This guide will serve as a short primer on a establishing a visual difference between a few popular buddha statues and designs.  As interior decorating is embraced as a popular hobby these days, many people are beginning to bring religious icons into their homes even if they are not practioners of that religion.   In the past, most buddha sales were for a person's personal altar at their home or work.  You might commonly see a buddhist altar set up at your local nail salon.  As asian art continues to grow in the marketplace and the simple designs of zen flourish, we are seeing more and more people integrate buddhist pieces into their homes.  Often the consumer/ decorator finds themselves attracted to the beauty and design of the piece and may not know a thing about Buddhism or Buddha.

Asian art and antiquities are quite popular these days.  In fact, you'll find Buddhas for sale in many of the larger department stores and e-bay is a great place to find these items, too!

No longer is it necessary to go to Chinatown to find a Buddha.  There are a few general poses you will commonly find for Buddha- these are the seated buddhas, the reclining buddhas, standing buddhas or the emaciated buddhas (Siddhartha Gautama's starvation practice). 

Let's start with perhaps the most familar buddha out there- this is Hoti who is of Chinese heritage.  In this picture he is sitting down; you'll find him in a variety of materials and poses.  Varied materials ranging from jade, to metal to wood or stone.  What is distinctive is his large protruding belly, smiling face and bald head. 

The other popular buddha style  that is extremely common now typically has a pointed headdress.  These are Thai buddhas. 

Often folks have rubbings from temples in Thailand depicting these buddhas.  These are similar to the rubbings you might find from European castles or from gravestones.   From time to time you can find GREAT deals on these rubbings on e-bay!   

These are often rubbed on rice paper and have a great texture to the art.   You will see the rubbings often depict the same 5 or so poses and that they often show the buddhas or dakinis dancing. 

Have fun with Buddhist icons and images.  May it bring pleasure and serenity to your home. 

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