Meditative, Sitting Buddha

• Buddha encouraged meditation to find inner peace.Dimas Ardian/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  The sitting, meditative Buddha is a prominent statue style. Many of these feature Buddha sitting on a lotus flower, considered a lotus throne. In Kamakura, Japan, a 40-foot-high bronze statue of the Buddha sits outdoors in the Kotoku-in -- a Buddhist temple of the Jodo shu sect. In Germany, a Buddha statue made entirely of gemstone-quality jade can be found at Vien Giac temple. Different interpretations exist regarding the various sitting statues and what they symbolize. Some historical suggestions include peacefulness, harmony and happiness, which many followers believe are what Buddha intends for humanity.
  
  

Standing Buddha

• Standing Buddha evokes a powerful sense of rising above the world's sorrows.Paula Bronstein/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  On of the largest expressions of standing Buddha is a statue situated at the center of a manmade lake in the city of Hyderabad, India. The statue is 56 feet tall, weighs 320 tons and was constructed from a single piece of stone. Even larger is a relatively new statue built in the Po Kaung Hills of Myanmar. At 433 feet high, this standing Buddha is one of the world's largest.
  
  

Resting and Reclining

• Reclining Buddha statues encourage the release of earthly limitations.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Variations on the resting or reclining Buddha can also be found. In Bangkok, Thailand, a 150-foot gold-plated reclining Buddha suggests his entrance into Nirvana, the ultimate goal of an enlightened state of freedom, wisdom and disengagement from the world and its sufferings. Other reclining Buddhas can be found in Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
  
  

Laughing Buddha

• To laugh with Buddha is to find a happy life.China Photos/Getty Images News/Getty Images
  
  The jolly, laughing Buddha is typically featured with a huge grin and a rotund belly. Speculation has it that the belly is where the Buddha holds the world's worries. Many followers believe that by rubbing the belly, you will have good luck and harmony. Just seeing the laughing Buddha lightens the hearts of viewers. Some followers teach that your life will "lighten up" when you hold the thought of the laughing Buddha in your mind and imagine yourself also laughing inwardly.