The Body of a Buddha: A Road Map to Liberation
When the historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, he came to be regarded as a perfect being. As such, his physical body was said to bear the marks and signs of this perfection. His perfect physical body was the direct result of three aeons of cultivating virtues during his many rebirths. In Lama Tsongkhapa’s Songs from Experience, the Buddha’s enlightened body is a “body born of ten million virtues and excellences.”
When Prince Siddhartha was born, the seer Asita came to visit the new-born prince. Many of you familiar with the story of the Buddha will remember that it was at this point that the seer gave King Suddhodana a prophecy. On examining the baby prince, he found marks and signs indicating that the prince would either grow up to become a great king, or a great spiritual leader of men. What Asita saw on the child were some of the marks and signs of a being who had practised many virtues during his previous lifetimes.
Within the Mahayana tradition, the enlightened beings are said to have three types of bodies: the Dharmakaya (truth body), the Sambhogakaya (enjoyment body), and the Nirmanakaya (emanation body). While the Dharmakaya has no perceivable form, both the Sambhogakaya and the Nirmanakaya do. These two bodies of the enlightened beings are said to have the 112 physical marks or characteristics of a Buddha. These are broken down into two categories, the 32 major marks and the 80 minor marks.
These signs and marks are said to appear only on the body of someone who is exemplary because they denote the inner qualities of that person. Furthermore, it is also a sign that this person or being can leave imprints in the minds of others to achieve those very same qualities. When we study and understand the meaning behind these marks, we come to the realisation that they serve as reminders of the qualities that we should practise in our daily lives on our path to spiritual perfection. Not only do the Buddhas teach the Dharma verbally, but even their bodies are used as roadmaps to enlightenment itself.
Throughout Buddhist history, scholars have differed in their opinions about the 32 major marks of an enlightened being. They are divided into two camps: those who believe that the physical attributes are real, and those who think that they are merely symbolic.
Physical Attributes
Some scholars say that the 32 major marks are real physical attributes on the body of a Buddha.
A Buddha, however, can manifest in whatever form is required to suit the needs of sentient beings. Therefore the 32 marks are not always easily perceivable. According to historical accounts, Buddha Shakyamuni took on the form of a renunciate, with a shaved head, robes made of rags stitched together, and who had abandoned all worldly pleasures.
This is made clear in certain sources such as the Samannaphala Sutra, which recounts the story of King Ajatashatru who could not identify Buddha Shakyamuni amongst the assembly of monks. Similarly, in the Upakkilesa Sutra, Buddha Shakyamuni was stopped from entering his grove again, because the grove caretaker did not recognise him.
This does not mean that the Buddha did not have the 32 major marks, because in a commentary on the Dhatu Vibhanga Sutra, we read that the Buddha concealed his major marks during a meeting with Pukkusati, who only recognised the Buddha after hearing his voice during the teaching.
The fact that ordinary beings are not able to recognise the Buddha is not surprising because these marks are fully visible only to other enlightened beings.
Mythical Symbolism
Other scholars claim that the marks are merely symbols corresponding to the spiritual attainments of a Bodhisattva. They are karmic signatures of great beings who have practised the Dharma and cultivated virtue throughout countless lifetimes.
In the Abhisamayalamkara, as taught by the Bodhisattva Maitreya and recorded by his student Asanga, it states that the merit needed to produce a single hair on the body of a Buddha is equal to ten times the collected merits of the sravakas or arhats, pratyekabuddhas or solitary-realisers, and all other ordinary sentient beings. The accumulation of a hundred times these merits generates the causes for each of the 80 minor marks. It is through the store of merits from these 80 minor marks that one of the 32 major marks is said to appear. Therefore, according to this explanation, it is not necessary that these 32 major marks appear physically on the body.
Maitreya Buddha, the future Buddha to come.
Scriptural Sources
The earliest mention of the 32 marks of a Buddha from within the Theravada tradition is found in the Lakkhana Sutta, the Mahapadana Sutta, the Brahmayu Sutta and the Mahavastu. All these sutras provide details of the 32 marks. These are followed by a prediction that a person born with these marks would either become a Wheel-turning Universal Monarch or renounce the world and become a fully awakened one, a Buddha.
