Here are some common Buddhist handprints and their connotations.
The famous "five seals of Buddhism", namely, the seal of meditation, the seal of testimonies, the seal of magic reduction, the seal of fearlessness and the seal of vows, respectively represent the most important behaviors in the female world.
Meditation seal: it is the most common handprint of a Buddha sitting in a temple. It represents the state of meditation and meditation, at the same time, it is the externalization of the Buddhist theme, and it is the performance of transcending life and death and nirvana silence. Meditation is the most critical method in Buddhism. As an awakened person, the Buddha has long lived in the silent samadhi realm and is an example for every practitioner to learn. Therefore, observing Buddha's meditation can also help us improve our realm. The specific gesture of meditation seal is that hands are opposite, knees lie flat to the area below navel, two thumbs and fingers are connected, and right hand is placed on the upper left. The ancient Indians thought that the right hand was clean and the left hand was unclean, so they adopted this gesture of "suppressing impurity with purity".
Declaration seal: As a teacher of all mankind, Buddha's greatness lies not only in his transcendence of life and death, but also in his embodiment of the great aspirations of all beings. In addition to meditation, Buddhism's teaching to all beings is also reflected in his handprints. This kind of teaching is first reflected in the explanation to the public. Buddhism of the 12 sects of Sanzang can only be spread to believers through missionary work, and the hermeneutic seal is the expression of this behavior. When making this handprint, the thumb and forefinger (or middle finger and ring finger) need to be buckled, and the other fingers naturally extend. According to legend, Sakyamuni Buddha used this handprint when he turned Falun in Luoguyuan for the first time, so the declaration seal is also called Falun seal.
Demon Seal: It symbolizes another important behavior of Buddha: exorcising evil spirits for all beings and eliminating external interference. Because its gesture is that the left hand hangs naturally, the palm is inward, the index finger is straight to the ground, and the fingertip touches the ground, so the magic mark is also called the touch mark. Legend has it that during Sakyamuni's ascetic days, evil demons disturbed him many times. After the Buddha achieved the Tao, he touched the ground with his hand, and the evil spirits knew that they had become a Buddha, so they retired.
Shi Wuwei Feng: In addition to external interference, the more severe challenges actually come from people's hearts. Therefore, the Buddha also used his wisdom to eliminate inner fears for believers and lead them to the right path. This is the role of stone house seal. The specific gesture of applying fearless seal is that the right hand is raised to the chest, the palm is outward, and the five fingers are naturally extended.
Seal of Commitment: In the face of the prayers of believers, the compassionate and miraculous Buddha will try his best to realize it. At this time, the Buddha will give a wish seal (also called a wish seal) to show that he is willing to meet the wishes of the public. The gesture of wishing seal is that the palm naturally hangs down and the palm is outward. It is often used with the seal of Shiwei, which is the standard style of sandalwood Buddha statue.
It can be said that the "Five Prints of Sakyamuni" basically covers the handprints of the Buddha statues in the Han Temple, and it is the most important and widely circulated handprint in Buddhist sculpture art. However, it should be noted that although it is called "Sakyamuni" and "Five Prints of Sakyamuni", it is not only the five handprints of Sakyamuni Buddha, but actually the five basic handprints of Buddha statues, and all ten Buddha statues can be used, so it cannot be used as a basis for distinguishing Buddha statues.