Buddhacetiya Hall

The main object of worship in UBV is the Rupa in the Buddhacetiya (Buddha shrine) hall.  It was carved in China from a block of white jade. The hands of the rupa are in the Dhammacakka mudra or gesture of Turning the Wheel of Dhamma. This  mudra represents the Buddha teaching the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths forms the core of the Dhamma and its first proclamation by the Buddha at Sarnath, India sets forth the Wheel of Dhamma rolling in the world.

Bhavana Hall

The Rupa in the Bhavana (Meditation) Hall was acquired from Sri Lanka and is made from fiberglass.  The hands are in the Samadhi mudra, or the gesture of Meditative Concentration, which is the position traditionally adopted by Buddhists when practicing meditation.  This mudra is perhaps the most popular depiction of the Buddha in the present time.

Bodhi Park

The Buddha in the Bodhi Park is of a form traditionally found in Thailand and  first popularized during the 13^th century Sukhothai period.  The Walking Buddha, with one foot raised and the other firmly on the ground, is unique as most other rupas are depicted sitting, standing or lying down. The left hand of the Walking Buddha is raised in the Abhaya mudra or the gesture of Giving Safety or Fearlessness. This rupa symbolises the compassion and dynamism of the Buddha who, after his Enlightenment, spent the next 45 years walking all over north India actively teaching and liberating all beings.

Behind the walking Buddha is the Bodhi tree, a species of the fig tree named Ficus Religiosa. This tree, which was brought over as a sapling from Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka is called a Bodhi Tree because it is a descendant of the original Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India, under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment.  Bodhi Trees are sacred and are objects of veneration.

The Walking Buddha here in front of the Bodhi Tree recalls to mind the great event after the Buddha’s Enlightenment when he decided to proclaim the Dhamma. “An unsurpassed teacher am I; alone am I the All-Enlightened. Cool and appeased am I. To establish the wheel of Dhamma, to the city of Kasi I go. In this blind world I shall beat the drum of deathlessness. ~ Ariyapariyesana Sutta”

The Baby Siddhartha

The rupa of baby Siddhartha is an image popular in East Asia.  Siddhartha was born to Mayadevi in Lumbini garden within the borders of modern day Nepal. Based on legends described in the Commentaries, the image of baby Siddhartha is depicted soon after his birth when, rising to his feet, he takes his first few steps into the world, an event celebrated with wondrous signs in the heavens.