A Heartfelt Welcome

It's no secret that although I'm not Buddhist, I really love visiting Buddhist countries. I find the temples to be beautiful, the people to be friendly, and the entire experience peaceful and calming. It's pretty hard to visit and not learn a thing or two about Buddhism - whether during the trip or after.

I used to see statues or images of the Buddha and not really pay much attention. They all looked more or less the same. I was Buddha blind I guess. Nowadays I realize there is significance to the poses and hand gestures. Whether pointing up to the heavens or down to the Earth, there is a reason or message being conveyed.

What does this little statue mean? I can only leave it to the Internet to figure it out. It looks like the Añjali Mudrā gesture where the palms of the hands are placed together, with the fingers together and the fingertips pointed up. With the hands placed at the heart, it is an honoring of both the self and the other, and used as a greeting or farewell.

I found this beautiful little statue at the Dhammayazika Pagoda, a temple (despite the confusing pagoda name in there) of Theravada Buddhism just outside Bagan in Pwasaw village.