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The Eyes of Buddha on a stupa at Swayambhunath in Kathmandu, Nepal

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]

On stupas

The Eyes of Buddha are painted^[7] onto the upper portions of many Tibetan-style stupas, mostly throughout Nepal.^[1]^[8] The symbol is painted on all four sides of the cube at the top of the stupa to symbolize the Buddha's wisdom seeing all things in all four cardinal directions.^[1] Two of the most well-known examples are the historic stupas at Swayambhunath^[9] and Boudhanath,^[10] which both comprise two of the seven Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site monuments located in Kathmandu in Nepal.^[11]

Other uses

Similar to its use on stupas, the symbol is painted on the upper portion of many caityas.^[2] The symbol is also sometimes inscribed on mani stones alongside the Sanskrit mantra Om mani padme hum as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism.^[12]

The Eyes of Buddha are painted on the silo housing the world's largest kaleidoscope, the Kaatskill Kaleidoscope in Mount Tremper, New York.^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 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 ^c 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.
^ Marceau, Jo (1998). Art : a world history. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 338. ISBN 0-7513-0453-0. OCLC 40050950. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^ Olschak, Blanche Christine; Wangyal, Geshé Thupten (December 1974). "Lotus eyes of the Buddha". UNESCO Courier. 27 (11): 28–29 – via Internet Archive.
^ Ostrowski, A. (2006). "The Framing of Religion: Nepal TV Explored". South Asian Popular Culture. 4 (1): 3–18. doi:10.1080/14746680600555410. S2CID 142489523. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via EBSCO Information Services.
^ "Nepal's earthquake-hit Boudhanath stupa reopens after restoration". The Guardian. 22 November 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^ "Kathmandu Valley". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 31 October 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^ Gurawa, Anju (2009). Tibetan diaspora : Buddhism and politics. New Delhi, India: National Book Organisation. p. 40. ISBN 978-81-87521-24-2. OCLC 320661925. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^ Gitter, Dean (26 July 1996). "Buddhist Symbol at Home in the Catskills". The New York Times. pp. A–28. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.