light made solid

Also in our religious stained glass gallery, we have a nice contemplative window of the Buddha. In addition to Hindu and Jewish stained glass windows, windows featuring Buddhist themes are also gaining in popularity.

When looking at images of the Buddha, it's important to look at the position he is in. The arrangement of his arms, legs and body will communicate what part of the story is being illustrated. The positions of his hands are called "mudras" and can also be seen in Hindu traditions - out of which Buddhism arose. In our image of the Buddha, you'll see him with his hands folded in his lap. This is referred to as the Dhyana mudra, and is a gesture of meditation. Another site with information on the different poses of Buddha says: "The gesture symbolizes perfect balance of thought and tranquility."

Here's a small sampling of other images of the Buddha done in stained glass:

1. A very simple unpainted Buddha panel.
   
2. A more elaborate Buddha image
   
3. A Buddha image with some nice colors and a little bit of painted work.
   
4. An art glass site with a few different types of Buddhist windows, some of which are quite nice.

Find out more about the Buddha on Wikipedia.