This 10.25″ crowned Medicine Buddha statue is partly fire gilded in 24K gold with an oxidized copper finish — the contrast between the bright gold of the chest, crown, and ornamental elements and the warm dark copper of the body and limbs giving this statue a particularly striking visual quality, visible clearly in the photographs. It is the visual tension of light against darkness — which in the context of Medicine Buddha is precisely the iconographic content of his pure land tradition: his lapis blue body radiating healing light that illuminates beings dwelling in the darkness of ignorance. The statue was handcrafted in Patan, Nepal by a master Newar artisan using the traditional lost wax sculpting method. The elaborate Bodhisattva crown and jewels are intricately hand-carved. At the buyer’s request, the crown and jewels can be embellished with lapis lazuli, turquoise, or red stones at no extra charge before shipping.
The lapis lazuli stone option for this statue carries a significance it would not have for any other deity in the collection. Medicine Buddha’s canonical body is described in the Medicine Buddha Sutra as being the color of lapis lazuli — the brilliant deep blue of this semi-precious stone is the specific standard by which his appearance is measured. Having actual lapis lazuli embedded in his crown is therefore not merely decorative but iconographically resonant: the stone’s color is the color of the deity himself, and wearing it in the crown connects the physical object of veneration to the specific visual quality that defines his healing presence. Turquoise connects to the blue-green of the Buddhas’ purity and Medicine Buddha’s readiness; red connects through Amitabha to the transformation of desire into discriminating wisdom. Any combination of these three stones in the crown of this statue carries specific doctrinal meaning while adding the material richness of semi-precious stones to an already visually complex surface. Learn more about Medicine Buddha’s healing tradition.
Medicine Buddha Statue Features
Medicine Buddha sits in full lotus posture on a single lotus throne, his right hand in the Varada mudra — the boon-granting gesture, palm facing outward — holding the myrobalan plant stem between thumb and index finger. His left hand rests in the Dhyana mudra with the medicine bowl of three lapis nectars in the open palm, healing the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion at their root. Sincere recitation of his mantra — including the documented practice of reciting it 108 times over water and offering it to those who are ill — is understood in the tradition as a way of generating and sharing the merit accumulated through the practice.
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.
