Much of the very early art produced in India is narrative in both form and function, presenting episodes from the Buddha's life and, particularly, scenes from his prior lives. In the Vajray āna, the vajra, or diamond (or thunderbolt), is a ubiquitous symbol of the pure and unchanging nature of the dharma. In the Mah āy āna, for instance, the sword becomes a common symbol of the incisive nature of the Buddha's teachings.
Later Buddhism added countless other symbols to this iconographic repertoire. The stupa, the reliquary in which the Buddha's physical remains are contained -a powerful symbol of both his physical death and continued presence in the world.The lotus, symbolic of the individual's journey up through the "mud" of existence to bloom, with the aid of the dharma, into pure enlightenment.The footprint, which denotes both his former physical presence on earth and his temporal absence.The deer, evoking both the place of his first sermon, the Deer Park at S ārn āth, and also the protective qualities of the dharma.The throne, symbolizing his status as "ruler" of the religious realm, and through its emptiness, his passage into final nirv ā ṇa.The bodhi tree, which represents the place of his enlightenment (under the tree) and comes to symbolize the enlightenment experience itself.The wheel of dharma, denoting the preaching or "turning" of his first sermon, and also, with its eight spokes, the eight-fold Buddhist path.
Instead of his physical form, early Buddhist artisans employed a range of visual symbols to communicate aspects of the Buddha's teachings and life story: Significantly, however, the Buddha himself is absent from these very early images. The earliest surviving Buddhist sculpture dates to roughly the third century bce, and the images that were produced contextually functioned as decorations and visual "texts" in monasteries. Images of Ś Ākyamuni (The "Historical Buddha") These images range from very simple early Indian stone sculptures of the Buddha, standing alone delivering a dharma talk, to incredibly intricate medieval Japanese depictions of a bodhisattva like Kannon with a thousand heads, elaborate hand gestures, and iconographic details. In any case, virtually all Buddhist temples and monasteries throughout the world contain sculptural images -of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, minor divinities, yak ṣas, and significant monks and saints. However, in other commentarial texts images also are discussed as viable substitutes for the absent Buddha.
The Buddha himself is recorded in some commentaries on the Pali sutta s to have said that images of him would be permissible only if they were not worshiped rather, such images should provide an opportunity for reflection and meditation. Although there has been considerable scholarly debate about the matter, it seems clear that Buddhists began to depict the Buddha very early on, perhaps even before he died, although no such images survive. Not only have the conception and function of images varied over the course of Buddhist history, but also according to the particular ritual, devotional, and decorative context in which they are situated. In Buddhism, the very nature of a sculptural image is complex.
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