It is one of my favorites, Amida Looking Back. It encompasses the compassion of Amida (Reality-as-is) Amida is shown, I think with the mudras of "teaching" and "fear not" (maybe others could confirm or correct this) yet Amida is shown looking back her first concern being for those who cannot - or will not - come for any reason.
In part, I think this points towards the egalitarian nature of Pure Land Buddhism, with Shinran once saying:- "Amida saves even the good person; how much more so the evil person." Which makes some people think he said it the wrong way around!
My mind drifting further, there is the view of the zen master Dogen when reflecting upon a well known story concerning Bodhidharma, of Bodhidharma speaking of four novices, who in turn grasped the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of his teaching. Normally it is interpreted to suggest different "levels" of insight/attainment yet apparently Dogen did not see it that way. There is a long discussion of this in "Eihei Dogen:Mystical Realist" by Hee-Jin Kim, with this at the end...
"In this respect, every person is the second ancestor—the successor to Bodhidharma. However lowly one’s symbols and practices are as in, say, a peasant’s religion, one is nevertheless entitled to enlightenment if and when one uses them authentically. Here is the egalitarian basis for the claim that Dōgen’s religion is a religion of the people"
But anyway, whatever, I love the statue. Many years ago I made a bookmark out of the image and still use it.
