In Buddhist sculpture and painting, the Buddha (
Nyorai, Tathagata) are generally depicted with a characteristic hand gesture, or mudra. Mudras are used primarily to indicate the nature and function of the deity. They are also used routinely by current-day monks in their spiritual exercises and worship. Knowledge of these hand gestures can help greatly in identifying the various deities, but not always, for there is much overlap and variation among the mudra.
The most widely known mudra are those associated with the
Five Great Tathagata of Wisdom. The five are eminations of Buddha nature. They embody five fundamental wisdoms -- wisdom against anger, envy, desire, ignorance, and pride -- to help us break free from the cycle of death and rebirth (
samsara, or freedom from suffering). Each of the five has a specific mudra that corresponds to one of the five defining episodes in the life of the
Historical Buddha (see chart below for defining moments). Each of the five is also associated with a direction (north, south, east, west, center/zenith). In Japan, only two of these five Buddha are still widely reverred. See
Nyorai for list of widely known Japanese Buddha.