Thursday, December 4, 2008

Hand Carved Wood Buddha Masks and history

Gautama Buddha was born in 563 b.c. in northeast India. The Buddha was the son of the King of the Sakyas. Suddhodana, who ruled at Kapilavastu, on the border of Nepal. His mother was Queen Maya. He was named Siddhartha. He lived amidst the pleasures of palace life and at age 16 he was married to Princess Yasodhara. They had a son named Rahula. After seeing a decrepid old man, an invalid, and an ascetic beggar, he learned of suffering and decided to embrace asceticism.

Soon afterwards, at age 29, Siddhartha left the palace and his family and went to a hermitage where he became the monk Gautama, or, as he is still called, Sakyamuni (The ascetic of the Sakyas). One day, meditating under a sacred figtree, he attained perfect illumination (Bodhi). He had become a Buddha. From there on he traveled and preached for 44 years what was to become one of the main religions of the world. He died at Kusinagara at age 80.

Explanation and meaning of Buddha mask features:

Life size heads of Buddha began appearing in Indonesia in the late 12th and early 13th century as Buddhism mixed with Hinduism. Buddha was originally a Hindu, and the heads are said to represent the face of Buddha at the moment of enlightenment. Since then many wooden masks were made to represent Buddha. These carved wood masks, unlike African masks, looks strange to many western people, but every feature of the face of buddha has a special meaning. If you look at the features of the wood buddha mask carefully, you could also understand the meaning and culture behind it.

The large earlobes are associated with the wealthy class that Buddha was born into. The top knot or ushnisa is a symbol of spiritual wisdom, while the hair curls. half-closed eyes, and smiling mouth represent deep meditation and peace of mind. There is a great sense of inner serenity and power with the achievement of perfection and compassion represented by these heads and carvings of face masks. If you hang it in your house, you too would maybe feel this deep feelings of peace and serenity.

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See more hand carved wood masks of Oraclemask

Other popular related articles:

1. History and meaning of Buddha masks
2. Introduction to masks
3. African masks
4. Ritual masks of the world
5. Beginners Guide to Mask Collection

See more hand carved wood masks of Oraclemask

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