Buddha Expounding the Dharma

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The quintessential icon of early Buddhist Sri Lanka is the Buddha gesturing vitarka-mudra, imparting his dharma to all. Seated in a meditative yogic posture, he wears the monk’s uttarasanga, an untailored length of cloth drawn tautly around the body, with his right shoulder exposed in the southern manner of Buddhism. His hair is expressed in short, tight curls to evoke his renunciation of the material world, when he cut off his hair and gave away his princely adornments. The eye sockets were inlaid with precious stones or rock crystal to add a heightened level of realism. The flame-shaped head protuberance (ushniha) is one of the principal auspicious markings (lakshanas) of Buddhahood.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art