Where To Place Your Buddha Statue?
One of the most recognizable and well-known works of Buddhist art in modern times are Buddha statues.
They are virtually ubiquitous in Buddhist countries, so anyone with a keen eye can discover or see them—or at the very least, has seen them someplace.
People who live in these nations usually have at least one Buddha statue, preferably an antique Buddha statue, someplace in their homes, whether it be in the garden, the living room, the kitchen, the workplace, etc.
People all across the world compare Buddha statues—more specifically, antique Buddha statues—because of their exotic and alluring appearance.
They create calm and tranquility in the areas and surroundings they are in.
They represent a highly significant symbol in the hearts of Buddhist adherents, even though to non-Buddhists they may just be decorative items.
Buddha statues represent the dream of world peace, harmony, and inner harmony for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
They are unique in the realm of artifacts because of this. The fact that they can be found in virtually all basic materials makes it more intriguing.
The antique Buddha statues are made from a variety of raw materials, including stone, wood, metals, lacquer, and paper, to name a few. They also come in a variety of sizes and shapes.
Due to their rich history and special significance, ancient Buddha statues are slightly more expensive than their contemporary equivalents.
Unexpectedly, these ancient statues also feature a variety of Buddha hand motions and poses, popularly known as Mudras of Buddha statues.
If one wishes to purchase antique Buddha statues, he or she should also consider the meanings behind each mudra in order to select the one that is best for them. So where should you put your Buddha statue once you've bought it?
It's said that having a Buddha statue in your home will offer you peace, health, and prosperity.
While having Buddha statues in the workplace is seen to be highly beneficial in the working life, they are believed to promote a sense of harmony in the lifestyle.
Before putting the statue anyplace in one's house or place of business, one should take a few factors into account:
- The first thing to think about is what type of Buddha it is. One of the most well-known Buddha statues is a laughing Buddha, sometimes known as a joyful Buddha, or it might be a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. It is thought to bring prosperity and good fortune. Therefore, it is said that keeping a smiling Buddha at home will bring success, happiness, and good health.
- These Buddha sculptures are simple to identify because they include a smiling countenance, a protruding belly, and objects that represent riches, such as a pot of gold or a sack filled with goods.
- Purchase Buddha statues that are larger, or as large as feasible. Maintaining them towards the front door will make you and your guests feel wonderful. You can also put them on your side table, which is positioned still facing the front entrance but diagonally across from it.
- Buddha statues, particularly those of Shakyamuni Buddha and vintage Buddha sculptures, should not be positioned on the ground or in areas that are lower than the soles of the feet. This is viewed as a disrespectful act toward the Buddha.
- Many Feng Shui experts advise putting Buddha sculptures higher than eye level. This is an honorable and reverent status.
- Buddha statues can also be placed on a student's desk for study purposes, as it is thought that doing so will aid in concentration and the achievement of academic objectives. It is important to keep the desk tidy and uncluttered.
- It is not seen as good practice to place a Buddha statue in a restroom or other unclean area.
- Buddha sculptures are to be maintained well away from any machinery that has moving parts, motors, or electrical outputs. These machines' sounds have a tendency to disrupt the energy in the area.
- The Buddha statue works best in a garden, especially for meditation.
In order to have the greatest good impact on your life, install the Buddha statue in one of these few locations.
You can purchase an antique Buddha statue from our online gallery and install it in your house or place of business as needed.
Buddha Sculpture FAQs
Where Should I Place My Buddha For Good Luck?
Laughing Buddha is thought to provide more luck when placed in the south-east.
Laughing Buddha must face the individual in question in places of business in order to fulfill plans.
Another myth holds that whomever sets the smiling Buddha on the northern side will prosper.
Where Do You Put A Buddha Statue In Your Living Room?
A reclining Buddha facing west and positioned to the right of your living area can promote harmony and calm.
Set it down on a spotless table or shelf to represent your inner convictions and state of mind.
Is It Bad To Have A Buddha Statue?
It is rude to allow dust to gather on or near the monument. Your own life will become filthy as a result.
From inside the house, a Buddha facing the front door can guard you from unwelcome guests and intruders.
As people enter, his picture will inspire mindfulness and good fortune.
How Do You Place A Buddha Statue In The Garden?
Buddha statues should be placed higher than the ground to show reverence.
Statues are frequently set on an altar table or marble slab, although they can also be put on a pile of stones or a woven mat.
The statues are frequently shown with a tranquil garden pond and floating lotus flowers.
Why Is The Buddha Smiling?
He became known as the Buddha after discovering it because he was sufficiently enlightened to pave a way from suffering to happiness (which is why he is very often depicted as a smiling Buddha).
One or more of these Buddhas actually used laughter to acquire, spread, or express enlightenment.
Use an Altar Table
A Buddha statue should never be placed on the floor inside a house, and in Thailand, where I was born, we place our statues on an altar table.
These tables can be rather complicated; frequently, they consist of several small tables stacked on top of one another to create several levels on which to install various statues.
However, if you don't have an altar table, you can even use something as straightforward as a tiny shelf that has been set aside just for the statue.
Placing the statue on even a little woven mat in rural Southeast Asian communities where a family may have little to no furniture is acceptable.
Even if it is only a symbolic elevation of less than an inch by putting the picture on a thin mat barely above the floor, it is necessary that the Buddha statues are raised above the person doing pooja.
Create A Pooja Room
If at all possible, it is ideal to have a separate chamber where you can perform pooja (called bucha in Thai), which should be maintained tidy and used only for making merit (tham boon).
It not only helps to clear a "holy place" in your home of everything that would offend the enlightened one, but it also allows the home's owner a dedicated space to practice meditation, learn the Dharma, or reflect.
