It is nearly impossible to travel to Asia and not be entranced by the Buddha in all his sublime sculptural representations. From the fame Ellora caves in India to glittering Thai temples, the majestic ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia and the magical Potala Palace in Tibet, his serene, meditative countenance seems to calm and reassure us on our life's journey.

In Western culture, images of the Buddha have become increasingly ubiquitous, on candles, T-shirts or posters, in holistic spas, trendy new restaurants or our own homes. And Buddhism continues to blossom, spurred by the mass popularity of the Dalai Lama and his message of peace, the surge of interest in meditation, increased travel to Asia, and books and museum exhibitions such as “Return of the Buddha: The Qingzhou Discoveries” at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 2004. One of the most powerful aesthetic expressions of this profound religious philosophy can be found in the exquisite bronze, stone, marble and wood sculptures of the Buddha that were created for centuries across Asia by mostly anonymous artists. Long prized as among the finest sculptures ever made, the best examples project a peaceful, transcendent essence that is particularly appealing to today’s collectors.

“Now more than ever, we seem to have a strong desire for tranquility, greater harmony, beauty and peace in our lives,” says New York dealer William Lipton. “For most Westerners, the Buddha is not viewed so much as a religious figure, but as a manifestation of these timeless qualities. It is more soothing to look at a smiling image of the Buddha than the Corpus Christi, for example, with its emphasis on pain and suffering.”

Throughout history, sculptures of the Buddha (or Enlightened One) were commissioned as religious icons by temples, monasteries and wealthy devotees who were eager to gain merit for their next lifetime on the Buddhist wheel of reincarnation. Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the historic founder of Buddhism, served as the model for many of these sculptures. Born in 600 B.C. in northeastern India, Siddhartha Gautama is also called Shakyamuni Buddha (meaning “sage of the Shakyas,” his family clan name), and is said to have renounced his privileged life to become a wandering ascetic who ultimately achieved enlightenment after meditating for years under a fig tree at the sacred site of Bodhgaya in India. He then set out to spread his new religion of wisdom, compassion and meditation, teaching that human beings can be released from suffering by overcoming the ego and its belief in separation, and understanding the impermanence and interconnection of all existence. These conditions, he said, were necessary for attaining nirvana or enlightenment.

From the second to the sixth century A.D., Buddhism spread northward from India to Nepal and Tibet; to China and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Indonesia; and eventually to Korea and Japan. During this time, sculptures of the Buddha began to proliferate, as traveling proselytizing monks and merchants brought with them illustrated scrolls containing images of the Buddha that inspired local artists and craftsmen. “Each culture produced its own unique artistic expressions of the Buddha and the universal ideals he represented, while observing specific iconographic characteristics set forth in sacred texts that identified a sculpture as a Buddha,” says Adriana Proser, the curator of traditional Asian art at the Asia Society Museum in New York.

For example, Buddha sculptures typically display curled hair; an ushnisha, or protuberance on the head representing his superior intelligence; and an orna, or carved circular tuft of hair on the forehead that is said to be a mark of nobility and illumination. Other identifying characteristics include extended earlobes, which refer to the heavy earrings worn by the historical Buddha before he abandoned his life as a prince, and wheel images on the palms or the soles of the feet, which represent the Buddhist teachings, or dharma. The Buddha is often depicted seated in a cross-legged meditation pose (sometimes on a lotus flower or throne, signifying purity) or as a standing figure engaged in teaching, wearing a pleated garment and displaying a variety of mudras (hand gestures) associated with significant events in his life. Two of the most common mudras are the earth-touching gesture, whereby the Buddha calls earth as a witness to his enlightenment and triumph over temptation, and the welcoming, have-no-fear gesture in which he holds up one hand.