[Buddha-l] Meditating Buddha

[F.K. Lehman (F.K.L. Chit Hlaing)]

Or, in plain language, any such iconic representation is almost 
necessarily Symbolic in its canons of representation, and it is (or 
it ought to be) well understood) that symbolism is 'multivocal', that 
a symbol, or at any rate an effective one, does not have A meaning 
but rather (as the French Anthropologist D. Sperber long ago pointed 
out) a large 'aura' of  suggestive associations. So, yes, it the 
usual icon represents various different 'stages' in Gotama's whole 
trajectory, usable for various didactic purposes; and the 'smile' 
probably does, at least inter alia, suggest [peace and so on.
-- 
F. K. L. Chit Hlaing
Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign