Eyes of Buddha

The Eyes of Buddha (also called Buddha eyes or Wisdom eyes^[1]) is a symbol used in Buddhist art. The symbol depicts two half-closed eyes, a style sometimes referred to as the Adamantine View (Sanskrit: Vajradrsti).^[2] In between and slightly above the eyes is a circle or spiral which represents the urna,^[3] one of the thirty-two characteristics of a great man (Sanskrit: Mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa) in Buddhism.^[2] Directly below the urna is a curly symbol stylized as १, which represents the number one in Devanagari numerals.^[4]^[5] The curly symbol, which represents either a nose or a divine fire emanating from the urna above, symbolizes unity.^[1]

The Eyes of Buddha symbol represents the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha,^[6] or sometimes more specifically represents the eyes of the Ādibuddha.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c Issitt, Micah L. (2014). Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world's religious beliefs. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-61069-477-3. OCLC 870699557. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^ ^a ^b Gutschow, Niels (1997). The Nepalese caitya : 1500 years of Buddhist votive architecture in the Kathmandu Valley. Stuttgart: Menges. p. 21. ISBN 3-930698-75-7. OCLC 38029358. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^ Fingesten, Peter (1959). "Sight and Insight: A Contribution Toward An Iconography of the Eye". Criticism. 1 (1): 19–31. JSTOR 23091098.
^ Penney, Sue (2001). Buddhism. Chicago: Heinemann Library. p. 26. ISBN 1-57572-354-9. OCLC 44612945. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022. On all four sides of the stupa, painted eyes represent the all-seeing eyes of Buddha. The 'nose' between them is a Nepalese number one, a symbol of unity.
^ Gautam, Bhim Lal (1 February 2022). "Language politics in Nepal: A socio-historical overview". Journal of World Languages. 7 (2): 355–374. doi:10.1515/jwl-2021-0010. ISSN 2169-8260. S2CID 245890297. The Nepali language in the Devanagari script is the language of the nation of Nepal.
^ "Nepal an exotic nation". Alberni Valley Times. 21 July 1972. p. 13. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[issitt-1] Issitt, Micah L. (2014). Hidden religion : the greatest mysteries and symbols of the world's religious beliefs. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-61069-477-3. OCLC 870699557. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.

[gutschow-2] Gutschow, Niels (1997). The Nepalese caitya : 1500 years of Buddhist votive architecture in the Kathmandu Valley. Stuttgart: Menges. p. 21. ISBN 3-930698-75-7. OCLC 38029358. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.

[fingesten-3] Fingesten, Peter (1959). "Sight and Insight: A Contribution Toward An Iconography of the Eye". Criticism. 1 (1): 19–31. JSTOR 23091098.

[penney-4] Penney, Sue (2001). Buddhism. Chicago: Heinemann Library. p. 26. ISBN 1-57572-354-9. OCLC 44612945. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022. On all four sides of the stupa, painted eyes represent the all-seeing eyes of Buddha. The 'nose' between them is a Nepalese number one, a symbol of unity.

[gautam-5] Gautam, Bhim Lal (1 February 2022). "Language politics in Nepal: A socio-historical overview". Journal of World Languages. 7 (2): 355–374. doi:10.1515/jwl-2021-0010. ISSN 2169-8260. S2CID 245890297. The Nepali language in the Devanagari script is the language of the nation of Nepal.

[alberni-6] "Nepal an exotic nation". Alberni Valley Times. 21 July 1972. p. 13. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

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