This small statue, which could fit in the palm of your hand, was made to be portable so people could bring it anywhere. Such small statues are actually quite common among extant Buddhist statues from the Three Kingdoms period. The inscriptions on the back of the statue reveal that it was commissioned by a widower for his deceased wife. Thus, the widower, who was named Jeong Jiwon, was presumably the original owner of this statue. Now let’s explore some of the many stories that are contained within this lovely little statue.

The inscription on the back of the statue reads, “鄭智遠爲亡妻/ 趙思敬造金像/ 早離三,” or “Jeong Jiwon made this gold statue for Jo Sa, his deceased wife. Please help her to quickly escape the Three Evil Destinies.”

In Buddhism, there are six possible paths that people can take after death, depending on their moral standing. Those who have not lived a moral life will be forced into one of the “Three Evil Destinies”: reincarnation as an animal, as a hungry ghost, or damnation in hell. Thus, Jeong Jiwon had this statue produced in the hope that his wife, Jo Sa, would avoid the “Three Evil Destinies” and ascend to a higher plane after her death.

Although the inscription mentions a “gold statue,” the statue is actually gilt-bronze. The practice of covering Buddhist statues with a layer of gilt is not merely decorative, but is intended to reflect the actual physical features of the Buddha. The Buddhist scriptures describe thirty-two major characteristics and eighty minor characteristics of the Buddha’s appearance, which clearly distinguish him from ordinary humans. One of the thirty-two major characteristics is “金色相,” which means, “The body of the Buddha emits a subtle gold color.” According to the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra (大智度論), which is the primary scripture explaining the thirty-two major characteristics, “No other gold color can compare to the gold color emanating from the Buddha’s body.” Therefore, many Buddha statues are covered with a thin layer of gold in order to depict the Buddha as a sublime and extraordinary being.

Notably, the gold color is not the only one of the thirty-two major characteristics of the Buddha’s appearance depicted in this statue. According to the scripture, another characteristic is “丈光相,” which means, “The Buddha’s body emits 1 jang (appx. 3 meters) of light, which constantly surrounds him.” Can you see the light in this statue?

The light emanating from the Buddha is visualized as the halo behind him. Actually, this statue includes three different halos representing light from the Buddha’s head and body: a circular one around the head, an elongated one around the body, and the largest one, which is pointed on top and encompasses both the head and body halo.

In some Buddha triads, each of the three figures is backed by an individual halo, but in this statue, the three figures are collectively surrounded by a single halo. This style of a single halo originated in China before becoming widespread in Korea during the late sixth and early seventh centuries, and then being introduced to Japan. Extant examples of Korean Buddha triads with a single halo from this period include a gilt-bronze Buddha triad with inscription reading “Gyemi year” (563) that was formerly designated as National Treasure #72 and is housed at Kansong Art Museum, and a gilt-bronze Buddha triad with inscription reading “Sinmyo year” (571) that was formerly designated as National Treasure #85 and is housed at Hoam Museum of Art. Notably, these sixth-century triads from Korea share many similarities with Buddha triads with a single halo excavated from Shandong Province in China, suggesting that that region played a significant role in transmitting Buddhist culture from China to the Korean Peninsula at the time.

In this triad, the central Buddha is wearing a robe that fully covers both shoulders, leaving no exposed skin or undergarments. Like most standing Buddhas with this type of outer robe from the Three Kingdoms period, this one has the right hand raised in the abhaya mudra (representing reassurance) and the left hand extended downward in the varada mudra (representing the granting of wishes).

Although most of the attendant bodhisattva on the left has been lost, the two remaining figures exhibit familiar characteristics of early Buddhist sculptures, such as the symmetrical shape and the enlarged head and hands in proportion to the body. In addition, the robe of the central Buddha extends slightly to the side of the body, with one end draping across the chest and over the left hand, details that are typical of sixth-century Buddhist sculptures of the Three Kingdoms period.

As discussed, the inscription reveals that this statue was commissioned by a man named Jeong Jiwon for his wife Jo Sa. Unfortunately, there are no known historical records to provide more information about this couple, but we can assume that they probably lived in the sixth century, based on the overall form, facial features, body representation, and clothing of the statue.

This Buddha triad was found at Songwoldae of Busosanseong Fortress in Buyeo, which was formerly Sabi, the capital of the Baekje Kingdom from 538 until its fall in 660. Interestingly, however, there should not have been any people with the surnames Jeong (鄭) or Jo (趙) living in Baekje in this time period. Therefore, the possibility that this statue might have been brought to that area from abroad cannot be completely ruled out.

Regardless of its origins, this small statue embodies the faith in the afterlife that was shared by early Korean Buddhists, especially the desire for loved ones to go to a better world after death. Other Buddha triads from around the same time have inscriptions stating that they were made for deceased teachers, parents, and loved ones, suggesting that the creation of small statues infused with personal feelings was a common practice at the time.