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Buddha Postures for the 7 Days of the Week

7 Buddha postures for each days of the week

If you have been to a temple (or ‘Wat’) in Thailand, you might have noticed that the Buddha appears in standing, sitting or reclining postures. In some, you will see seven or eight statues of Buddha aligned next to each other, often with a donation cup in front of it.

So what do these 7 Buddha postures mean? Many people see them without knowing what these images mean or are for. Each of them is for a day of the week, and you would pay respect to the statue representing the day you were born. There are more than seven postures of Buddha, and while researching around Phuket, we found different versions and explanations.

For the history: The Buddha was an ancient spiritual leader and founder of Buddhism who lived in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent around the 5th century BCE. He is revered by Buddhists as a supremely enlightened being who attained a full understanding of the nature of reality and the way to end suffering. In Buddhist art and practice, the Buddha is often depicted in various postures, or “mudras,” which are symbolic hand gestures that convey specific meanings and messages. These mudras are used to represent different aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, his spiritual journey, and his enlightened state. There are many different mudras associated with the Buddha, and they are an important part of Buddhist iconography and ritual.

Buddha Postures and days of the week

Sunday Buddha Posture

“Seven Days Looking” – Pang Thawai Net

Sunday Buddha

The Sunday Buddha image is standing with arms crossed in front of the waist with the right hand covering the left hand.

Buddha obtained enlightenment while sitting under a Bodhi tree (a large and very old Sacred Fig tree located in Bodh Gaya, about 100 km from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar). The image represents a time just after Buddha obtained enlightenment when, for gratitude, he stood and admired a bodhi tree for one week without blinking an eye. It is said that after the Buddha attained enlightenment, he was filled with gratitude and spent a week standing and gazing at the tree in appreciation. This act is seen as a symbol of the Buddha’s deep connection to the tree, which provided him with the conditions necessary for his enlightenment. It is also a reminder for Buddhists to cultivate gratitude and appreciation for the things and experiences that bring us happiness and enlightenment.

  • If you were born this day: You are respectable, wise, loved by friends and family, and likely to be in a professional occupation.
  • Your lucky day is Wednesday.
  • Your unlucky day is Friday.
  • Your lucky colour is green.
  • Your unlucky colour is blue.

Monday Buddha Posture

“Pacifying the Relatives” – Pang Ham Yati

Monday Buddha

The Monday Buddha image stands with the right hand raised to shoulder height, palm out, and fingers extended (the Abhaya Mudra). This image represents Buddha pacifying the relatives.

When Buddha returned from heaven after three months, his relatives argued about the right to water flowing through their land. Buddha persuaded them to compromise.

  • If you were born this day: You are serious with good memory and a love of travel, likely to be in a skilled occupation whose lucky day is Saturday and your lucky colour is black.
  • Your unlucky day is Sunday.
  • Your unlucky colour is orange.

Tuesday Buddha Posture

“Realizing Nirvana” – Pang Sai Yat

Tuesday Buddha

The Tuesday Buddha image is lying on his right side, his head resting on his arm, and his toes even. While the Lord Buddha was staying at Savatthi, there was an arrogant evil named Asura Rahu.

He was so gigantic and didn’t pay respect to the Lord Buddha. So the Lord Buddha made himself bigger than the evil, in a reclining position to lower the pride of Asura Rahu. Seeing so, the evil succumbed and agreed to accept the teaching of the Lord Buddha.

  • If you were born this day: You are serious, brave and active, most probably in the services.
  • Your lucky day is Thursday.
  • Your unlucky day is Monday.
  • Your lucky colour is yellow.
  • Your unlucky colour is white.

Wednesday Buddha Posture

Pang Umbat

Wednesday Buddha

The Buddha image for Wednesday is standing and holding an alms bowl with both hands. It indicates when Buddha returned to see his father after four years in his ministry.

In the early morning, monks make their alms rounds to collect food. Buddha did the same, and his father was appalled that Buddha was “begging” for food. Buddha calmed his father, informing him that the lineage of Buddhas was to perform ‘Pindabat’ to be available to followers who devotedly bring food.

  • If you were born on the morning of this day: You are polite, artistic and emotional, most likely working creatively. Wednesday night is your lucky time, and the lucky colour is green. Your unlucky day is Tuesday, and the unlucky colour is pink.
  • If you were born on the evening of this day: You are hardworking and honest, likely to be employed in a profession with the lucky day of Monday and the colour white.
  • Your unlucky day is Thursday.
  • Your unlucky colour is yellow.

Thursday Buddha Posture

“The Meditating Buddha” – Pang Samti

Thursday Buddha

The Thursday Buddha image is sitting in a full lotus position with soles upward and visible, the hands resting in the lap, right above left with all fingers extended, palms upward (the Dhyani Mudra). After receiving bundles of grass from Sotthiya, he scattered them and made them a seat under the Banyan tree.

He said, “Skin, sinew and bone may dry up as they will, my flesh and blood may dry in my body, but without attaining completed enlightenment, I will not leave this seat.” With his strong determination, he achieved enlightenment.

  • If you were born this day: You are peaceful, calm and honest, likely to be a teacher or in the legal profession.
  • Your lucky day is Sunday.
  • Your unlucky day is Saturday.
  • Your lucky colour is orange.
  • Your unlucky colour is black.

This posture represents the state of deep concentration and meditation that the Buddha achieved during his enlightenment. In this posture, the Buddha is often depicted as being completely at peace and in a state of profound stillness, with his eyes half-closed in meditation. The meditation mudra is a symbol of the Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment and his understanding of the true nature of reality.

Friday Buddha Posture

“Contemplating Buddha” – Pang Ram Pueng

Friday Buddha

The Friday Buddha image is standing with both arms crossed over the chest with the right hand covering the left. A short period after the enlightenment, while the Lord Buddha stayed under the Banyan tree, he stated that it was too difficult for ordinary people to understand dharma and bring it into practice. He was discouraged from teaching the dharma.

This Dharma that I have found is profound, hard to see, and hard to understand; it is peaceful, sublime, beyond the sphere of mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise. But this generation takes delight in attachment, is delighted by attachment, rejoices in attachment, and as such, it is hard for them to see this truth, namely… Nirvana. However, with his great mercy and loving-kindness, he clearly understood that living creatures possessed different habits, just like the nature of a lotus.

  • If you were born this day: This person is fun-loving, friendly and ambitious, probably an entertainer or public figure.
  • Your lucky day is Tuesday, and the lucky colour is pink.
  • Your unlucky day is Wednesday night.
  • Your unlucky colour is light green.

Saturday  Buddha Posture

“Protected by the Naga King” – Pang Nak Prok

Saturday Buddha

The Saturday Buddha image is sitting in a full lotus position in meditation on the coiled body of the Naga Muchalinda that uses its head as a cover against rain.

This pose represents a time during the sixth week after Siddhartha’s Enlightenment when the Naga King protected the meditating Buddha against heavy rainfall by making a shelter with his multi-headed hood and lifted him above the floodwaters by coiling his body under him.

  • If you were born this day: You are calm, logical and a bit of a recluse, very likely engaged in manual work of a skilled nature.
  • Your lucky day is Friday.
  • Your unlucky day is Wednesday during the daytime.
  • Your lucky colour is blue.
  • Your unlucky colour is green.

Click here if you would like to know more about meditation in Thailand

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