The Great Physician Who Recommended the 'Middle Path' (Large Size Statue) - Buddha

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Seated on a double lotus pedestal, he wears the typical robe of a monk, the border of which is nevertheless richly decorated. The robe falls across both shoulders, but covers only one nipple, leaving the right one bare.

The sculptor has skilfully made his talent evident in the expressive delineation of the fingers of the right hand, which gently grip the medicinal plant, and also of the left, which rests contemplatively in his lap. Buddha sits in the padmasana where the legs are crossed and the soles of the feet upturned. This is a meditative posture. The soles of both feet are marked with the auspicious eight-spoked Buddhist wheel, which signifies the Buddha's teachings. He has a long, yet slightly round face, with a serene and inward looking expression. The ear lobes are exaggeratedly extended, signifying that they were once hung with heavy and rich earrings. That they are now empty suggests that Buddha has renounced his princely status. On his neck there are three-curving lines, which symbolize a conch. These are said to represent his deep and resonant voice, through which Buddha introduced his followers to the path of Dharma.

Shakyamuni Buddha is known as the great physician because he has taught the Dharma which is the antidote to the sickness of suffering within sansara. In fact, it is believed that the Four Noble Truths laid down by him are based on the ancient medical formula of diagnosis, cause, prognosis, and treatment.

But Buddha made it amply clear that without physical well-being one could not endure the strains and stresses of an austere life, necessary for meditative practices and mental development. He therefore insisted on dietary restrictions and advocated moderation in eating. He said: "I, monks, do not eat a meal at night, I, monks, am aware of good health and of being without illness and of buoyancy and strength and living in comfort. Come, do you too, monks, not eat a meal at night' (Quoted in in the book 'The Healing Buddha,' by Raoul Birnbaum). Thus did this venerable healer stress upon both spiritual healing (through his teachings), and physical well-being (by practicing moderation and following the middle path).