Amida Hand Raised Buddha

SKU AMIDA

11" in Height

Japan.  Medieval Kamakura style, late 19th century reproduction in bronze.  Amitabha, the Buddha of great compassion, mercy and forgiveness, stands at the heart of the great East Asian salvation religion of Mahayana Buddhism.  Faith alone in the Lord of the Western Paradise, it is believed, will guarentee rebirth in a paradise of beauty, pleasure and ease.

The right hand raised in reassurance (abhaya) and left hand lowered in liberality (varada) - lotus petals marking the laksanas on the palms - are the two mudras associated with the belief in raigo, a central tenet of the Pure Land religion.  According to belief, the Dhyani Buddha himself appears at certain designated locations on Earth to welcome the souls of the departed and escorts them directly to the Western Paradise.