Just about every decorator knows that when a customer asks for a room that is relaxed as well as peaceful, there is just one direction to go with the decor, and that’s East. Imagine fountains, bonzai, elegant flowers, lovely screens and exotic statues. You’re able to bring a feel of the orient in numerous ways, but among the easiest is to add a statue of the Buddha. There are over one hundred known poses and three different orientations for these statues, so there is bound to be one which will be ideal for almost any room or space, even when it is an awkward shape or size.
Buffets and desks almost all seem to cry out for a sitting Buddha, gardens and balconies may be perfect for the standing Buddha, but quite a few spaces require an object significantly broader than high. There an excellent decor item is a reclining Buddha.
Just about all Buddha statues have 32 features said to have been bodily features from the original Gautama Buddha who was born in approximately 563 BC. These are also known as the ‘Thirty Two Signs of a Great Man’, and include:
•   flat feet
•   a pointed head
•   beautiful golden skin
•   long fingers all the same length
•   long toes all the same length
•   a robe draped over one shoulder
•   long ear lobes
The Buddha was not in favor of idolizations of his own body, and so the real question is, why are there so many Buddha statues?
It appears this may be yet another matter that may be blamed on the Greeks, and on one Greek in particular, Alexander the Great. When Alexander occupied Afghanistan and Northern India, he kept lots of soldiers and artisans in the regions, hence the artwork associated with this region was to a great extent influenced by classical sculpture, as well as through Greek concepts of Gods and men. Alexander was well-known for taking pleasure in the reproduction of his own face, understanding the value of paintings and statues as items of propaganda.
This may be why Alexandrian India, with a partly Greek population and ties to Greek culture, was the first region to produce Buddha statues. These became immensely popular and the concept propogagted with Buddhism itself, however as Islam restricted the representation of the human form and considered such statues as idolatry, many of the historic and exquisite statues of the Buddha in that region are no longer standing.
Generally there are a couple of established poses for these statues which relate to specific ideas or moments in the life of the Buddha.
But the most intriguing is the reclining pose of the Buddha. Presently there are 2 versions. The first portrays the Buddha, relaxing with his head on his arm. This is the sleeping Buddha, but the alternative pose, where Buddha’s feet are together, represents the day the Buddha went into Nirvana.
Aged 80, the Buddha sat down to rest and informed his disciples he was about to enter parinirvana, the condition that occurs when the body of an individual who has accomplished total awakening or enlightenment finally passes away. He consumed his last meal and after that grew to become violently sick. He asked his followers for any questions that they had and when there weren’t any he offered all of them his last instructions. “All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.” Tradition says that when his body was placed between the sala trees, the plants bloomed, though this was not the season.
This is the occasion commemorated by the reclining Buddha statue. In Thailand the most common pose shows the Buddha with legs crossed and with his left hand in his lap while the right points to the ground, palm inward in a pose called ‘Calling the Earth to Witness’ and relates to the specific of the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Whichever shape your room, right now there is a Buddha statue which will probably fit, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility to your world and surroundings.