Nagarjuna
Just like the seer Asita who foretold that Prince Siddhartha would become a Buddha by observing the marks on the baby’s body, sages skilled in reading these signs also examined the body of Prince Vipassi (Skt. Vipaśyin), a Buddha of the past who appeared in the world 91 aeons ago. This account appears in the Mahapadana Sutta, in which it is also said that Prince Vipassi went on to become enlightened and became a Buddha.
Within the Mahayana tradition, there are two lineages of explaining these signs. One stems from the Prajñaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) Sutras. The Abhisamayalamkara, as noted previously, follows this tradition, as does the text known as Ratnavali, written by Arya Nagarjuna. The second of these two lineages stems from the Ratnadarika Sutra and the Uttaratantra.
In the Abhidharmakosa written by Vasubandhu, it is said that once the practitioner on the Bodhisattva path begins to cultivate the karma for the creation of these marks, he is ‘predestined’ to be reborn in a good realm, with all faculties in place and bestowed with the power of recalling past lives.
The Body of a Buddha
Rather than examining whether the 32 major marks of a Buddha are physical or symbolic, it would be well worth our while to enumerate each mark along with its meaning and what it means for our personal spiritual growth.
For practitioners, the importance of the 32 marks is that they teach us how our actions now have an impact on our spiritual growth and future circumstances, whether we remain as ordinary sentient beings or achieve the state of enlightenment. Therefore, we should try to understand the underlying qualities associated with the marks with a view to acquiring these qualities through our practice of the Dharma.
The 32 Major Marks
#1: Soles of the Feet are Level
Description: The Buddha is said to have smooth feet with level soles, so that wherever he walks, his feet are firmly planted on the ground. His feet are described as broad, round, smooth and firm like those of a tortoise.
Cause: The Buddha kept his vows throughout many lifetimes and was firm in his renunciation of killing.
Teaching: Being firm in our vows and commitments is beyond doubt an all-important foundation to build our practice on. Lama Tsongkhapa taught that these vows should be in accordance with the Three Higher Trainings: discipline, concentration and wisdom. In this regard, Lama Tsongkhapa says we should take the following vows and keep them strongly:
- Pratimoksha vows: Leading to self-liberation. These vows include the lay and monastic vows.
- Dhyana-samvara vows: Leading to a state of meditative and mental stability. These vows stop us from developing mental wandering, dullness or excitement during our meditations.
- Anashrava-samvara vows: Leading to the state of wisdom that is untainted, i.e. the realisation of emptiness. These vows allow us to arrest afflictive emotions and attitudes.
#2: Thousand-Spoked Wheels
Description: The palms of the hands and the soles of the feet of a Buddha are marked by thousand-spoked Dharma wheels. In some traditions, the wheel is an eight-spoked Dharma wheel representing the Noble Eightfold Path. The wheel may be accompanied by the sign of the swastika as well.
Cause: The Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma, performing the deeds of enlightened speech. It is said in the Abhisamayalamkara that “the sign of the wheel … gives encouragement to people frightened of samsara’s wheel.” The Buddha was willing and able to grant his protection to those who were being ravaged by their negative karma. He never turned anyone away if they needed help, even if others regarded them as undeserving of help. He also greeted and escorted his spiritual teacher wherever he went.
Teaching: We should have a selfless attitude of serving others, especially when they are suffering and in pain, physically or mentally. One of the best ways to serve others is to teach them the Dharma. The Buddha said that the best gift is the gift of Dharma. We should also adhere to the principles of guru devotion, as explained in various texts such as Ashvagosha’s 50 Verses of Guru Devotion.
#3: Projecting Heels
Description: The Buddha’s heels are not round but oval in shape. They project out, providing extra strength and spreading the weight on the feet.
Cause: The Buddha went out of his way to help others, saving their lives and making them comfortable.
Teaching: We should develop compassion for others. This includes protecting any sentient being from danger, by preventing any harm from befalling them and to make their lives as comfortable and obstacle-free as possible.
