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Buddha of the Western Paradise

Tags: Buddha | god | print

“Buddha of the Western Paradise” is considered the founder of Buddhism. He is also called Sakyamuni Buddha. He was born in 557 BCE. and was the son of King Suddhodana of India. He became a monk at the age of twenty-nine and attained the Way when he was thirty-five. After which he spent the rest of his life exhorting people across India continuously for forty-five years. He passed away and reached Nirvana at the age of eighty under a sal tree by the Hiranyavati River. Because Buddha resides in the Western Paradise, he is also known as “Buddha of the Western Paradise.” In the picture, Sakyamuni is sitting with his legs locked and soles faced upward. His right hand is holding an earthen bowl and left hand is in dhyanamudra. One disciple each respectfully stands on his left and right sides, pressing left and right palms together.

Printmaking
31 x19.5 cm

National Museum of History