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Buddhist Iconography Identification Guide
2. Postures (Sanskr. āsana; Tib. 'dug stangs, 'dug lugs)
Drawn by Alex Kocharov
The variety of poses employed in divine and human representations may be conventionally divided into “sitting” postures (Sanskr. śayana; Tib. bzhugs pa) and “standing” postures (Sanskr. sthanaka; Tib. bzhengs pa). In the table below, these are postures 1 to 9 and 11 to 18, respectively. One should bear in mind that this table, like the others, employs generalized drawings. Presented here, for instance, are only two of the eleven known varieties of posture 15, two of ten varieties of posture 16, etc. Some postures exhibiting minor deviations have been omitted, as they are not commonly used by artists and are hence irrelevant to the identification procedure.
The table also excludes the reclining pose, since as far as we know, “this posture is characteristic of only one subject, known as the Mahāparinirvāṇa of the Buddha”.
Pairs of mirror-image postures are shown under the same number if they have the same appellation and are used in representations of one figure. Many of the poses have several appellations, and one name is often associated with different postures. In such cases we have cited the relevant sources.
Numbers 10 and 19 are reserved for rare sitting and standing postures, respectively.
| 1. |
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1. Vajra posture (Sanskr. vajraparyaṅkāsana, dhyānāsana, vajrāsana; Tib. rdo rje 'i skyil krung), one of the most widely used in iconography. In Hindu yoga it came to be known as the “lotus posture”, but in the Buddhist tradition this appellation refers to posture 3, typical of female characters represented in union with their male consorts. |
2.
2a. |
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2. Bodhisattva posture (Sanskr. bodhisattvaparyaṅkāsana, niyamaparyaṅkāsana, virāsana, bodhyāsana; Tib. sems pa 'i skyil krung, skyil krung chung zad), an easier position than posture 1. Variety 2A in some cases has a special Tibetan appellation, padma'i skyil krung or dpa' mo'i dug stangs. This posture is sometimes depicted with one heel placed under the buttocks. |
3.
3a |
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3. “Pleasurable posture” (Sanskr. sukhāsana; Tib. bde legs can or pad ma skyil krung). This is an easier position than posture 2, but here the knees touch the cushion and are not raised as in posture 5. The feet are crossed, which distinguishes this posture from the “less pronounced” forms of posture 6, in which one leg does not extend beyond the pedestal but is only drawn closer to the edge, leaving a space between the legs. |
| 4. |
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4. “Hidden posture” (Sanskr. guptāsana; Tib. sbas pa' i 'dug stangs). Differs from the above-mentioned postures in that the knees and feet of the represented figure are hidden by robes. This posture is typical of historical figures rather than deities. |
5.
5a1
5a2
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5. “Posture of royal ease” (Sanskr. mahārājalīlāsana, rājalīlāsana, sukhāsana, vīrāsana; Tib. rgyal po rol pa' i stabs, dpa' bo'i 'dug stangs). This posture has one distinguishing feature: one or both of the figure’s knees may be raised. The variation with one foot placed on the thigh of the other leg is known in Tibet as the “hero’s posture” (dpa' bo'i skyil krung), while posture 5A is known as the “heroine’s posture” (dpa' mo'i skyil krung). However, this distinction is at times neglected by icon painters for the sake of symmetry, and male characters may thus be depicted in the heroine’s posture. Posture 5B, with ankles crossed and both knees raised, is quite unusual. It is peculiar, for instance, to Sarasvati as well as to some representations of yogins. In the latter case, the knees are often bound by a special “meditation belt” (Tib. sgom thags) used to fix the position of the legs during extended meditation. The posture is then called the “posture with a support” or “yoga posture” (Tib. sopaśrayāsana, yogāsana; Tib. rnal 'byor 'dug stangs). |
6a1.
6a2
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6. “One-sided posture” (Sanskr. ardhaparyaṅkāsana, lalitāsana, līlakṣepāsana), where one leg, most often the right one, extends beyond the pedestal. In Tibet, posture 6 is known as the “right-sided” posture (g.yas rol) and posture 6A as the “left-sided” posture (g.yon rol). |
| 7. |
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7. “Benevolent posture” (Sanskr. bhadrāsana, paryaṅkāsana, pralambapādāsana; Tib. bzang ро'i 'dug stangs), also known as “Maitreya’s posture” (Sanskr. maitreyāsana; Tib. byams bzhugs). |
| 8. |
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8. “Immovable posture of the archer” (Sanskr. niścalāsana, acalāsana; Tib. mi g.yo ba'i dug stangs), characteristic of figures bearing gifts and of the wrathful deity Achala. |
| 9. |
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9. Posture of worship (Sanskr. pranāmāsana; Tib. rab tu 'dud pa'i 'dug stangs, bde gshegs can). |
| 10. |
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10. Here, as noted above, we have placed all rare and unusual sitting postures. |
| 11. |
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11. Standing posture with legs straight (Sanskr. samapādasthānaka, ṛjvāyata, samabhaṅga; Tib. mnyam pa, mnyam pa'i rkang stabs, sa ga 'dug stangs). The “thrice-bent” posture (Sanskr. tribhaṅga; Tib. 'gying ba), characterized by an elegant S-curve of the body and straight legs, also belongs to this class. |
| 12. |
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12. The “circular” posture (Sanskr. samabhaṅga, maṇḍalāsana; Tib. zlum po'i dug stangs), a standing posture with legs bent equally. |
| 13. |
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13. Standing cross-legged posture (Sanskr. pādasvastika; Tib. g.yung drung gyi rkang). May represent movement. |
14a
14b. |
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14. Posture of movement: walking, running, levitating, etc. Here we have placed all other postures associated with movement through air, rocks, or water. |
15A.
15B. |
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15. Standing posture with “straightened right leg” (Sanskr. ālīḍha, ālīḍhapāda; Tib. g.yas brkyang). Postures 15 and 16, unlike other mirror-image postures, are indicated in the table by different numbers, despite the fact that some scholars are inclined to view them as one posture. Libert, for example, believes that the two terms aliḍha and prati-aliḍha are used to show degrees of tension pertaining to one posture. This opinion is supported by iconographic sources; Black Jambhala, for instance, may be represented in either of the two postures . Nevertheless, a study of the relevant texts establishes that Sanskrit treatises clearly distinguish between these postures. For instance, the sadhana of Cakrasaṃvāra, whose iconography is well known, calls posture 15 alidha, while the sadhana of Marichi, a deity no less well known, represented in posture 16, calls this posture prati-alidha. Ultimately, the decisive argument for differentiating between postures 15 and 16 is the instruction we find in Je Tsongkhapa’s Sngags rim chen po, where the first posture is referred to as the “right straightened” (g.yas brkyang) and the second as the “left straightened” (g.yon brkyang). |
16A.
16B. |
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16. This stance (Sanskr. pratyālīḍha; Tib. g.yon brkyang) is the mirror image of No. 15. |
17-1
17-2
17a1
17a2
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17. “Dancing posture” (Sanskr. ardhaparyaṅkanṛtya, tāṇḍava, ekapādāsana; Tib. rkang gcig gi rkang stabs; gar stabs). Resembles posture 6 and may easily be confused with it in cases where it is unclear whether the represented figure is sitting (No. 6) or standing (No. 17). |
| 18. |
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18. “Scorpion posture” (Sanskr. vṛścikāsana; Tib. sdig pa'i 'dug stangs). Quite rare. |
| 19. |
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19. As stated above, certain rare and unusual standing postures are collected under this number. |
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