Statues play an important role in Tibetan Buddhism and in Mahayana Buddhism generally. Each Buddha, Boddhisatva, or venerable historical master is understood to have qualities that can help us in developing our wisdom and compassion.
A statue of a deity can be used as a focal point during puja and meditation as a means of awakening in ourselves the qualities associated with that deity. The adept realises that s/he is not worshipping the statue but using the statue as a catalyst by which the qualities can emerge from his/her own potential. The Buddha taught that none of his students should worship him, nor any other person, nor any god or gods or anything else under the sun or beyond it. For Buddhists, the ultimate goal of spiritual practice is to awaken one's own true nature , which is the nature of a fully enlightened Buddha.
 The exact form of the statue is very important. Each statue is rich in symbolism with sacred scriptures specifying the detailed iconography.
Statues are made using the ancient 'lost wax' casting process (see below) and requires the highest level of craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the majority of statues available today are marred by poor attention to detail in the design, casting or finishing of the product. We have taken great pains to seek out artisans who are both highly skilled and have great respect for the work they are involved with.
The statues we have selected and offer for sale are of the highest quality. Each statue is hand made, cast in copper and finished to to a dark bronze. Using a process involving mercury and fire, gold plating is applied to many parts of the statue. Faces are hand painted and many of the statues are adorned with jewels.
These are lovely pieces; exquisite in design and finish and repleat with symbolic significance, they carry a deep serenity that will move Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike.
The Lost Wax Casting Process.
This is a very exacting process involving the following steps:
- A wax model of the statue is hand made.
- The model is covered with a clay plaster; this often is applied in several coats and straw is added to prevent the mould breaking up during pouring.
- Once the mould has set, the wax is melted out and collected for future use.
- Smelted copper is now poured in to the spaces left by the wax.
- Once the copper has cooled, the clay mould is cracked off.
- The copper statue is now trimmed prior to the surface being polished and/or gold plated.
- The face is painted and the statue is now complete.
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