Mudras of the Buddha: Symbolic Hand Gestures Explained

1.1 What does the word mean?

A mudra is a symbolic hand gesture. In Buddhist art, a figure’s hands tell the viewer what the moment is about. The Met’s catalogue uses Sanskrit names such as dharmacakra mudra and dhyana mudra for these gestures.

1.2 Why do artists use them?

Most Buddha statues look alike at first. The same calm face and the same robe repeat. The hands are the clue. A raised hand, a hand pointing down and hands resting in the lap each mean something different.

Museums name the gesture to say which event or idea a statue shows. This is why exams ask about it.

1.3 Where do we find these gestures?

The same gestures appear across many places. A Gandhara Buddha from the first to mid-second century holds the abhaya mudra. A Gupta Buddha from Bihar, of the late sixth to early seventh century, does the same. A seated Buddha from Vietnam, of the seventh to eighth century, shows meditation.

A Pala sculpture from Bihar, of the eleventh century, shows the first sermon. So the language of mudras travelled widely.

2.1 What does the gesture look like?

In Bhumisparsha Mudra, the Buddha touches the ground with his right hand. The name means “earth-touching”. It is also called calling the earth to witness.

2.2 Which story does it tell?

The gesture belongs to the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment. The demon Mara sent his daughters and armies to disturb the Buddha-to-be. He answered by touching the earth with his right hand. The Met says this called the earth goddess to witness his right to achieve enlightenment.

She responded positively. Mara and his armies were dispersed. Siddhartha became the Buddha Shakyamuni.

3.1 What does it show?

The Dharmachakra Mudra marks the Buddha’s first sermon. The Buddha preached it in a deer forest at Sarnath, north of Bodhgaya. The Met describes a raised hand gesturing the turning of the wheel of Buddhist law, or dharma.

A Pala-period palm-leaf manuscript from about 1090 shows the same scene. The Buddha raises his hands in dharmacakra mudra. Two disciples attend him.

3.2 What is the link with Sarnath?

Sarnath is where the first sermon took place. So a Buddha in this mudra is a teaching Buddha. Exams often pair “Dharmachakra Mudra” with “first sermon” and “Sarnath”.

A twelfth-century Pala plaque in the Met shows eight events from the Buddha’s life. The first sermon at the Deer Park, Sarnath, is one of them. So the first sermon was one of the key moments that artists chose to show.

4.1 What does it mean?

Dhyana Mudra is the meditation gesture. The Met describes a seated Buddha from Vietnam who sits cross-legged with his hands in a gesture signifying meditation. Another Met piece, from the Swat Valley, shows the Buddha in a posture of meditation (dhyana mudra).

The Swat Valley piece is from the seventh to eighth century. Two bodhisattvas stand beside the Buddha. These are holy figures who flank him. They hold their right hands in the varada mudra, the boon-giving gesture.

5.1 What is Abhaya Mudra?

Abhaya Mudra means “fear not”. The Buddha raises one hand to give reassurance and protection to his followers. The Met describes a Gupta-period Buddha from Bihar doing this.

A Gandhara Buddha from the first to mid-second century holds his right hand in abhaya mudra. The Met calls it a gesture of approachability.

5.2 What is Varada Mudra?

Varada Mudra is the boon-giving gesture. Harvard Art Museums describes a standing Buddha who extends his right hand downward, palm out. It is sometimes called the gesture of munificence.

The Met also uses the term for the lowered hand of Padmapani, a Nepali Buddhist figure.

5.3 How do you tell the five apart?

• Hand touching the ground: Bhumisparsha.
• Hands turning an invisible wheel: Dharmachakra.
• Hands resting in meditation: Dhyana.
• Raised palm: Abhaya.
• Lowered palm facing out: Varada.

5.4 What do exams ask?

Exams match the hand to the story. Which mudra shows the right hand touching the ground? Bhumisparsha. Which marks the first sermon? Dharmachakra. Which is the fear not gesture? Abhaya. Which gives a boon? Varada.

Look at the hand first. Ground means earth. A raised palm means protection. A lowered palm means a gift. Hands at rest mean meditation.