Standing Buddha Bookmark

Standing Buddha, perhaps 1775–1825, Thailand

Approximately 2,500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment while meditating beneath a fig tree in Bodh Gaya, India, after having spent years in reflection. He became the Buddha, or “awakened one,” and his teachings about the path to attaining wisdom and compassion spread from his native India throughout Asia. In this finely detailed painting from Thailand, the Buddha stands atop a lotus flower and presents his right palm outward, arm bent at the elbow, in a gesture to calm and dispel fear.