Temple of the Golden Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand, Asia

Buddha statue (1790), Japanese Tea Gardens, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA

Wat Chiang Man, Chiang Mai Thailand, Asia

Rock cut reclining statue of the Buddha preparing to enter nirvana, in cave 26, a chaitya in the Buddhist cave site at Ajanta, carved from a gorge in the Waghore River, Ajanta, Maharashtra State, India.

Statue of the Buddha, the largest in Asia, Po Lin Monastery, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China, Asia

Golden Buddha Temple, Koh Samui, Thailand, Asia

Todai-ji Temple, Daibutsu Great Buddha, Nara, Kansai, Japan

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Guardian statues at Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), The Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Statues at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), the Royal Palace, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Hand of the Phra Achana Buddha figure, covered in gold leaf, Wat Si Chum (Temple of the Bodhi Tree), Sukhothai Historical Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Hand of the Phra Achana Buddha figure, covered in gold leaf, Wat Si Chum (Temple of the Bodhi Tree), Sukhothai Historical Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Buddha figure inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Giant Golden Buddha, Koh Samui, Thailand, Asia

Buddha figure inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai - Doi Suthep, Thailand, Asia

Monk standing in front of the great seated figure of the Buddha, Mihintale, Sri Lanka, Asia

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Detail at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), the Royal Palace, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddha statue, Haw Pha Kaew, Vientiane, Laos, Asia

Reclining Buddha statue, Buddha entering Nirvana, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

Detail of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), the Royal Palace, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Feet of Buddha figure inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Buddha figure inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Giant statue of Buddha and guard, Koh Samui, Thailand, Asia

Mini Buddha figures for sale in a shop in Mumbai, India, Asia

Sitting golden Buddha figure in main hall and worshippers praying to the Buddha, Linh Phuoc Pagoda, Dalat, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Mini Buddha figures for sale in a shop in Mumbai, India, Asia

Daibusu (the Great Buddha), Kamakura, Tokyo, Japan

Great seated figure of the Buddha, Mihintale, Sri Lanka, Asia

Great seated figure of the Buddha, Mihintale, Sri Lanka, Asia

Seated Buddha and ruined Chedi, Old Sukothai/Muang Kao, Sukothai, Thailand, Asia

Hundreds of Jizo in rows, Buddha statues, Zen Buddhism, Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Buddha statue in the historical park, Old Sukothai / Muang Kao, Sukothai, Thailand, Asia

The reclining Buddha figure inside the Gal Viharaya, Polonnaruwa, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

The reclining Buddha figure inside Gal Viharaya, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, Asia

Supporting figures make offerings to Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China, Asia

Buddhist shrine, Bangkok, Thailand, Asia

Painted figures on Gangtey Gompa (Monastery), Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan, Asia

Buddha, Todaiji Temple, Japan

Detail of mythological figures at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo) (Wat Phra Kaew) in the Royal Palace area, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddha figures inside Dambulla cave Buddhist temple complex, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka, Asia

Dazu rock carvings of Buddha of Wisdom, Buddha of Great Sunlight, Buddha of Mercy, Mount Baoding, China

Long-eared Buddha figure at Udon Monastery (Vipassana Dhura Buddhist Centre) at Phnom Udon, Udong, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Dazu rock carvings of Buddha of Wisdom, Buddha of Great Sunlight, Buddha of Mercy, Mount Baoding, China

Tourists view Buddha statues Dazu rock carvings at Mount Baoding, Chongqing, China

Dazu rock carvings of Buddha of Wisdom and Buddha of Great Sunlight at Mount Baoding, Chongqing, China

Tourists at Dazu rock carvings of Buddha of Mercy at Mount Baoding, Chongqing, China

Buddha of Great Sunlight, the Chief Buddha, Dazu rock carvings, Mount Baoding, near Chongqing, China

Buddha of Great Sunlight, the Chief Buddha, Dazu rock carvings, Mount Baoding, near Chongqing, China

Ceramic Buddha figure on display in the Shanghai Museum, China

Tourists at Dazu rock carvings of Buddha of Great Sunlight, Buddha of Mercy at Mount Baoding, China

Tourists at Dazu rock carvings of Buddha of Great Sunlight, Buddha of Mercy at Mount Baoding, China

Stone Buddha figure of Bodhisattva on display in the Shanghai Museum, China

Small Buddha figures in cave, Pindaya Natural Cave Museum, Pindaya, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Traditional bronze figure of Buddha with red scarf and fresh flowers, Daisho In temple, Miyajima, Honshu, Japan, Asia

A solitary mask dancer appears wearing a frightening mask and silk brocade. they circle the courtyard with sprightly leaps. called protectors of faith, or dharmapdla, the origins of figures like these can be traced back to the pre-aryan peoples of india. originally known as yaksas (literally, a wondrous thing), they were tree spirits, who were accepted by the buddhists as defenders of the faith. in nepal and tibet, as in india, local deities were converted into protectors. a devotee of an alien sect devised a means to humiliate the buddha and his disciples. the buddha discovered it and succeeded in converting him to his teaching. due to lack of wisdom, the buddha remarked, some could not realize the goodness of his disciples and he compared the ignorant to the blind and the wise to those who have eyes.nobody is condemned in buddhism, for greatness is latent even in the seemingly lowliest just as lotuses spring from muddy ponds. -the dhammapada. solu khumbu, nepal

Low angle view of statues on ornate temple dome

Tree roots surrounding face of Buddha statue

Sunbeams on Buddha statue, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Silhouette of statue of Buddha at night, Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

Snow on Buddha statue

Statue of Buddha at sunset, Borobudur, Java, Indonesia

Monk blessing a woman, in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Woman, women, biking, Bridge and South Gate of Angkor Thom, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Detail, Bayon temple, Angkor Thom, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Monk, in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Paintings at the temple of the Emerald Buddha Wat Phra Kaeo, Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Buddha statue, Central sanctuary, in Prasat Hin Phimai (Phimai Historical Park), Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple, Ayutthaya, Thailand

People praying, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Buddha head, in Chao Sam Phraya National Museum, Ayuthaya, Thailand

Monk and Buddha statue, in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Statues of demons on a Golden Chedi, at the temple of the Emerald Buddha Wat Phra Kaeo, Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Buddha head, in Chao Sam Phraya National Museum, Ayuthaya, Thailand

Reclining Buddha at Wat Chedi Luang Wora Wihan Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Buddha statue in a garden. Ayegui, Navarre, Spain, Europe

Statue of demon on a Golden Chedi, at the temple of the Emerald Buddha Wat Phra Kaeo, Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Wat Si Chum, in Sukhothai historical park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Wat Sa Si, in Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Garuda figures on the ubusot, the main building of Temple of the Emerald Buddha at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.

Portrait of the king and monks statue, in Wat Phra Singh temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Monk embellishing religious sculptures, in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Buddha statue, in Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Si Chum, in Sukhothai historical park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Buddha, in Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Buddhist temple in the Arashiyama neighborhood of Kyoto, Japan

Golden Buddha statue at Wat Fon Soi Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand.