[Image and Meaning] The Charm of the Buddha's Smile

[Image and Meaning]

The Charm of the Buddha's Smile
Unraveling the Mystery of the Buddha's Smile

■ Xu Huijuan (徐慧娟)

The ancient Buddhas of the Yungang Grottoes and the "Khmer Smile" of Angkor Wat in Cambodia have stood tall for over a millennium. Their ancient smiles, like pearls shining in the darkness, soothe the lonely hearts of all. For centuries, countless Buddhist artisans have meticulously sculpted the smiles of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, striving to convey their profound meaning to the world.
 
But what exactly does the Buddha's smile entail? How is it different from the smiles we see every day? We invite you to explore the profound meaning of the Buddha's smile through the lens of Buddhist scriptures and art.
Among Buddhist scriptures, Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Great Wisdom—a treatise that explains the Prajnaparamita Sutra—serves as an excellent guide.

The Buddha's Smile in Buddhist Scriptures

The line in the Prajnaparamita Sutra that says the Buddha "views the world with his divine eye, and smiles with his whole being" offers a starting point for understanding the profound meaning of the Buddha's smile. Why does the Buddha, observing the world with his divine eye, smile with his whole being? What does he see? What is the reason for his smile? The Treatise on the Great Wisdom states: With his divine eye, the Buddha sees that sentient beings, in their single-minded pursuit of happiness, often encounter even more suffering. This suffering stems from their attachment to the self. The Buddha also sees that sentient beings, out of fear and a desire to avoid suffering, engage in actions that only deepen their sorrow and distress—because they do not understand the true causes of suffering. They are like a blind man searching for a good path, yet, who, in his blind haste, falls into a deep pit.

The Buddha, gazing upon all sentient beings with compassion, observes all these phenomena, upon which a smile of loving-kindness and tolerance spreads across his face. This is not a smile of contempt or ridicule, but one of warm, motherly love for all beings.

The Treatise on the Great Wisdom further explains that the Buddha "smiled because of a great cause and condition." This refers to the Large Prajnaparamita Sutra, which he was about to expound. Observing all sentient beings and the phenomena, the Buddha did not feel worry, but rather joy—because he foresaw a future filled with hope. He saw that the seeds of the Dharma were about to be sown in the world of sentient beings. Furthermore, through hearing his teachings on the laws of birth and death, and the law of dependent origination, sentient beings would ultimately attain liberation. Though their stubborn hearts might not accept his teachings immediately, they would be softened by his light and eventually attain wisdom. Seeing their eventual enlightenment, the Buddha smiled.

The Buddha Who Smiles at Difficult Things
 
The Treatise on the Great Wisdom also discusses the various causes and conditions behind sentient beings' laughter. Some laugh out of joy, while others out of anger—but the Buddha's reasons for smiling are entirely different. The Buddha smiled because "all sorts of rare and difficult things had happened, and his whole being smiled.
The term "difficult things" refers not only to what is challenging but also to what is rare. In other words, the Buddha smiled because he had accomplished the most difficult and rare task in the world: delivering sentient beings.

What is difficult for ordinary people is naturally not difficult for the Buddha, who has attained perfect enlightenment. Yet because sentient beings are ignorant and deluded, they find it difficult to comprehend the Buddha's teachings. Therefore, delivering sentient beings becomes a "challenging task" even for the Buddha. Its difficulty is likened to "jumping over fire while carrying hay on your back, without burning a single leaf." Faced with such a task, ordinary people would inevitably feel worry and anxiety. And yet, the Buddha remained calm, smiling. This smile reveals the Buddha's unwavering resolve and the wisdom that penetrates ignorance. It also expresses his compassion to deliver all sentient beings.

The distinction between what is difficult and what is easy lies in the minds of sentient beings—not in the eyes of the Buddha. To the Buddha, both the difficult and the easy are equally worthy of joy.
For thousands of years, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have gazed upon sentient beings with this compassionate smile.

The Buddha's Smile as Seen in Buddhist Sculpture
 
Buddha statues began to appear in human form around the 1st century AD, with one of their primary origins in Gandhara (present-day Pakistan), located in northwestern India. Since the conquest of this region by Alexander the Great around 300 BC, its culture and art had been influenced by Greek civilization. As a result, the Buddhist art that developed there reflects a strong Hellenistic influence. Surviving Gandhara Buddha statues exhibit wavy hair, deep folds in the robes, and even Western-like facial features—all hallmarks of Greek artistic influence. The most striking expression of this Hellenistic style is the subtle smile on the Buddha's face, which art historians refer to as the "Archaic Smile."

The Archaic Smile—a pure and simple smile—can be seen in the few surviving ancient Greek statues dating back 2,600 years ago. This smile is one of the most precious gifts bequeathed by ancient Greek sculpture to future generations. It is also a form of expression that the ancient Greeks, who valued worldly joy, particularly emphasized after breaking away from the influence of Egyptian art. During the early development of Gandhara Buddhist art, the "archaic smile"—popular in Greek sculpture—was borrowed by Buddhist artists and was naturally integrated into their sculptural creations. From the 1st to the 6th century, this feature gradually influenced the creation of Buddhist statues across South, Central, and East Asia. Although both traditions share the "archaic smile," what are the differences in its connotation between Greek and Buddhist sculptures?

In Greek sculpture, the smile conveys affirmation and triumph. This smile, imbued with a victor's sense of superiority, can be seen on mythological figures such as Zeus, Apollo, and the demigod Heracles. While Gandhara Buddhist statues borrow techniques from Greek sculpture, the smiles they portray convey a completely different meaning.

The smile on a Buddha statue conveys deep realization and inner cultivation. A gentle smile subtly expresses the Buddha's compassion and wisdom. This profound, contemplative smile—emanating from within—has become a fundamental feature of Buddhist art across Asia. From India to China, Japan to Korea, Tibet to Mongolia, and onward to Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar—wherever Buddhism has spread, the ancient smile of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can be found. The "Khmer smile" of Angkor Wat, the Great Buddha of the Yungang Grottoes, and the contemplative Bodhisattva statues from Korea's ancient Baekje Kingdom are all prime examples of this "Archaic Smile." Their smiles embody the eternal compassion and wisdom of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.




Related articles:

Smile – Chan

Possessing a Smile Like the Buddha

[Story] Golden Flower Rain and Smiling Chan

[Image and Meaning] The Charm of the Buddha's Smile

Chan Meditation Series - Seeing a True Smile






Resource: Issue 304 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photo: 橘子
Translation: Christina
Editing: Keith Brown, 演香法師 (Venerable Yan Hsiang)