#4: Long Fingers and Toes
Description: The Buddha is said to have fingers and toes which are long and of equal length. This makes the Buddha’s hands and feet stronger, symbolising positive force in Dharma practice.
Cause: The Buddha saved the lives of many beings, especially animals that were about to be slaughtered, and he himself abstained from killing any living being.
Teaching: We should never kill another sentient being. This includes refraining from killing animals for food. Instead, we should try to save the lives of sentient beings to the best of our ability.
#5: Soft Skin
Description: No matter how old the Buddha is, his skin is smooth and without wrinkles. It is described as being as soft and smooth as that of an infant baby.
Cause: The Buddha gave nourishing food and drink to others, like a mother nursing her child.
Teaching: We should be generous and caring, and remember to give to others nourishing food and drink.
#6: Webs of Light
Description: The Buddha has webs of light connecting his fingers and toes. It appears as if there is a thin membrane between the fingers and toes. In some commentaries, this web is more like the interconnected lines of a net.
Cause: The Buddha perfected the practice of the “Four Ways of Gathering Disciples.” By doing so, he brought others under his positive influence, and helped them along their spiritual path.
Teaching: One should practise these “four attractive behaviours” which are methods used by Bodhisattvas to gather disciples. These are qualities in a Bodhisattva that attract sentient beings to the Dharma. Of the four, two relate to generosity and two to the teachings. The four qualities are:
- Giving generously what is necessary,
- Speaking pleasantly while doing so,
- Teaching the Dharma and the proper path, and
- Being a good example by practising what is taught.
#7: Body Parts Do Not Stand Out
Description: Certain areas of the Buddha’s body do not stand out. A way to imagine this is to think of a horse with high ankles that stand out. However, the Buddha’s elbows, knees and ankles are not prominent.
Cause: The Buddha practised the humility of a pure view. He also practised the Six Perfections (Paramitas), also known as the Bodhisattva Path, in order to fulfill the promise to achieve enlightenment for the sake of others.
Teaching: In our daily lives, we should practise humility which is the antidote to pride, one of the five poisons. In Vajrayana, it is said that humility is the gateway to all kinds of supernormal powers (siddhis). We should also cultivate the Six Perfections to develop Bodhicitta and wisdom. The Six Perfections are: (i) generosity, (ii) moral discipline, (iii) patience, (iv) joyful effort, (v) concentration, and (vi) wisdom.
#8: Rounded Calves
Description: The Buddha has legs like that of an antelope or a royal stag, with well-rounded calves. This is a physical characteristic that makes an antelope strong, fast and agile.
Cause: The Buddha held the Dharma strongly. He honoured the Dharma by studying, contemplating and applying it throughout his many lifetimes. He never showed contempt for a teacher and tirelessly taught the Dharma himself. He also developed a strong mastery of arts and crafts, medicine and astrology. He used these skills to benefit others.
Tibetan astrology
Teaching: We should strive to learn the Dharma well and practise it, never showing contempt for our teacher. When we have learned the Dharma, we should show others the correct path through our own actions.
#9: Long Arms
Description: The Buddha has long arms and is able to touch both his knees without stooping. Also, when the Buddha sits cross-legged, with his elbows tucked in, his hands are able to cover his knees and his fingers are able to touch his seat.
Cause: The Buddha always gave generously to beggars and he made sure they never left empty-handed.
Teaching: We should practise generosity (dana), the first of the Six Paramitas. We should also care for the welfare of others and give whatever we can, even when the person asking is the lowest of the low.
#10: Private Organ Is Hidden
Description: The Buddha’s private organ is hidden, like that of a horse, which cannot be seen. The wisdom behind this is that a sheathed organ cannot cause offence to anyone even inadvertently.
Cause: In his many previous lives, the Buddha took a vow of celibacy. The Buddha also observed his vows strongly and protected the secret teachings of tantra.
Teaching: One should always be modest and guard one’s chastity. We should hold our vows well, especially those connected with teachings that are not to be shared openly, such as tantric teachings.
