Gautama Buddha stands on the pericarp of a lotus rising from the ocean.  His right hand is in the wish-granting gesture (varada mudra), while his left is in the gesture of protection (abhaya mudra).  His outer garment, the monk’s patchwork robe (kasyapa), is draped over his shoulders, while his inner garment is a long, brown dhoti which is worn by yogis.  

Gautama is most famous for having preached the four noble truths and the eightfold path.  His most famous text is the Dhammapada, which is a collection of his sayings, recorded in Pali, the ancient language that Gautama spoke. Gautama’s teachings were transmitted orally and then were written down in the first century BC in Sri Lanka. All the texts sacred to Theravada Buddhism are known as the Pali Canon.