The Buddha was born a prince in India. He wore big, heavy gold earrings, which showed others his wealth and power. These heavy earrings stretched out his ears. He taught that suffering and pain come from wanting things. To make suffering stop, he worked hard to give up things, and wanting things. He gave up his riches, took off his fine clothes and earrings. That is why his earlobes are long but empty. The bump is to show that he learned to be free from suffering, that he is wise. The word Buddha means a person who is awakened (or enlightened).

To learn to be free from suffering, the Buddha meditated for a long time. A demon used every trick to distract the Buddha. The Buddha touched the earth to say, "Earth, be my witness; I am not distracted by the demon."

The long earlobes and the bump help us recognize the Buddha and also remind us of who he was and what he did.

The Buddha is meditating (looking inward). He looks to be half asleep because his eyes are half closed. Imagine that you are half asleep, you feel very calm and quiet. The artist wants to show how calm and quiet the Buddha is. The calm and quiet come from not feeling that he wants something he does not have. Calm and quiet are qualities of the Buddha.

Let's look for clues about another person.