When you have learned the symbolism of Buddhist Teachings, it is nice that when you come to a new Temple to “step back” and take a look around, to see, what are you seeing and what do you understand about what you are seeing.
If you have already done some of the other audio tours I have created, then you have learned some of the symbolism of Buddhist Teachings.
When you are looking at these statues, what do you see, what do you understand, what is the meaning of what you are seeing? Do you remember?
Did The Buddha where clothing like this during his lifetime? No, of course not, as part of his journey to Enlightenment he shaved his head and wore simple rag robes. He did not wear anything elaborate, such as, what you see depicted in these statues.
What does the lotus flower under his feet symbolize? An open lotus flower symbolizes Enlightenment, thus, this is meant to acknowledge The Buddha as an Enlightened being. A closed lotus flower symbolizes your potential to attain Enlightenment.
What style of artwork is this Lanna, Sukhothai, or Ayutthaya? Surely, being here in northern Thailand, we are going to see plenty of northern style artwork or, Lanna style of art. This is identifiable through the decorative clothing and ornate depictions of The Buddha.
What does it mean that The Buddha’s hand is reaching down towards the earth, what does it symbolize? This is reminding you of the one and only miracle he performed just prior to delivering his very first Teaching, The Four Noble Truths, when all the animals came to where he was, helping his first five (5) Students to understand he had attained Enlightenment.
If you have not learned these things yet, you might consider taking the audio tour at Wat Umong, as you will learn these and more, in much more detail, by taking that audio tour.
