Eyes of Buddha

The Eyes of Buddha (also called Buddha eyes or Wisdom eyes^[1]) is a symbol used in Buddhist art. The symbol depicts two half-closed eyes, a style sometimes referred to as the Adamantine View (Sanskrit: Vajradrsti).^[2] In between and slightly above the eyes is a circle or spiral which represents the urna,^[3] one of the thirty-two characteristics of a great man (Sanskrit: Mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa) in Buddhism.^[2] Directly below the urna is a curly symbol stylized as १, which represents the number one in Devanagari numerals.^[4][5] The curly symbol, which represents either a nose or a divine fire emanating from the urna above, symbolizes unity.^[1]

The Eyes of Buddha on a stupa at Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, Nepal

The Eyes of Buddha on the Swayambhunath stupa

Eyes of Buddha adorned on a Stupa in the Gobi Desert in the Dornogovi Province of Mongolia

The Eyes of Buddha symbol represents the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha,^[6] or sometimes more specifically represents the eyes of the Ādibuddha.^[1]

On stupas

The Eyes of Buddha are painted^[7] onto the upper portions of many Tibetan-style stupas, mostly throughout Nepal.^[1][8] The symbol is painted on all four sides of the cube at the top of the stupa to symbolize the Buddha's wisdom seeing all things in all four cardinal directions.^[1] Two of the most well-known examples are the historic stupas at Swayambhunath^[9] and Boudhanath,^[10] which both comprise two of the seven Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site monuments located in Kathmandu in Nepal.^[11]

Other uses

Similar to its use on stupas, the symbol is painted on the upper portion of many caityas.^[2] The symbol is also sometimes inscribed on mani stones alongside the Sanskrit mantra Om mani padme hum as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism.^[12]

The Eyes of Buddha are painted on the silo housing the world's largest kaleidoscope, the Kaatskill Kaleidoscope in Mount Tremper, New York.^[13]

References

1. Issitt, Micah L. (2014). Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world's religious beliefs. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-61069-477-3. OCLC 870699557. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
2. Gutschow, Niels (1997). The Nepalese caitya : 1500 years of Buddhist votive architecture in the Kathmandu Valley. Stuttgart: Menges. p. 21. ISBN 3-930698-75-7. OCLC 38029358. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
3. Fingesten, Peter (1959). "Sight and Insight: A Contribution Toward An Iconography of the Eye". Criticism. 1 (1): 19–31. JSTOR 23091098.
4. Penney, Sue (2001). Buddhism. Chicago: Heinemann Library. p. 26. ISBN 1-57572-354-9. OCLC 44612945. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022. On all four sides of the stupa, painted eyes represent the all-seeing eyes of Buddha. The 'nose' between them is a Nepalese number one, a symbol of unity.
5. Gautam, Bhim Lal (1 February 2022). "Language politics in Nepal: A socio-historical overview". Journal of World Languages. 7 (2): 355–374. doi:10.1515/jwl-2021-0010. ISSN 2169-8260. S2CID 245890297. The Nepali language in the Devanagari script is the language of the nation of Nepal.
6. "Nepal an exotic nation". Alberni Valley Times. 21 July 1972. p. 13. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Marceau, Jo (1998). Art : a world history. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 338. ISBN 0-7513-0453-0. OCLC 40050950. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
8. Olschak, Blanche Christine; Wangyal, Geshé Thupten (December 1974). "Lotus eyes of the Buddha". UNESCO Courier. 27 (11): 28–29 – via Internet Archive.
9. Ostrowski, A. (2006). "The Framing of Religion: Nepal TV Explored". South Asian Popular Culture. 4 (1): 3–18. doi:10.1080/14746680600555410. S2CID 142489523. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via EBSCO Information Services.
10. "Nepal's earthquake-hit Boudhanath stupa reopens after restoration". The Guardian. 22 November 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
11. "Kathmandu Valley". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 31 October 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
12. Gurawa, Anju (2009). Tibetan diaspora : Buddhism and politics. New Delhi, India: National Book Organisation. p. 40. ISBN 978-81-87521-24-2. OCLC 320661925. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
13. Gitter, Dean (26 July 1996). "Buddhist Symbol at Home in the Catskills". The New York Times. pp. A–28. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.