This schist stone statue of a seated Buddha from the ancient Gandhara region of northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, depicts the Shakyamuni Buddha in peaceful meditation. Emerging from the wavy and naturally flowing hair of the historical Buddha is a large topknot, or ushnisha, which creates extra brain capacity for the Buddha’s superlative spiritual wisdom. A prominent and raised urna (the Buddha’s third eye; one of the lakshana, or magical marks of the Buddha) sits just above the arched eyebrows of the Buddha, which appear not as incisions or extra matter, but humble ridges in the stone. They mirror the curvature of the rounded eyes – confirmation of the Buddha’s Gandharan descent. Today, the nose is slightly damaged, but its plump shape matches the fullness of the cheeks. This fullness results in a lessening of severity, making the Buddha compassionate and approachable as it gazes down upon the beholder. Fleshy lips arch upwards at their corners in consonance with the Buddha’s relaxed features. The figure’s drooping earlobes are reminiscent of the princely Siddhartha Gautama’s removal of the royal earrings, a symbol of the Buddha’s renunciation of the physical world. Shown behind the Buddha’s serene face is a mandorla – a Buddhist halo conveying added spiritual aura of the auspicious figure.

Moving down the figure’s body, we see humble monastic robes which drape over the left shoulder of the Buddha. The attention to detail and refinement of the magnificent drapery almost recalls details of Hellenistic Greek statuary – a relevant comparison, as the Greek aesthetic was spreading eastwards with the general Hellenization of the subcontinent. The many folds of the monastic rags culminate in the lap of the Buddha where we see his hands in the Dhyana mudra – the mudra of absolute balance, meditation, and inner peace. This absolute balance is manifest in the sculptor’s rendering of the Buddha’s face in repose and the Buddha’s proportionality. Seated in the Dhyana asana (cross-legged position with the soles of the feet facing up), the Buddha meditates atop a pedestal with two lotus flowers flanking a central symbol separated by decorative columns which, first appears to be a flower, but upon closer inspection is discerned to be the symbol of the mantra of Avalokitesvara.

Magnus Allan