mudra

A mudra is a ritual gesture made by the position of the hands or body, and signifiying the activity or quality of the Buddha or bohisattva depicted. Common mudras of the Buddha include: the cupping of hands with palms up in the lap in the mudra of meditation; the placing of the right hand on the ground, indicting that the Buddha is calling the earth to witness his steadiness in the face of temptations; touching the fingers of the left hand to the right hand at the chest to show the Buddha in the act of teaching.