USC Pacific Asia Docent Training

1. Allan Roman Reyes
Object Fact Sheet
Introductory Gallery
Object Description:
Seated Buddha
The Seated Buddha is a religious artifact so it should be viewed as such (suggest
semi-lotus position directly below statue). The Buddha’s peaceful ways are
transmitted through his lotus shaped, calm gaze. His slight smile imparts
understanding, along with his large earlobes, which relate being heard.
The sparsely dressed Buddha shows the Dhyana mudra (hand symbols like the
thumbs up or the a-ok) of concentration and its grounded wisdom is shown in the
heavier shaped base.
Why was the object created?
The Buddha’s form is the embodiment of the Buddhist writings and its main
messages of non-violence, open-mindedness, and non-possessiveness. Visual cues
described in the Buddhist canon, such as elongated earlobes, the ushnisha, and the
mudra follow Buddha’s image through countries and cultures referring back to the
main messages such as the Origins story:
There once was a prince who lived a very sheltered life filled with everything he
could ever possibly want. One day, he wanted to explore outside his normal
existence so he explored outside the gates of his father’s castle. The first thing he
saw was and old man. He realized that we all get old, and this made him wonder
about our time here on earth as individuals (Noble Eight-fold path). On his second
trip, the prince saw a sick man, and this made him think about karma. On his third
trip outside the castle, Siddhartha saw a dead man and this made him think about
what happens after we die (samsara). –And on his last trip, Siddhartha saw a

2. wandering ascetic that took the path to find the answers to all these questions. The
prince then took the path of the ascetic and during this time he learned about the
Middle Way. Siddhartha had tried fasting and meditating until his body couldn’t
handle it any longer and gave out on him. He learned that he could not learn
anything this way so he took the path of moderation, which is making sure you don’t
do one thing too much or take something too far. He learned to balance his body and
mind and was able to master himself. After six years Siddhartha came to a Bodhi
Tree (a tree with long-stemmed, heart-shaped leaves that move when there is no
breeze) and came to his Enlightenment.
Bibliography:
USCPAM Docent Handbook
Vocabulary:
Ascetic - a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention.
Canon – sacred books
Embodiment – a physical form of an idea.
Enlightenment – Understanding, awareness, wisdom
Karma – something you do that will teach you a lesson later on
Mudra – symbolic hand gesture found in Buddhist art
Samsara – returning to another life to learn a lesson
Ushnisha – Oval at the top of the head of the Buddha
Your Goal: I want to impart to students some of the lessons Buddha learned on his
journey: he left home because of compassion and gained wisdom at the end.
Hi, My name is Allan and I am a docent here at the USC Pacific Asia museum. In this
museum there are a lot of different beliefs. What do you think of when you hear
the word belief?
One belief in this museum is called Buddhism. It believes that living a balanced life,
one can attain mastery over your self. Which means you are able to see things
clearly and are not easily fooled. A young prince that didn’t like the way he saw the
world, and wanted to do something about it started Buddhism.
Who here has heard of the Buddha? What have you heard about him?
He was a prince that left the comfort of his home to find the answer to why we get
old, why we get sick, and why we die. He lived the life of an ascetic and found that
taking an extreme position defeated learning, and that the Middle Way, or path of
moderation, was the best way.
Who knows what an ascetic is? Do you know of any ascetics? (An ascetic is one
who takes themselves out of normal, daily existence to one of meditation, self-
examination, and discovery. Most ascetics depend on the goodwill of others since
they themselves live outside of society.)