Buddha, Monastic & Arhat Appearance: Removing Confusions
There are a very small number of human monastic figures that can be confused with Buddha figures. All of the human monastic teachers listed below have basic monastic appearance with the additional Buddha characteristic of the ushnisha on the crown of the head. Some of the figures typically display the gesture of teaching, or Turning the Wheel of Dharma. Occasionally there might also be the urna, single hair tuft, or white dot between the eyebrows.
- Rahula (arhat): commonly depicted with an ushnisha on the crown of the head
- Nagarjuna: commonly depicted with an ushnisha & teaching gesture
- Garab Dorje: commonly depicted with an ushnisha
- Padmasambhava, Shakya Sengge: commonly depicted with an ushnisha
- Sakya Pandita: commonly depicted with an ushnisha & teaching gesture
Monastic Appearance and Arhat Appearance are also similar to each other. There can be overlap in appearance which can lead to confusion in identification. The facial expressions of Arhats, the colours of the robes and the context of the composition are often very different from the depictions of Tibetan monastic figures. Arhats also do not have hats and rarely if ever have Tantric attributes such as a vajra or bell.