What does the ‘Earth Touching Pose Symbolize?
The Bhumisparsha mudra is most commonly known as the ‘earth touching pose.’ A mudra is a gesture or motion of the hands and body to express a thought. Buddhist meditation rituals are based on the many different mudras. The earth touching pose is most often seen in statues of Buddha and is also referred to as the ‘earth witness’ mudra.
To perform this mudra, the hand is placed on the ground with all fingers touching. The palm faces inward. It’s believed that Buddha assumed the earth touching position after he achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree to call the goddess Shthavra to witness the event. For this reason, the pose is also known as ‘Summoning the Earth Goddess to Witness.’
Buddha statues in the earth touching mudra have the right arm resting on the right knee with the fingers of the hand extended downward. The statue shows the Buddha with his left hand resting in his lap with the palm skyward in the meditation mudra (dhyana mudra). The combination of mudras is intended to symbolize the union of wisdom and method, Nirvana and Samasra. The teachings of the Buddhist faith speak of how the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, resisted the temptations of the demon Mara by taking the earth touching pose. In Buddhist folklore, Mara was viewed as everything from an all powerful demon to a gremlin-like nuisance. This demon was a symbol of temptation who summoned beautiful temptresses to distract the Buddha from his spiritual journey much like the sirens of Greek Mythology
The second of the Five Great Buddhas (Five Dhyani Buddhas), Akshobhya, is depicted in the earth touching pose. Akshobhya is a manifestation of strength, confidence and determination and the use of the Bhumisparsha mudra is a reflection of that. Akshobhya and Amithaba were the two Buddhas who represented wisdom and compassion respectively. The Buddhist theology evolved to include the Five Dhyani Buddhas who each represent an aspect of the Buddhist philosophy.
Akshobhya is the wise Buddha of the East, believed to possess a mirror-like wisdom that converts anger to wisdom. He is associated with the element water, mirror-like itself and symbolic of Akshobhya’s ability to help people see things as they truly are.
Display of an earth touching pose Buddha statue can be a prompt us to remember the Buddha’s resolve and need to channel our anger into wisdom.