Buddha Statue with Antic Finish

Buddha Statue with antic finish hand made in India.

Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one." Gautama Buddha is the primary figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers.

The nine virtues of the Buddha appear throughout the Tipitaka. Recollection of the nine virtues of the Buddha is a common Buddhist devotional practice, it is also one of the 40 Buddhist meditation subjects.

1. Araham Worthy of homage. An Arahant is "one with taints destroyed, who has lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid done the burden, reached the true goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated through final knowledge."
2. Sammasambuddho Perfectly self-awakened
3. Vijja-carana-sampano Endowed with higher knowledge and ideal conduct.
4. Sugato Well-gone or Well-spoken.
5. Lokavidu Wise in the knowledge of the many worlds.
6. Anuttaro Purisa-damma-sarathi Unexcelled trainer of untrained people.
7. Satthadeva-Manussanam Teacher of gods and humans.
8. Buddho Awakened
9. Bhagavathi The Blessed one.

Some of the fundamentals of the teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha are:
. The Four Noble Truths: that suffering is an ingrained part of existence; that the origin of suffering is craving for sensuality, acquisition of identity, and annihilation; that suffering can be ended; and that following the Noble Eightfold Path is the means to accomplish this;
. The Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration;
. Dependent origination: the mind creates suffering as a natural product of a complex process;
Rejection of the infallibility of accepted scripture: Teachings should not be accepted unless they are borne out by our experience and are praised by the wise. See the Kalama Sutta for details;
. Anicca: That all things that come to be have an end;
. Dukkha: That nothing which comes to be is ultimately satisfying;
. Anatta: That nothing in the realm of experience can really be said to be "I" or "mine";
. Nibbana: It is possible for sentient beings to realize a dimension of awareness which is totally unconstructed and peaceful, and end all suffering due to the mind's interaction with the conditioned world.

Design: Made in heavy shining brass with long list antic finish.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity. It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals.  The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.

Dimensions: 5.5 inches (H) x 4.5 inches (W) x 3 inches (thickness)
Weight: 790 gms

Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it. Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it. This is truly a wonder and a miracle. The picture comes to life. The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems. The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol. The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram, Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point. They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.

Idols are the "finite representation of the Infinite".  As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29, v 55-7), persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it:
"Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to, it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber. Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however, that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."