The boon-granting gesture (Sanskrit: Varada Mudra) or gesture of generosity is made with the palm held outwards and downwards, with all of the fingers loosely outstretched or curved slightly inwards.  It represents ‘open-handed’ generosity as charity or the granting of wishes, and is usually made with the right ‘method’ hand.  This mudra is very common amongst peaceful deities, particularly those performing the auspicious activities of pacifying and enriching.  Seated figures most frequently display the boon-granting gesture with their open palm representing the bestowing of the wish-granting gem of the Dharma.   Wealth bestowing deities may hold an attribute of enrichment, such as a jewel or a fruit, within their cupped right palm.  Several deities perform the activities of ‘raining jewels or nectar’, by circling their right hand and miraculously creating jewels or nectar from the open palm.  Eleven-faced Avalokiteshvara holds the third of his four right hands in a boon-granting gesture known as ‘eliminating hunger and thirst’, where a stream of nectar pours from his open palm to alleviate the cravings of the hungry ghosts or pretas.

Deities such as White Tara, Sitatapatra and Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara are depicted with a ‘wisdom-eye’ in the palm of each of their hands.  These eyes symbolize their ceaseless compassionate awareness and combine with their five fingers to represent the union of their method and wisdom as the six perfections.  Here the five ‘method’ perfections of generosity, morality, patience, energy and concentration (represented by the five fingers) are supported by, or depend upon, the sixth perfection of wisdom (represented by the eye in the center of the palm).