The word ‘Buddha’ is merely a title, which means ‘one who is awake’ — in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality’. The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a God or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the deepest way possible.

Siddhartha was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. It is said that twelve years before his birth, the brahmins prophesied that he would become either a universal monarch or a great sage. To prevent him from becoming an ascetic, his father kept him within the confines of the luxurious palace. According to the traditional story, he had a privileged upbringing, but jolted out of his sheltered life after encountering three everyday things that traumatized him: a sick man, an old man and a corpse being carried to the burning grounds.

This prompted him to leave the palace in search of the answer to the problem of suffering. After a silent farewell to his family without waking them, he rode to the edge of the forest. There, he cut his long hair with his sword and exchanged his fine clothes for the simple robes of an ascetic; following the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a seeker of Truth. He became very adept at meditation under various teachers, and then took up ascetic practices. This was based on the belief that one could free the spirit by (even momentarily) detaching from any and all earthly possessions, thoughts and ideologies.

This specific Buddha simply represents the restfulness and peace of mind gained through prayer and meditation. This is why you typically only find or place this type of Buddha in tranquil, sacred spaces.

Tip: Always keep the area around the Buddha clean. Ensure that the Buddha is on a high pedestal, placed facing the inside of the room and never looking outside.