This Buddha Shakyamuni statue was crafted in Taiwan and filled by Khenpo Ugyen Wangchuk with traditional dhāraṇī mantras. Cast in resin, the figure is fully painted with vibrant pigments. The robes are finished in red with intricate gold patterns and blue linings, while the skin is finished in a natural tone. He holds a blue alms bowl in his lap, and his right hand touches the earth.

“On a jewelled lion throne, and lotus, sun and moon disc seats,
The incomparable teacher, Lion of the Śākyas.
His body the colour of gold, adorned with major and minor marks.
Clad in the three Dharma robes, he sits in vajra posture.
His right hand gracefully poised in the earth-touching mudrā,
And his left hand is in the gesture of meditation, holding an alms-bowl full of nectar.
Like a mountain of gold, magnificent, he shines in splendour,
Spreading beams of wisdom light across the whole expanse of space.

One of the sūtras says: ‘Should anyone think of the Buddha, he is there, right in front of them, constantly granting his blessings and freedom from all harm. The merit gained through visualizing the Buddha is inexhaustible; it is a source of virtue that will never go to waste.’ As it says in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra: ‘By seeing, hearing or offering to the buddhas, a boundless store of merit is amassed. Till we are rid of all the destructive emotions and the suffering of saṃsāra, this compounded merit will never go to waste.’ Also, whatever prayers of aspiration we make before the Buddha will be fulfilled.”

— Mipham Rinpoche, The Treasury of Blessings

In practice contexts, dhāraṇīs (Skt. dhāraṇī; Tib. གཟུངས་ zung, Wyl. gzungs) are understood as mantras connected with specific deities.

“Such dhāraṇīs are divinely revealed prayer formulae that are dedicated to a particular deity and typically include homage, praise, supplication, exhortation to act, and, most importantly, the heart mantra or mantras of the deity.”

— 84000, Glossary of Terms (Translating the Words of the Buddha)

Details

• Height: 7.25 in (18 cm)
• Width: 5 in (13 cm)
• Length/Depth: 3 in (8 cm)
• Material: Painted resin
• Origin: Taiwan
• Filled by Khenpo Ugyen Wangchuk
• Filled with dhāraṇī mantras