Page 311 - Eye of the beholder

anthropomorphic form. The portrayal of Sakyamuni as a man, rather than as a symbol, is probably linked with the emergence of the devotional or the Mahayana sects of Buddhism at the time of Kanishka’s Great Council. In the Mahayana path, having compassionate figures to work on behalf of the worshipers’ spiritual goals served to make the faith more accessible to larger numbers of people.
In addition to the origin of the Buddha image, the Gandhara School also was responsible for the invention of the Bodhisattva. The latter are enlightened compassionate beings who postpone their own salvation in order to help all other worshippers. The Bodhisattva is an ideal type, not a depiction of an historical person like the Buddha and in their character have affiliations similar to Christian saints.
Bodhisattva Maitreya is the Buddha of the future, who will be born to teach enlightenment in the next age. According to Mahayana teachings, a Buddha is first born as a bodhisattva, and then after many lifetimes, progresses to Buddhahood. The historical Buddha was himself referred to as a bodhisattva before becoming the Buddha. Bodhisattvas tend, as a whole, to be more richly attired than figures of Buddha’s. While the iconographic representation of the Buddha figures have a simple monk’s robe draped over one shoulder, Bodhisattvas are adorned with flowing robes, bracelets, necklaces and threads containing amulet boxes, elaborate hairdos, and sometimes a moustache. They are often represented as princely figures, alluding to the historical Buddha’s life as a prince before he renounced his kingdom, thus distinguishing them from the Buddha who is attired as a mendicant monk.
The Bodhisattva Maitreya is identified here by the small flask he holds in his left hand, filled with a liquid of immortality. The portrait like character of the figure of Maitreya suggests that he may have been the representation of noble donors divinized to Bodhisattva Maitreya. The latter is arrayed in all the finery of a contemporary Indian Raja. The Gandhara Maitreya is shown with a large halo around his head. His hair is extremely curly with a projecting ushnisha in the centre. This was the superhuman physical characteristics, a lump on the top of the head to indicate extraordinary wisdom.
The material used was schist, a stone, which allows detailed carving, especially in the deeply delineated lines of the drapery, the hairdo, and jewelry. The hair is represented in curls and considerably long to touch his shoulders. The hair continues as a topknot representing the projecting ushnisha and a large circular halo behind his head. The concept of a halo is often assumed to have been derived from Christianity, but its origin is from Persia, where the sun worship led to the development of this disk to distinguish the spiritual character of the persona represented. Between the eyebrows is the representation of the Urna, which in Buddhist art and culture, is a circular dot placed on the forehead of Buddhist images as an auspicious mark. It symbolizes a third eye, which in turn symbolizes vision into the divine world; an ability to see beyond the mundane universe of suffering. The eyes are meditative and half closed, imparting a quality of serenity and peace to the countenance. The nose is impressive with flaring nostrils and the lips are perfectly shaped with a dominant firm chin. The ears are long and are adorned with circular earrings that closely hug the ear lobes.
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