Hands that speak: A guide to Buddhist mudras

Editor’s note:  We see images of mudras all around us—but few of us know what they mean. The five fingers of the hand represent five levels of consciousness needed to attain Buddhahood. Part one of this MAP Academy series offers a historical guide to mudras–simple gestures that are rich with spiritual meaning.

This article originally appeared on the MAP Academy website. All images that appear with the MAP Academy articles are sourced from various collections around the world, and due image credits can be found on the original article on the MAP Academy website. The MAP Academy is a non-profit online educational platform committed to building equitable resources for the study of art histories from South Asia. 

Mudras are a set of hand gestures that serve as symbols in Buddhist art and iconography, representing the Buddha’s various roles and states of mind. Their earliest instances are seen in sculpture from Gandhara in the first century CE, and they appear to have been codified by the third century CE.

The fingers of the hand are thought to represent five levels of consciousness needed to attain Buddhahood, therefore various gestural configurations are seen as syntheses of these factors. Mudras also represent the dominant themes in particular episodes of the Buddha’s life, making the gestures useful as narrative and pedagogical devices for viewers familiar with the symbolism. They are typically shown being performed by figures of religious authority such as the Buddha and bodhisattvas.

Of the large number of such gestures, the five primary mudras are the abhaya mudra (the most common), the dharmachakra mudra, the bhumisparsha mudra, the varada mudra and the dhyana mudra. They are also associated, respectively, with the five celestial Buddha-aspects known as the Tathagata or Dhyani Buddhas, and accordingly form part of their iconography.

Mudras are also found in Hindu and Jain iconography, albeit to a lesser extent and only after being established in Buddhism. Classical dance forms, particularly those in India that have emerged in association with religion, also feature a repertoire of mudras.

Abhaya Mudra

One of the five common mudras or sacred gestures in Buddhist iconography and practice, the abhaya or ‘fearlessness’ mudra represents protection, reassurance and pacification; it is believed to have been used by the Buddha to calm a rampaging elephant sent to attack him. It is performed by facing the right palm forward, close to the body and with the fingers loosely joined and upright; it sometimes employs both hands. Among the five celestial Tathagata or Dhyani Buddhas, considered to represent cardinal qualities, the abhaya mudra is associated with Amoghasiddhi.

This mudra is one of the most recognisable and widely used symbolic and ritual gestures, not only in Buddhism but also in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. Across South and Southeast Asia, deities, saints and gurus are seen performing the gesture, which has come to be associated with benevolence and divinity. In various cultures, including pre-Buddhist ones, the raising of one or both open hands has symbolised the absence of weapons, and thereby peace or goodwill, as well as power. 

In Gandharan art, where the first depictions of the abhaya mudra are found, the gesturing hand is held up at the shoulder level, and frequently denotes the act of preaching; later, from the fifth century CE onwards, the hand is often represented lower. 

When the right hand is in the abhaya mudra, the left hand usually hangs loosely by the side of the body or assumes the varada mudra. Occasionally the left, rather than the right, hand is seen in the abhaya mudra. Though primarily seen in representations of the standing Amoghasiddhi in Buddhism, the abhaya mudra is also associated with the walking Buddha in the Theravada sects of Thailand and Laos. 

Varada Mudra

One of the five common mudras or sacred gestures in Buddhist iconography and practice, the varada or ‘boon-granting’ mudra represents generosity and compassion and is also called the dana or ‘charity’ mudra. In both sitting and standing positions, the hand is allowed to rest or hang at hip- or waist-level with the palm facing outward and the fingers pointing downward. Among the five celestial Tathagata or Dhyani Buddhas, considered to represent cardinal qualities, the varada mudra is associated with Ratnasambhava.  

Generally understood to denote generosity or the fulfilling of vows, it is also associated with salvation and deliverance, and frequently features in depictions of deities or figures whose purpose is the liberation of humankind from greed, anger and delusion. In some interpretations, the extended fingers also have symbolic value, connoting the five perfections or paramitas — generosity, morality, patience, perseverance and meditative focus. In India, this mudra makes its earliest appearance in depictions of Avalokitesvara during the fourth and fifth centuries CE.

Often performed with the right hand, it is usually done with the left when paired with the abhaya mudra. The combination of varada and abhaya mudras is thought to connote the conceptual union of the female and male aspects of wisdom and agency respectively. 

Anjali Mudra

A common mudra or sacred gesture in Buddhist and Hindu iconography and practice, the anjali mudra denotes reverence and devotion, and is also used as a salutation gesture. It is made by bringing the hands together in front of the chest with the fingers upright, and is named after the hollow formed between the palms in doing so. The thumbs are held against or close to the chest, either parallel to the fingers or pointed backwards. In Buddhism, the anjali mudra is particularly associated with the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

In Buddhist art, figures such as bodhisattvas, kings and other devotees are shown assuming the anjali mudra as a mark of deep respect when they face the Buddha, who is rarely depicted making this gesture himself. In Hindu contexts, the anjali mudra may also represent humility and surrender; it typically accompanies the namaste or namaskar greeting or salutation, which holds various degrees of respect in everyday life. 

Representations of the anjali mudra have been largely consistent in sculpture and painting in the Indian subcontinent since at least the first century BCE. One variation, which is seen in some sculptures, features the wrists twisted in such a way that the back of the right palm faces the viewer. In Vajrayana and other eastern forms of Buddhism, the anjali mudra of Shadakshari Lokeshvara, the four-armed Avalokiteshvara, is believed to conceal a gem — representing love and enlightenment — that is only visible to him. This is believed to represent the deeply personal nature of enlightenment, and its invisibility to those who only perceive the world in material terms.

The MAP of Knowledge

Sign up for the MAP Academy's free online course, Modern & Contemporary Indian Art, authored by Dr Beth Citron and developed in partnership with Terrain.art. Through engaging videos, illustrated texts and interactive quizzes, the course introduces a range of artists such as Amrita Sher-Gil, Zarina Hashmi and Sudhir Patwardhan, and explores a trajectory of key figures, artworks and pivotal moments in modern history. Spanning the late-19th century to the present day, it also examines artistic responses to several shifting socio-political forces of the time. 

This article has been written by the research and editorial team at the MAP Academy. Through its free knowledge resources—Encyclopedia of Art, Online Courses, and Stories—the MAP Academy encourages knowledge building and engagement with the region's visual arts. Follow them on Instagram to learn more about art histories from South Asia.