#11: Golden Complexion
Description: The Buddha has skin that is golden in colour and gleams with light. His skin is delicate, soft and sensitive to the touch.
Cause: The Buddha practised patience and never showed anger. For many lifetimes he made beautiful offerings to the enlightened beings, adorned their shrines with golden flowers, banners and gold coverings. He also offered seats to others that were soft and comfortable.
Teaching: In our daily lives we should control our anger and practise the perfection of patience. We should make abundant offerings to the Buddhas to the best of our ability and protect others by providing land and shelter.
#12: Smooth Skin
Description: The Buddha has skin that is free from blemishes, so soft and fine that no dust or dirt can attach to it. In some commentaries it is explained that this symbolises that no karma can be attached to the Buddha.
Cause: The Buddha was an adept in the practice of Dharma. He always made offerings to holy men, teachers and those worthy of offerings in holy places. The Tathagata offered baths and ointments, clarified butter and liniments, warm water when the weather was cold, cool water when the weather was hot, clothing that was smooth to the touch and soft cushions. He accommodated those that needed lodging and provided the perfect housing to those in need.
Teaching: We should follow the Blessed One’s example and practise the Dharma well. We should always make offerings to those who are worthy, such as our teachers, those learned in the Dharma and those who help others. We should provide shelters for them, and items they need according to their situation.
#13: Hair from Each Pore
Description: The Buddha has a single hair growing from each pore of his body that curls to the right.
Cause: The Buddha abandoned worldly activities. He refrained from lying. He also attended to teachers and pandits, contemplated on their teachings and developed a calm mind through meditation. He also kept the holy places free of dirt, weeds and cobwebs. He was able to completely remove confusion from his mindstream.
Teaching: We should never lie but always tell the truth. When receiving teachings we should be respectful and contemplate what we have learned. We should meditate to achieve a calm mind, and clean the holy sites and our altars to create a nice environment for the Buddhas to abide in.
#14: Hair Grows Upwards
Relief fragment depicting Prince Siddhartha cutting his hair in renunciation
Description: The Buddha has upward-growing hair that is deep blue in colour like a peacock and curls to the right.
Cause: This is the result of merit from lifetimes of non-violence. The Buddha also paid homage to and circumambulated holy teachers, those worthy of receiving offerings and holy places associated with enlightened beings. He collected a great amount of merits by engaging in many beneficial actions and inspired others to do the same.
Teaching: We should engage in virtuous actions to accumulate merits, and through our actions and transformation, inspire others to do the same.
#15: Upright Stance of a God
Description: The Buddha is extremely tall and upright like the god Brahma. His stance indicates balance and firmness.
Cause: The Buddha abstained from killing and taught others the benefits of saving lives, providing all beings with a safe refuge and protection from suffering.
Teaching: We should abandon killing, eating meat or using animal products. We should instead share with others the benefits of saving the lives of sentient beings.
#16: Raised and Rounded Body Parts
Description: The tops of the Buddha’s hands, feet, shoulders and the back of his neck are raised and rounded.
Cause: The Buddha provided others with physical nourishment such as excellent food and drink. He gave them items that they needed, for example, clothing, shelter and medicine.
Teaching: We should always practise generosity, including giving good and healthy food and drink to others. When giving to others, we should always give the best that we can afford.
#17: Lion-like Torso
Description: The Buddha has an upper body resembling a lion with an impressive torso which is majestic to look at. It allows for efficient respiration and metabolism, indicating exceptional health.
Cause: The Buddha practised the ten virtuous actions and gave to others rather than looking after his own needs. He never humiliated or scolded anyone.
Teaching: We should not look down on others because of their lowly status. We should never scold people in public or in private. Instead of putting down another person’s beliefs or traditions, we should practise tolerance and kindness, leading to peace and harmony. We should always provide the weak with help and give shelter to those who need it.
#18: Rounded Shoulders
Description: The Buddha has perfect well-rounded shoulders without any furrow or dent between the shoulders, and his veins are not visible.
Cause: The Buddha upheld his precepts and provided refuge from fear. He praised those worthy of praise and gave encouragement to others.
