Interpretation of Hand Signs in Buddhist Art Ahmer K. Ghori, BA, Kevin C. Chung, MD From the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI; and the Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI. Hand signs (called mudras in Sanskrit) play an important role in Buddhist art. They represent specific events from the life of Sidharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. These events symbolize moral principles important to the discipline. There are six important hand signs: (1) dhyana mudra, (2) varada mudra, (3) abhaya mudra, (4) vitarka mudra, (5) dharmachakra mudra, and (6) bhumispara mudra. The use of these hand signs was popularized by Buddhist universities in India around the 4th or 5th century AD. This paper will examine the symbolism behind the six main hand signs and reveal their message, which will be valuable for modern society. (J Hand Surg 2007;32A:918 –922. Copyright © 2007 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.) Key words: Buddha, Buddhist art, hand, mudra, signs. T he popular proverb “you don’t value what you have until it is gone” is especially applicable to the human use of hands in nonverbal com- munication. We use our hands to express a wide spectrum of emotions, yet we are not always con- scious of it. A mother may calm her crying child by simply patting his or her back or reprimand a mis- chievous one by raising her finger. A lost tourist may make a questioning gesture as helpful locals calm him with a simple touch. People may start relation- ships with a simple handshake or end them with a goodbye wave. The use of hands in nonverbal com- munication is not specific to the modern age. Hand gestures in Buddhist art symbolize stories that impart core moral principles of the discipline. This paper will examine hand postures in Buddhist art to reveal their meaning for the betterment of human kind. Sidharta Gautama founded Buddhism in the 6th century BC. 1 He had a privileged birth as a prince of the Sakya tribe in 556 BC in Lumbini (modern Ne- pal). 1 When Gautama was an infant, a priest is said to have noticed “32 auspicious signs” that predicted he would either become a powerful king or an ascetic. 1 To deter Gautama from becoming an ascetic, his father prevented him from witnessing any human suffering and surrounded him with pleasures. How- ever, at the age of 29, Gautama ventured beyond the confines of his palace and witnessed an old man, a sick man, and a dead man. 2 This exposure to suffer- ing motivated him to abandon his luxurious lifestyle to search for the meaning of life. He gave up all worldly pleasures and meditated under a tree in Gaya (modern Benares, India) until he attained bodhi (a Sanskrit term that means “enlightenment”). 1 After this incident, Gautama is addressed as the Buddha (“enlightened one”) in Buddhist philosophy. The Buddha shared his enlightenment with people, and his teachings form the core of Buddhist philos- ophy. Early Buddhist artists believed that because the Buddha had passed on, he should not be represented in earthly forms. 3 Therefore, symbols such as charka (wheel), footprint, halo, umbrella, lotus, and tree were used to depict the Buddha. 3 However, Bud- dhism evolved to be less monastic and attracted new followers. This mass appeal created a need for im- ages of the founder, and artists started to represent the Buddha in human forms. 3 Statues of the Buddha became important, and his hand signs became the medium of conveying important moral lessons. Hand Signs in Buddhist Art Hands have symbolic meaning in Buddhism. Gener- ally, each finger of the hand is associated with a natural element as follows 4 : Thumb: water Index finger: space Middle finger: earth Ring finger: fire Little finger: air 918 The Journal of Hand Surgery