The Eyes of Buddha, Esoteric Symbol of Buddhism

The Buddha is famous throughout the world for the wisdom of his teachings and the religion that was created from them.

Knowing many branches, Buddhism is a complex and varied spirituality capable of bringing us peace, harmony, serenity. In any case, this is its primary goal, spiritual enlightenment.

Such a rich religion necessarily knew many lucky symbols. Among these, there is one that will interest us today: the eyes of the Buddha.

In paintings on stupas, in frescoes in temples or even on pendants or t-shirts: this motif is part of the daily life of millions of Buddhists... but remains enigmatic for most of us.

In short, the esoteric symbol of the Buddha's eyes deserves our attention!

A true emblem of the Himalayas!

Like Buddhist meditation, Tibetan monks or the lotus flower, the eyes of the Buddha are inseparable from the Himalayan mountains. Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and even Northern India: it is in this region that you will find it.

According to Buddhist tradition, painting these eyes on a shrine then transforms it into a real good luck charm capable of blessing visitors. More precisely, it is a question of improved karma and the promise of an illuminated day.

If you ever have the chance to visit this region of Asia, you will see numerous stupas (kind of Buddhist altars in the shape of a point) whose four faces will be decorated with our famous eyes of the Buddha, a bit like s They fixed the travelers with their inquisitive gaze.

Truly, the impression is striking… and that is indeed the desired effect.

Wide open, they inspire the awakening and power of a higher divinity. They bring a Zen atmosphere to an entire country and help relieve suffering.

The first meaning of this symbol being that of the eyes of the Buddha (logical!), it is thus a bit of the essence of this great sage which is found in each stupa, and which gives us this disturbing impression.

The precepts of the Buddha

by Buddhist jewelry and lucky charms

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Symbolic analysis of Buddha's eyes

We are here faced with an ancient symbol which was used by many Buddhist peoples.

Obviously, interpretations of its meaning vary, and we had to choose from our sources to present you with the most reliable information.

Here are some points of view regarding the symbolic analysis of the Buddha's eyes that we have heard enough to trust.

The eyes of wisdom

Another name for our Buddhist lucky motif is “the eyes of wisdom”. This nickname tells us more about one of their characteristics: they are apparently capable of increasing the wisdom of those they look at.

Good luck charm, better karma and now new wisdom... The list of benefits of the Buddha's eyes is growing rapidly! (That's the case to say.)

In the same vein of idea, some associate these eyes with a kind of omniscience, total and absolute knowledge. Others speak of compassion, emotional cleansing and even healing.

The unity of everything, even mysteries

Very often, the Buddha's eyes will be represented with a question mark between them, where the nose would normally be.

Ignorant tourists might think this is an exotic and stylized way of depicting one. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We are in reality here faced with a symbol of the mysteries and secrets of the world which, too, are found through the Buddha and his teachings.

Thus, Buddhism presents us with a complete vision of the world, both from an exoteric and esoteric point of view.

This is another message from our lucky symbol.

Four directions, for a whole bunch of senses

Where our research was most complicated was when we sought to understand why the eyes of the Buddha were painted on the four faces of the stupas, in the four directions.

We found a whole bunch of theories in Tibetan Buddhism, of which here are the three main ones:

• By looking in all directions, the Buddha shows us that he sees everything, that he knows everything.
• The four directions represent the passing of time, towards the past and the future.
• These directions are all in the same parallel plane, which represents our physical world into which a little transcendence sometimes slips in.

Religious significance of Buddha's eyes

In reality, the best interpretation we can make of the Buddha's eyes (or at least the most interesting) is that made by Buddhism itself!

You should know that, for this religion, there are two types of eyes: the exterior eyes, those that we have on our face and which allow us to observe the material world, and the interior eyes (called "urnas" in the Buddhism), those which allow us to see the essence of things arising from the rules of the Dhamma.

To get a better idea, this notion of inner eyes can be compared to that of the third eye.

In short, even if it is the physical eyes that our Buddhist lucky motif represents, it would rather be through the associated inner eyes (implicitly therefore) that they would draw their spiritual powers.

By painting something concrete in this way, it would be another thing (hidden and latent) that would operate...

This reflection undoubtedly deserves that we dwell on it for a few moments, and that we try to apply it to certain areas of our life.

For further

Now you know more about the symbol of the Buddha's eyes. However, many mysteries still remain to be discovered and, if you are fond of them, our site can help you satisfy your curiosity.

To do this, here are some collections of lucky charms, each object coming with its description and history:

• That linked to Buddhism, because our symbol is associated with the eyes of its creator.
• The one dedicated to Tibet, because this country is undoubtedly the one where you will find the greatest concentration of Buddha's eyes.

Here are also some external resources that will allow you to better explore certain themes covered:

• A study from the site persée.fr, on stupas in ancient India.
• An extract from an interview, which talks about the meaning of wisdom in Buddhism.
• A few words from the site femmenouvelle.fr, on the disturbing notion of the third eye.