a contraction of its older name, Wat Photaram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phra Pathommachedi</span> Stupa in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Phra Pathommachedi or Phra Pathom Chedi is a Buddhist stupa in Thailand. The stupa is located in the Wat Phra Pathommachedi Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (Thai: วัดพระปฐมเจดีย์ราชวรมหาวิหาร), a temple in the town center of Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand. Phra Pathommachedi is the tallest stupa in the world. The top of its spire reaches 120.45 meters, with the base circumference of 235.50 meters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat Phra Kaew, Chiang Rai</span> Royal temple in Chiang Rai City, Thailand

Wat Phra Kaew is a third-common-class royal temple situated in the area of 10,640 square metres on Trairat road, Wiang sub-district, Muang Chiang Rai in Chiang Rai City, Thailand. The King of Thailand upgraded the temple to the royal temple on May 31, 1978. The temple gains historical importance as the place where the Emerald Buddha was found. It is also one of the main centres of Buddhist education and the Sangha's administration in northern Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat Phra Sing, Chiang Rai</span>

Wat Phra Sing, or sometimes spelled etymologically as Wat Phra Singh, is a Buddhist temple located on Tha Luang Road in Tambon Wiang, Mueang district, Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iconography of Gautama Buddha in Laos and Thailand</span> Theravadin Buddhist iconography

The iconography of Gautama Buddha in Laos and Thailand recall specific episodes during his travels and teachings that are familiar to the Buddhists according to an iconography with specific rules. The Buddha is always represented with certain physical attributes, and in specified dress and specified poses. Each pose, and particularly the position and gestures of the Buddha's hands, has a defined meaning which is familiar to Buddhists. In other Buddhist countries, different but related iconography is used, for example the mudras in Indian art. Certain ones of these are considered particularly auspicious for those born on particular days of the week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat Bowonniwet Vihara</span>

Wat Pavaranivesh Vihara Ratchawarawihan is a major Buddhist temple (wat) in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. Being the residence of Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana; the late Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, it is the final resting place of two former kings of Chakri Dynasty; King Vajiravudh and King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The temple was established in 1824 by Mahasakti Pol Sep, viceroy during the reign of King Rama III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai temple art and architecture</span> Art and architecture of Buddhist temples in Thailand

Thai temple art and architecture is the art and architecture of Buddhist temples in Thailand. Temples are known as wats, from the Pāḷi vāṭa, meaning "enclosure". A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world. Temples served as a stabilizing center in these communities because their sacred teachings became a basis of authority and boundaries, their precincts became places of instruction, their regimes of common ownership of property formed them into economic centers, and their functions allowed them to serve at the heart of these communities in a variety of ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhist pilgrimage sites</span>

The most important places in Buddhism are located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of southern Nepal and northern India. This is the area where Gautama Buddha was born, lived, and taught, and the main sites connected to his life are now important places of pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus. Many countries that are or were predominantly Buddhist have shrines and places which can be visited as a pilgrimage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat</span>

Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat (Thai: วัดพระศรีรัตนมหาธาตุ; "Temple of the Great Jewelled Reliquary"), colloquially referred to as Wat-Phra-Sri or Wat Yai (Thai: วัดใหญ่; "Big Temple"), is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand, where it is located on east bank of Nan River, near Naresuan Bridge and opposite Phitsanulok Provincial Hall. It is about 337 km from Bangkok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thai Buddhist sculpture</span>

A Buddha image in Thailand typically refers to three-dimensional stone, wood, clay, or metal cast images of the Buddha. While there are such figures in all regions where Buddhism is commonly practiced, the appearance, composition and position of the images vary greatly from country to country in Buddhist art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Si Satchanalai Historical Park</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sukhothai Province, Thailand

The Si Satchanalai Historical Park is a historical park in Si Satchanalai district, Sukhothai Province, northern Thailand. The park covers the ruins of Si Satchanalai and Chaliang. Si Satchanalai, which literally means "City of good people", was founded in 1250 as the second center of the Sukhothai Kingdom and as a residence of the crown prince in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. The name may also refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand

Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park is an archeological site in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand. Along with Sukhothai Historical Park and Si Satchanalai historical park, it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns. Major features in the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park include archaeological remains of ancient sites such as Mueang Chakangrao to the east of the Ping River, Mueang Nakhon Chum to the west and Mueang Trai Trueng some 18 km from the town to the southwest. Chakangrao, the ancient Kamphaeng Phet town, had the same town planning concept as the old Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai, with separate zones for religious sites both within and outside of town limits. Structures are usually large and made of laterite. Religious sites on the west bank of the Ping River at Nakhon Chum are built of bricks and of smaller size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wat</span> Southeast Asian temples

A wat is a type of Buddhist temple and Hindu temple in Cambodia, Laos, East Shan State, Yunnan, the Southern Province of Sri Lanka and Thailand. The word wat was borrowed from Sanskrit vāṭa, meaning 'enclosure'. The term has varying meanings in each region, sometimes referring to a specific type of government-recognised or large temple, other times referring to any Buddhist or Hindu temple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Buddha (statue)</span> 5.5 tonnes golden ancient Buddha statue in Bangkok, Thailand

The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon, commonly known in Thai as Phra Sukhothai Traimit, is a gold Maravijaya Attitude seated Buddharupa statue, with a weight of 5.5 tonnes. It is located in the temple of Wat Traimit, Bangkok, Thailand. At one point in its history, the statue was covered with a layer of stucco and coloured glass to conceal its true value, and it remained in this condition for almost 200 years, ending up as what was then a pagoda of minor significance. During relocation of the statue in 1955, the plaster was chipped off and the gold revealed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Buddha of Thailand</span> Tallest statue in Thailand

The Big Buddha of Thailand, also known as The Great Buddha, The Big Buddha of Thailand, Phra Buddha Maha Nawamin, and Mahaminh Sakayamunee Visejchaicharn is a statue of the Buddha, located in Ang Thong Province of Thailand. It is the tallest statue in Thailand, the second tallest statue in Southeast Asia, and the ninth-tallest in the world.

References

  1. "The Discourse on The Great Parinirvana" (PDF). www.themindingcentre.org. p. 140. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  2. "Guide to the Wild East of Cambodia – what to do and where to go in the Green Triangle".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ma Thanegi (February 2014). "Chaukhtutgyi Reclining Buddha Image" (PDF). My Magical Myanmar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  4. "Footprints: No sleep lost over broken Buddha".

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Statues of the Buddha reclining at Wikimedia Commons