The meditating Buddha, also known as the Amitabha Buddha, symbolizes serenity and wisdom. Buddha is seated in padmasana, or the lotus posture, with both his hands placed in his lap in a gesture of dhyana or meditation. The pot symbolizes the Dharma or the teachings of the Buddha, which he offers to the world. The expression on his face is calm and the eyelids are contemplatively lowered.

Buddha teachings explain that desire is at the root of all suffering. Freeing the mind from desire will liberate the soul from the cycle of rebirth and enable a person to attain Nirvana or salvation.

About Buddha
Gautama Buddha was born a prince of the powerful Sakya clan in northern India in 543 B.C. Surrounded by luxury during his youth, he was shocked into reflecting on man’s condition in the world, at the sight of a destitute man, a corpse and an ascetic. He renounced his wealth and family and became a seeker of the truth. After years of penance and meditation he gained enlightenment and came to be known as the Buddha or “The Enlightened One.”