Footprints of the Buddha

     Here we are again with another blog for your viewing pleasure. Today we are going to be talking about a few symbols associated with the Buddha. Though the Buddha is said to of died in the early fifth-century B.C.E., for years artists represented him as an empty throne, a horse with no rider, a tree, a wheel, or through some other symbolic form. Many followers of the Buddha shunned any image of him in human form because it promoted the idea of "idol worship." However, another common symbolic representation of the Buddha was of his footprints which indicated his spiritual presence and served as a reminder and focus for contemplation or devotion. In the image above, one can see that within this particular piece of art are a few other symbols such as the wheel which symbolized the Buddha's teachings and the three-pronged design, located towards the bottom of the feet, which expressed the three things Buddhists could take refuge in. These three things were the Buddha himself, his teaching, and the Buddhist community. Also depicted in the engraving is a lotus flower, located between the two footprints, which symbolized his purity, and two Indian female earth spirits, located on the bottom two corners, representing fertility. In one of the Buddhist texts, it is said that those who looked at the footprints “shall be freed from the bonds of error, and conducted upon the Way of Enlightenment.” Well, that is all folks, catch you next blog.