November 09 2007

Text By Greg Fallis

A mudra is a symbolic gesture usually made with the hands and/or fingers. They're often employed in the practice of yoga and are common in Hindu and Buddhist art. Each gesture is said to allow the practitioner to channel a certain sort of energy through the body. Each gesture also embodies a message to the discerning eye.

The guyan mudra, for example, in which the tip of the thumb touches the tip of the index finger, symbolizes calm receptiveness. A very slight shift so that the first joint of the index finger is bent under the first joint of the thumb creates the active guyan mudra, which symbolizes knowledge. When looking at Buddhist and Hindu art, the hand mudras can add a deeper layer of understanding.

An astute observer learned in the iconography of the mudras will, by closely observing these delicate hands, be able to decipher the hidden meanings of this photograph. Her left hand signifies knowledge; her right hand represents suffering. The perceptive viewer, therefore, will comprehend that this woman has attained the knowledge that her foot hurts.