Every decorator knows that if a customer wants a room that is relaxed and peaceful, there is just one route to go with the decor, and that’s East. Think water features, bonzai, graceful flowers, beautiful screens and exotic sculptures. It is easy to create a feel of the orient in many ways, however one of the most straightforward would be to add a statue of the Buddha. There are more than one hundred ’standard’ positions and 3 distinct orientations for these statues, so there is likely to be one which will be appropriate for virtually any room or space, even when it is an unusual shape or size.

Side tables along with desks almost all seem to cry out for a sitting Buddha, gardens and balconies might be just right for the standing Buddha, yet certain areas require an object significantly broader than high. There the perfect thing is a reclining Buddha.

Most Buddha statues display 32 features believed to have been physical characteristics of the original Gautama Buddha who was born around 563 BC. They are also referred to as the ‘Thirty Two Signs of a Great Man’, and encompass:

•    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 representations of his own form, and therefore the real question is actually, why are there so many Buddha statues?

It appears this might be another matter that may be attirbuted to  the Greeks, and on one Greek in particular, Alexander the Great. When Alexander  occupied India and Afghanistan, the leader left many soldiers and artisans behind, hence the artwork of that region was greatly affected by classical sculpture, and through Greek ideas of Gods and mortals. Alexander was well-known for taking pleasure in the reproduction of his own visage, understanding the worth of paintings and sculpture as items of propaganda.

This might be why Alexandrian India, with a partly Greek population and ties to Greek tradition, was the first region to create Buddha statues. These became exceptionally popular and the concept spread with Buddhism itself, even so as Islam forbade the manifestation of the human form and considered such sculpture as idolatry,  many of the ancient and amazing statues of the Buddha in that region have been destroyed.

Generally there are a few established poses for these statues which relate to certain principles or moments in the life of the Buddha.

But the most intriguing is the reclining pose of the Buddha. Presently there are two versions. The first shows the Buddha, relaxing with his head in his hand. This is the sleeping Buddha, however the alternative pose, where Buddha’s feet are resting together, represents the day the Buddha entered Nirvana.

Aged 80, the Buddha took a moment to rest and informed his followers he would soon enter parinirvana, the state that occurs when the body of an individual that has achieved total awakening or enlightenment ultimately dies. He consumed his last meal and after that grew to become strongly sick. He asked his followers for any requests they had and when there were none he offered all of them his last directions. “All composite things pass away. Strive for your own liberation with diligence.” Convention states that that when his body was set between the sala trees, the plants bloomed, even though it was not the time of year.

This is the moment commemorated by the reclining Buddha statue.  In Thailand the most frequent position 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 refers to the exact of the Buddha’s enlightenment.

Whatever shape your area, generally there is a Buddha statue that will certainly fit, providing a sensation of serenity and tranquility to all your surroundings.