Buddha Shakyamuni, who lived in India 2500 years ago, taught the path to enlightenment based on his own experience of having achieved complete liberation from ignorance and suffering. He taught so that we would be able to follow the same path and achieve the same state ourselves, our full potential as conscious beings. Here he is shown in utter simplicity, legs crossed in the vajra position indicating the firmness and unwavering stability of his concentration. His right hand touches the earth symbolizing his victory over all obstacles, while his left hand rests in his lap in the gesture of meditative absorption into the true nature of reality.
