Mudra

A mudra is a bodily posture or symbolic gesture. In
Hindu and Buddhist iconography every Buddha is
depicted with a characteristic gesture of the hands. Such
gestures correspond to natural gestures (of teaching,
protecting, and so on) and also to certain aspects of the
Buddhist teaching or of the particular Buddha depicted.

The origins of the word mudra are uncertain as is the
precise evolution of its meaning. At a very early period
in the post-Vedic literature of India the term mudra
designated the idea of a seal or the imprint left by a
seal. Somewhat later usage takes on the meaning of
“way of holding the fingers”, designating very precisely
a ritual gesture. The Pali word for mudra, muddika,
derives from mudda, meaning authority. There is thus a
developing inter-relationship in these meanings of a
gesture enhancing and authenticating the spoken word
with mystic and magical values. The gesture is a sign, a
ritual seal; seal implies authenticity. As Buddhism
spread to China a further usage of the term came to
identify mudras as ‘marks of identify’ of the deity being

personified