Teaching: We should always hold the precepts taught to us by our teachers well and develop great compassion, a mind that wishes to protect all sentient beings from suffering. Furthermore, we should practise mind transformation (lojong) and encourage others to do so. We should praise those who are worthy of praise and not be jealous of their attainments.
#19: Body like a Bodhi Tree
Description: The Buddha has body proportions like a full-grown Bodhi tree that has roots, stems and branches that are equal in length. Therefore, the Buddha’s body is perfectly proportioned in height and width.
Cause: The Buddha never turned anyone away. He took care of those in need and made sure they were comfortable and safe. He built public gardens and parks for the enjoyment of others and also encouraged others to do so.
Teaching: We should always care for the welfare of others, providing them with physical shelter, as well as an environment with clean drinking water. We should respect the environment and look after it and all the creatures that live within it, for the well-being of all life on earth.
#20: Round and Smooth Neck
Description: The Buddha has a round and smooth neck, evenly rounded shoulders and broad back. The area below the Buddha’s armpits are full unlike that of ordinary people.
Cause: The Buddha freely gave praise to others and did not criticise the faults of others. Instead, he carefully considered his own faults and misgivings.
Teaching: We should not judge other people’s actions and find fault in their behaviour. Rather, we should judge our own actions and how they can cause harm to us and those around us. We should praise others and their beneficial actions.
#21: Perfect Sense of Taste
Description: The Buddha has a perfect sense of taste and very sensitive tastebuds. Even the poorest of foods that he is given tastes delicious. The Buddha’s tongue is also said to be free from any diseases caused by wind, phlegm and bile.
Cause: The Buddha stopped harming sentient beings for many lifetimes, and nursed the sick, elderly and infirm. He did whatever he could for the welfare of others.
Teaching: We should care for all beings, especially when they are suffering. If they are sick, old or infirm we should look after them, especially those whom others find repulsive or disgusting.
#22: Jaws like a Lion
Description: The Buddha has jaws like a lion’s, with full, firm and rounded cheeks.
Cause: The Buddha gave up idle chatter and gossiping. He addressed all those who approached him with kind and inspiring words, deceiving no one and despising no one.
Teaching: We should not engage in idle chatter and gossip. This is part of the Buddhist refuge vows in order to control our speech so we do not create negative karma. It is very easy to hurt others with our speech, and harsh words can be very damaging to others. Instead we should use our speech to encourage others to practise the Dharma and use inspiring words to uplift them as they tread the path towards enlightenment.
#23: 40 Teeth
Description: The Buddha has 40 evenly formed teeth. Ordinary people only have 32 teeth which are not permanent and change from birth to old age.
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore
Cause: The Buddha used his speech to reunite people who had quarrelled. He never used divisive speech. Instead, he only spoke words of peace and reconciliation.
Teaching: On the spiritual path we should endeavour to bring people together through our speech, and avoid creating conflicts and schism among them.
#24: Teeth Are Equal in Length
Description: The Buddha has straight teeth that are of equal length and free of stains.
Cause: The Buddha gave up the five types of wrong livelihood.
Teaching: We should earn our living through honest means and not through the five kinds of wrong livelihood. The five trades which should be avoided by a lay disciple are:
- Trading in arms,
- Trading in human beings,
- Trading in flesh (breeding animals for slaughter),
- Trading in alcohol, and
- Trading in poison.
The wrong livelihoods for ordained people are:
- Flattery,
- Hinting,
- Giving in order to receive,
- Exerting pressure on others, and
- Being on one’s best behaviour.
#25: Teeth Have No Gaps
Description: The Buddha has a perfectly aligned set of teeth which are gapless.
Cause: This is the result of speaking the truth for three countless aeons. The Buddha practised guarding his speech from being devious, divisive or slanderous.
Teaching: We should be mindful of how we speak and avoid harming others with our speech.
#26: Brilliant White Teeth
Description: The Buddha has brilliant white teeth. In some scriptures, it is said that Ananda knew when the Buddha was smiling even though he was walking behind the Buddha. When the Buddha parted his lips to let out a smile, bright lights would emanate from the Buddha’s perfect teeth.
