The reclining Buddha : tradition and amulets.

See our selection of Thai amulets of the reclining Buddha.

Photo credit : Wikipedia.

Images of the reclining Buddha are fairly common, they can both be images of the Buddha sleeping or reaching his Parinirvana (Sutra Mahayana of Mahaparinirvana)
before to leave his physical body.

In the Thai tradition, the reclining Buddha is called Phra Nön and Phra Sayiasna.
It is the protector of people born on a tuesday and its color is pink.


Parinirvana of the Buddha (Photo credit : Wikipedia).

To know if an image of the reclining Buddha depict his death or merely his sleep,
one has to look at...his feets position.

The reclining Buddha of Wat Pho (Picture credit : Terry Kelleher).

Credit photo : Rdsmith4.

Here the feet of the statue are parallels, it is then an image of the dying Buddha.

Here the feet of the Buddha are not parallels, it is an image the sleeping Buddha.
(Chauk Htat Gyi pagoda, Yangoon)

The sleeping Buddha can sometime be represented in other ways.

In a Suphanburi temple.
(Thank you Paola for this photo!)

At Wat Phra Tan Dong Rang (Kanchanaburi),
the "Bed of the Buddha" carved from a monolithic stone !
(Thank you Paola for this photo!)

Thai Amulets of the reclining Buddha.

An ancient reclining Buddha amulet.
(Collection Magiedubouddha.com)

An amulet of the reclining Buddha.

See our selection of Thai amulets of the reclining Buddha.