Mudrâ

Hindouism

There exists a big number of mudrâs, carried out with only one hand or both, their use corresponding to the expression of a feeling or a given situation. A combination different mudrâs allowing an infinity from expression which is mainly used for the dance. In the Hindouisme, Mudrâ is a codified position and symbolic system of the hands of a person:

dance: Bharata natyam, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Kuchipudi
yoga: static posture aiming at supporting a mental stability: Maha will mudra (all the body is fixed) or a part only classically the hands: Jnana will mudra.

Buddhism

In the Buddhist art, the representations of Buddha S, Bodhisattva S and Yidam S use a restricted number of mudrâs, associated with a posture of the body (Asana).

Guns of the Buddhist sculpture

The original teaching of the Buddha formally excluded an idolatry which would be occurred by the devotion with images the representative. This requirement was circumvented little by little by the school of the Mahayana (the Large Vehicle) with as excuses that the representations suggested with faithful were to be only one image symbolic system, impersonal and favourable with the meditation. As no portrait since nature existed of Buddha, the artists were thus obliged to determine a representation idealized while following indications given by old texts. A whole of fixed characteristics are then imposed and will not vary any more during the centuries.

Three principal postures of the body are represented as a sculptor:

Sitted in the Position of the lotus, leg folded up and crossed. Some rarer statues in sitting position with European, or half-lotus exist.
Upright, feet togethers, or going (creation of the art of the school of Sukhothai Thailand).
Lying on dimensioned, a hand under the head, position in waiting of the access to the Parinirvāna.

Mudrâs in the Buddhist sculpture

In order to illustrate various lesson and episodes of the life of Buddha, some mudrâs recurring are represented in the statuary, of limited number and more or less frequently:

the Dhyâni-Mudrâ , or mudrâ of the meditation. In sitting position, the right hand rests in the left hand posed in the bosom, palm in the air and the two inches effleurant itself. It is one of the representation most current, illustrated by the large statue of Kamakura to the Japan.

the Bhûmisparsha-Mudrâ , or mudrâ of the earth electrode with witness. Even position that Dhyâni-Mudrâ, but the right hand is posed on the knee, the fingers effleurant the ground. In its last meditation before the awakening, Buddha due to undergo the attacks of Marâ, personification of the evil, which tried various stratagems to stop its meditation. Finally, Marâ dénît the reality of the awakening of the Buddha, asserting that there was no witness, this one then touched the ground which was its witness. This position one of is most usually employed, for example large the Bouddha of gold of Bangkok.

the Vitarka-Mudrâ , or mudrâ of teaching and the argumentation. In position upright or sat, the right hand is raised on the level of the shoulder and the inch forms with the index a circle, the other fingers being raised. The left arm is on the level of the size, the hand carrying out the same gesture or sometimes the palm turned upwards.

the Dharmachakra-Mudrâ , or mudrâ of the starting of the wheel of the law Dharma. In sitting position or upright, the two hands are in front of the body on the level of the size, the right palm turned towards outside, the left towards the interior, inch and joined index forming two tangent circles, the right hand with the vertical, the left with the horizontal one.

the Abhaya-Mudrâ , or mudrâ of the absence of fear and protection. In position upright, arms stuck to the body, front armlevers with 90°, raised hand, fingers joined, palm towards outside. One also finds this position with only one hand ahead, the other remaining along the body.

the Mettakaruna-Mudrâ , or mudrâ of the benevolence and the compassion. In position upright, two arms along the body, hands in the prolongation, slightly detached from the body, palm towards the interior.

the Añjali-Mudrâ , also called Pûjâ-Mudrâ, or mudrâ of the hello and the consideration. The two hands are united palms, tended fingers, on the level of the chest, the fingers under the chin. It is the traditional gesture of the hello in Asia.

the two arms are descended along the body and the hands are crossed on the level of the wrist, palm resting on the thighs.

In the secret societies

According to the legend, various secret societies would have used these signs to transmit their message to their occult members.

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