The schist head of the fasting buddha is a bust of sorts that depicts Siddhartha who on his way to spiritual enlightenment renounced his previously lavish and rich lifestyle. His goal was to seek and find out the way out of this world that held such pain, loss and grief. A few of his methods involved draining his body and removing himself from such pleasures of life as food and water for extended periods of time, fasting and depleting the body in order to gain more mental strength and self discipline. After his pursuits to such extremes the buddha assessed that pushing himself and the body to such extremes was not the correct way. He then made the choice to pursue a life centered around meditation and moral conduct a way of life that led to nirvana. The head itself is a unique sculpture because the neck is very small in order to hold up the head. The detail in the hair itself is unique because in other sculpting, paintings and works of art that featured people the hair is usually brushed over and not a lot of detail put into it. The eyes as well because the whole face is drawn out gives the statue a ghost like feeling and makes the face look scary and a bit foreboding.
Title: Schist head of the fasting Buddha
DateCreated: 100/299Physical Dimensions: Height: 22.30cm; Width: 12.70cm; Diameter: 18.50cm; Weight: 7.00kg (estimated weight)
Technique: carved
Subject: buddha; fasting
Registration number: 1907,1228.1
Production place: Made in Gandhara
Place: Found/Acquired Rawalpindi
Period/culture: Kushan
Material: schist
