This 9″ Medicine Buddha statue is finished entirely in oxidized copper — no gilding — the warm, deep reddish-brown of the natural copper surface given a rich aged quality through the oxidation process. This is the only statue in the Golden Buddha Medicine Buddha collection with this finish: no gold, no color, just the sculptural form in its material essence. The statue was handcrafted in Patan, Nepal by master Newar artisans using the traditional lost wax sculpting method with fine hand-carved detail in the robes and lotus throne. The quietly austere aesthetic of oxidized copper — the same material used in ancient Newar sacred metalwork before gilding became standard — gives this statue a different quality of presence from the gilded variants: heavier, more grounded, suited to a practice space where quiet contemplation is preferred over visual brightness.
In Buddhist cosmological geography, the pure lands of the great healing Buddhas are positioned in specific directions. Medicine Buddha’s pure land — the Lapis Lazuli Pure Land (Vaidūrya Nirbhāsa) — lies to the east, the direction of sunrise, dawn, and the beginning of a new cycle: the direction associated with healing, clarity, and fresh beginnings. This stands in intentional contrast to the western pure land of Amitabha Buddha (Sukhavati), associated with sunset, rest, and final liberation from rebirth. Together the two pure lands span the arc of the Buddhist path: Medicine Buddha’s eastern realm as the field of active healing and the restoration of conditions for practice; Amitabha’s western realm as the ultimate destination of liberation. The Lapis Lazuli Pure Land itself is described in the Medicine Buddha Sutra as built of the seven treasures — its ground of pure lapis lazuli, its buildings and environs of gold, silver, and precious stones — radiating a lapis blue light that lifts beings from the darkness of ignorance into clarity of knowledge.
One documented practice associated with Medicine Buddha is the recitation of his mantra — Om Bekandze Bekandze Maha Bekandze Radza Samudgate Soha — 108 times over a glass of water, which the practitioner then offers to someone who is ill or suffering. The practice is described in some Medicine Buddha texts as a way of infusing the water with the healing quality generated through sincere mantra recitation and the merit thus accumulated. Learn more about Medicine Buddha’s meaning and practice.
Medicine Buddha Statue Features
Medicine Buddha sits in full lotus posture, his right hand in the Varada mudra — the boon-granting gesture, palm open and facing outward — holding the myrobalan plant stem between thumb and index finger. His left hand rests in the Dhyana mudra holding the medicine bowl in the open palm, its three nectars healing the three poisons of greed, hatred, and ignorance at their root. He bears the ushnisha, elongated earlobes, and the serene expression of a fully enlightened being, rendered in the direct, unadorned quality of plain oxidized copper that the Newar sculptural tradition has maintained for centuries.
Authentic, Handmade in Nepal
Every statue and ritual item is handcrafted in Patan, Nepal, using traditional lost wax casting and comes with a certificate of authenticity issued by Nepal's Department of Archaeology, verifying its materials, technique, and origin.
