Śakyamuni Buddha (Sogamoni bul, in Korean)

The Buddha Śakyamuni is the main statue in most Korean temples and represent the historical Buddha, the Sambhogakaya. Having been born in a royal family, Prince Siddhartha Gautama lived in northeastern India during the fifth century BCE.
Korean Temples frequently have paintings of various episodes from the Buddha’s life on the exterior of the Main Hall. Occasionally these pictures are presented separately and are sometimes found in the back of the Main Hall such as at Haein–sa in South Korea. The paintings often follow Siddhartha through the process that brought him to annutara samyak sambodhi or complete unexcelled awakening. In these life vignettes his mother, Queen Maya, is pictured as having the auspicious dream of a white elephant; his birth in the Lumbini Garden; his childhood bath in the fire of nine dragons; his meditation in the Himalayas; his struggle with desires; his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree; scenes of him teaching, and eventually final nirvana.
The mudra or hand position in the paintings and statues, are depicted with the “earth witness mudra” which is most often associated with the Buddha Śakyamuni and it recalls a story about the Buddha (which can be found in the Sokkuram statue in Kyongju). Following his enlightenment, Buddha was challenged as to his right to sit on the small piece of ground that he was occupying. He called the earth to witness his many good deeds of past lives and so justified his seat in that place. The figure is of a seated Buddha, the right hand hanging over the knee, palm inward, sometimes pointing with one finger, usually with the whole hand, towards the earth.