Celtic Buddhism - The Gundestrup Buddha
The Gundestrup silver bowl or cauldron was discovered in a dried peat bog at Raevmose in Jutland. The bowl is of pre-Christian Celtic workmanship and shows the Celtic god Cernunnos in a meditational posture reminiscent of Virupaksha - the Buddha of the West. He holds a snake (naga) and a torc as a symbol of emptiness (sunyata), which may be the object of his meditation. He wears another torc around his neck.
The bowl may have been obtained by trade with the Celts, but it is also possibly booty brought back by the Jutes from their raids on Celtic Britain.
Cernunnos
View of Plaque from Gundestrup Bowl
Close up of facial expression of Cernunnos
Related links
Symbolism, Visualization and Ritual in Buddhism, Paganism and Christianity
Celtic Spirituality | Druids | Magatamas | More about Buddhism