RECLINING BUDDHA

Jo Ann Tomaselli ~ Fine Art Photography

A reclining Buddha is a rarely found statuary pattern and represents the Buddha during his last illness, about to enter parinirvana – nirvana after death.  In this iconic pose he is always depicted lying on his right side, head resting on a cushion or right elbow and his hand supporting his head.

One usually finds these icons in temples but I happened upon this massive sculpture while hiking Mount Phousi in Luang Prabang, Laos. The statue is so long from head to foot that I had to split it into 2 images and, as you can see below, I’m not very good at lining things up!

Prior to this hike I’d injured my knee and considered staying at the hotel but Laos is a land of enchantment and reluctant to miss anything in this stunningly beautiful country, I decided to take…