For the roopa as well as for you, a separate pooja room is essential. You may put other things in a separate room, like fresh flowers, and have a place to light candles and incense for making offerings and honoring your Buddha picture.
The Ubot is a structure found in Buddhist monasteries (Wats in Thai) (Ordination hall, where the main Buddha images are venerated and where ceremonies for monks take place).
There may also be a place called Viharna (Wihan), where more sculptures are preserved and visitors are welcome to attend Dharma talks.
We may learn a lot about how to treat our icons with care from these Buddhist temples.
Small meditation pillows might make your space more pleasant. You should also take your shoes off before entering the pooja area.
A Place For Veneration:
Since not every home will naturally have a room designated for displaying your statue, you'll want to create a particular spot in a room with many uses where the statue may be treated with respect.
- Place your statue away from where someone's feet will be pointing when they approach it. Even worse than pointing with your finger at a statue of a monk or a Buddha is pointing with your feet.
- Avoid placing anything in the area that could tower over the photograph.
- Avoid placing your statue close to larger or higher objects, such as refrigerators.
- Avoid putting your statue or any other Buddhist-related symbols in the restroom or any other space where passionate activities could occur.
- You should make sure that the statue won't hang above items like socks and underwear by positioning it so that it won't hang under clotheslines.
Statue Placement In A Single Room Or Studio Apartment
You can still have a Buddha statue in a one-bedroom or studio apartment if you don't have a spare room to use for adoration.
A little shelf that is mounted high on a wall can hold a miniature statue. This practice, called a "Hing Phra" in Thai, is widespread in apartments in congested Asian cities.
These shelves frequently have a lot of figurines or amulets on them. The "primary" image of the Buddha (also known as "ong prataarn") should generally be placed slightly above the other images. This can be done by putting the main image on a small table or even a mat, as long as it is elevated (even by a fraction of an inch) from the other images.
Placing Your Statue In The Garden:
Many non-Buddhists will purchase statues to adorn their gardens. While we believe that before putting a statue in your yard, you should at the very least try to learn about the Dharma, if you go by the aforementioned advice, you won't offend Buddhists.
Additionally, you will notice that the Buddha Almost Never Touches the Ground when you look at conventional statues. The Enlightened One is typically seen standing or seated on a lotus.
It would still be wise to set up a tiny place where you can raise the statue, even if only metaphorically, even though you won't be employing a wooden altar table in your yard.
Getting several dozen little stones that are roughly the same size and shape is one solution. Create a little mound on which to set your statue.
You could occasionally want to offer your statue three flowers or three sticks of incense as a symbol of respect and adoration.
Some General Rules To Be Followed When Placing A Buddha Statue In Your Home
- Never set the figure down on the ground. It should always be revered as the Master and treated with reverence.
- Make sure the shelf is clear of other items of lesser importance if the statue is to be put on one.
- Most of the other significant items in the space should be positioned lower than the statue.
- Never store the statue close to a refrigerator or a large storage cabinet because doing so will weaken or block the statue's energy.
- Generally speaking, the altar and Buddha statue should face east.
- Buddha statues should never be kept in the bathroom or bedroom.
- The space around the statue should always be spotless. To purify the air in the vicinity, light candles or incense sticks.
- Make sure the statue is positioned so that it always faces the interior of the space and never gazes forth. The Laughing Buddha is an exception, which can be positioned at the entryway to fight off bad energy.
Different Forms Of The Buddhist Mudras And What They Signify
Meditation Buddha
Buddha is seated with his legs crossed in the lotus position and his palms in his lap in the meditation position.
The eyes are typically closed completely or with a slight opening, and the face communicates tranquility and peace.
Take note of how grounded and stable the status profile is.
Placement: This statue belongs in your prayer or meditation space. If you don't have a specific place for this, put it in a peaceful area where you may unwind and unwind.
Protection Buddha (Also Called Blessing Buddha)
Buddha's right hand is lifted in a blessing gesture, signifying courage and providing protection from fear and delusions.
The statue of the Protection Buddha can be positioned either seated or standing.
Vastu regulations advise putting this statue in any parts of the home that need to be healed or as a remedy for a Vastu flaw.
Reclining Buddha
The Shakyamuni Buddha is depicted in a reclining position, his head being held aloft by the right hand as he nears the end of his sickness.
The statue represents the compassion that comes with enlightenment and the possibility of being freed from the cycle of rebirth, and it has a deep meaning.
Placement: This statue should be positioned towards west, reclining on its right side.
Medicine Buddha
In this version of the statue, the Buddha is seen sitting with a bowl of herbs in his left hand and it lying on his lap.
The fingers of the right hand, which is facing downward, are extended toward the surface of the earth.
Location: The medication Buddha is revered by individuals hoping for a blessing of good health since he represents health and healing.
There is nothing stopping you from putting this in your home even though it is more frequently found in temples. Give it a noticeable location that commands respect and consideration.
Laughing Buddha
The most recognizable representation of the Buddha in the West is arguably this chubby, pot-bellied figure from his later years.
It's meant to make your home a happy and prosperous place.
It's said that belly rubbing will bring greater abundance into your life.
Placement: According to Feng Shui, placing the Laughing Buddha in front of your front door will boost your home's positive energy and attract luck and fortune. In order to promote greater peace and happiness, position the idol facing east.
Creating A Zen Garden
You can design a tranquil Zen garden with a statue of the Meditating Buddha perched atop a waterfall and plants all around if you have room on your terrace or garden.
The surrounding lush greenery and the sound of bubbling water make this the ideal location for daily meditation.
When doing this, it's crucial to give the Buddha a respectful position and to situate him at the highest point on the ground.
To raise the energy in this area, you can light candles and burn incense sticks in front of the statue.