Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future
Gilt brass
Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future
CHINA; Qing dynasty
The Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future refer to the past Dipamkara Buddha, the present Sakyamuni Buddha and the future Maitreya Buddha, respectively. The cosmological concept underlying their names refer to the non-originated and ceaseless flow of time, into the state of which enlightened beings gain insight, pass from it, and are replaced by others.
The figures are seated in full lotus positions. Their mandorlas are connected to the pedestals, which are ornately decorated. These statues were created in the Qing palace style, with flat foreheads, round faces, triangular noses.
All three Buddhas wear monastic robes as well as a separate skirt that is tied, quite high at the waist. This particular clothing style is typical of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Sakyamuni Buddha is at the center distinguished by the alms bowl he holds and the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra. Dipamkara Buddha is located on the left, forming the vitarka (teaching) mudra with the right hand, and Maitreya Buddha is on the other side with his hands held in the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F, page 222.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F},
pages = 222,
title = {{Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future}},
volume = 10,
year = {2016}}