Cause: The Blessed One respected and praised all sentient beings, especially the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas. According to the Theravada tradition, the Buddha is said to have painted many stupas, and made countless offerings of milk, garments and beautiful white flowers.
Teaching: We should always show others respect and praise them when we speak. We should especially make verbal prostrations to the enlightened beings and those ahead of us on the path to enlightenment.
#27: Long Tongue
Description: The Buddha has a long tongue which is perfectly shaped and long enough to reach his hairline and ears. It is red in colour like an utpala flower.
Cause: The Buddha always used kind words and spoke as gently as an animal licking its young offspring.
Teaching: We should never use harsh words. Instead, we should speak kindly and gently to others. We should use our speech in positive ways such as praising the Dharma teachers, requesting the Buddhas to teach and sharing the Dharma with others.
#28: Voice with the Qualities of Brahma
Description: The Buddha has a voice like the god Brahma which is deep, clear and melodious. It is said that anyone who hears the voice like that of Brahma’s is temporarily relieved of all problems. However, it cannot bring you to full enlightenment. The Buddha’s voice is also said to have five major distinguishing features:
- All beings can understand it, regardless of language,
- The words from the Buddha’s lips all have the same articulation,
- The Buddha’s words are deeply profound and bring benefits to the listeners,
- The voice is melodious and draws people to it, and
- The Buddha’s words are in proper order and flawless.
Cause: The Buddha spoke the truth and taught the Dharma to beings in their individual languages.
Teaching: We should give up lying. If we continue to lie we will end up hurting ourselves and others. Instead, we should focus on telling the truth and using kind and loving words that soften people’s hearts and open their minds to the Dharma.
#29: Sapphire Blue Eyes
Description: The Buddha has deep blue eyes like the colour of sapphires. In addition, the coloured and white parts of the eyes are distinctly separated, with no red or yellow discolouration.
Cause: The Buddha gazed upon all sentient beings lovingly like a mother at her only child. He refrained from looking upon others negatively. The Buddha also gazed upon the enlightened beings and their various images with complete faith.
Teaching: We should develop the understanding that all living beings are suffering, whether great or small. So, when we look upon them we have nothing but compassion for them, which will lead us to work tirelessly for their welfare. We should regard all images of the Buddhas as the Buddhas themselves and treat them with respect and reverence.
#30: Long Eyelashes
Description: The Buddha has long and beautiful eyelashes like those of a heifer.
Cause: The Buddha had abandoned all delusions and unbalanced attitudes.
Teaching: We should strive to overcome the three poisons (ignorance, attachment and anger) and try to achieve discriminating awareness through study, meditation and practice in order to be able to discern what is proper and what is improper. Once we have this awareness, our actions will be motivated solely by the compassionate resolve to help all sentient beings.
#31: Urna
Description: The Buddha has an urna, a soft wisp of hair between his brows which is tightly curled. It has six characteristics: (i) smooth, (ii) soft, (iii) white, (iv) extends three cubits in length, (v) curls from right to left and (vi) has an upturned tip.
Cause: The Buddha practised the Six Perfections, served his superiors with respect and praised others. This mark is the second most difficult to achieve. It is also achieved by helping others avoid unfortunate rebirths.
Teaching: We should respect and please all those who are considered higher than us, like our parents, elders, teachers, spiritual masters, abbots, lamas, etc., and serve them accordingly.
#32: Ushnisha
Description: The Buddha has an ushnisha, or crown protrusion. It is like a very small round bump on the crown of the head. It is made of flesh that is bright and radiant. From far away it seems that it is about four finger-widths in height, but if you actually tried to measure it you would not be able to. It is impossible to measure. It is the first superior mark of a Buddha and the most difficult of all the major marks to achieve.
Cause: The Buddha always prostrated to his spiritual teachers and visualised them sitting on the crown of his head. In addition, for countless lifetimes, the Buddha visited temples and holy sites and engaged in spiritual practices in these places .
