mudrā

mudrā (Skt. a seal)
1. A symbolic gesture of the hands or bodily posture communicating a specific meaning. From the earliest artistic representations onwards, Buddhas are always depicted with their hands in certain standard mudrās, the most important being the ‘wheel of the Dharma’ (dharma-cakra-mudrā), the first finger and thumb of each hand forming a circle; the earth-touching mudrā (bhūmi-sparśa-mudrā), the right hand touching the earth calling it to witness the Buddha's enlightenment (bodhi); and the gesture of protection or fearlessness (abhaya-mudrā), the right arm extended with palm facing forwards. The repertoire of hand mudrās in Buddhist iconography is extensive, and is a key to identifying the figures depicted. Mudrās become increasingly important in Mahāyāna and particularly in Vajrayāna Buddhism, where they are associated with a dense symbolism of signs and mystical sounds (mantras).

2. In Vajrayāna Buddhism, mudrā also denotes the imagery used in any meditation or visualization practice to imprint certain qualities upon or to modify the practitioner, just as a seal leaves an identical impression on clay or paper. In this sense, four kinds of mudrā are mentioned in connection with yoga-tantra——mahāmudrā, dharma-mudrā, samaya-mudrā and karma-mudrā.