Teaching: The guru is the highest of all beings as he/she shows us the path to enlightenment. Therefore we should always consider our guru to be the highest merit field, and treat him/her with the utmost respect and reverence. We should always prostrate to our guru and visualise him/her on the crown of our head. To follow the guru’s instructions is to practise the Dharma.
A Key to Enlightenment
Often, we imagine the Buddha to be a supernatural being, an out-of-this-world superior human being that we admire but is perhaps beyond our expectations to become. In studying the 32 marks of the Buddha, we begin a Dharma journey that is very intimate and we see the Buddha from another perspective, i.e., that of a once ordinary being who practised for countless aeons precisely the Dharma that we have been taught by Him.
We know from learning the Dharma that even the form of the Buddha is Dharma itself and the marks on the Buddha are a supreme teaching on correct Dharma practice and the fruits of this practice. By understanding the marks, we are able to understand what it is that we must practise to reach this level, and at the same time how we should practise. Rather than debate on whether the marks actually exist physically on the body of the Buddha or if they are merely symbolic spiritual markings, we should instead focus on what the marks of the Buddha mean for our own practice. After all, everything the Buddha has done after gaining enlightenment and all of the Dharma that Buddha taught is for our spiritual evolution towards this same state. Thus, it can be said that the Buddha’s holy form is itself another of his teachings. In essence, it is a road map to liberation.
For more interesting information:
- The Buddhas, Dharma & Practice category on my blog
- An Exquisite Pictorial Biography of Buddha Shakyamuni
- Buddha Shakyamuni COMIC BOOK!
- Buddha’s Life Story Beautifully Painted
- The Life Story of Lama Tsongkhapa in art
- TRANSCRIPT: TSONGKHAPA explained
- A Tsongkhapa Meditation
- Tsongkapa’s daily practice commentary
- Faces of Enlightenment by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche – a Review
- Gurus for Hire, Enlightenment for Sale: A Review
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I did not know there are so much meanings behind a Buddha image. Reading every single part of the Buddha’s body, I start to figure out if I have some of these qualities because I found its very beautiful to have.
In my childhood, people are not happy to have flat feet. Now I have change my mind because the soles of Buddha’s feet are level. I will tell those who are having flat feet about this story.
People who are having different eyes color are unique for me. Buddha has sapphire blue eyes, its the color I like. When I think of why I enjoy look at certain people eyes, now I realize its because they look at me with eyes or warmth, like the Buddha. The Buddha gazed upon all sentient beings lovingly like a mother, shines into the eye and the heart of the child. He has complete faith to us. He teaches me always view people with compassion. That’s make us has beautiful eyes, to see goods in everyone and everything in this world.
Then it is said that Ananda knew when the Buddha was smiling even though he was walking behind the Buddha. I’m thinking the Buddha teeth must be really really brilliant white, its just so shining, his smile is so powerful, to show us lights. When we smile, what we offer to the world is more powerful than we think. Other than this, we should always praise when we speak, this could affirm sentient beings to remember they have Buddha qualities and able to develop more too.
This article is so nice to help me understand easily the body of a Buddha. Now I am more aware when I see any artworks of a Buddha. A Buddha image is a reminder to manifest our highest self, it is something that we can practice here and now.
Very interesting and informative knowledge of learning the body parts of Buddha. Each body parts tell us all…a great teachings for me, with the explanations of the causes and teachings behind each and every body parts of them. Reading this blog again and again to get a better picture and understanding, still learning .
Thank you Rinpoche and Martin for sharing.
After reading this article I came to realize I have plenty to know. I get to understand a little much more knowledge of the Body of a Buddha. The details of the 32 marks and there are teachings of each mark.
Reading this gives me a whole new understanding into Buddha images, and their importance.Thank you very much for the informative article.
This was a very well-written article, very easy to understand, informative and thorough. Reading this article has made me understand how potent it is to create Buddha images with accurate iconographies because each and every single part of the Buddha’s body represents enlightenment itself. What’s incredible is that if we imagine how the Buddha looks like according to these descriptions, he is definitely out of this world. I really enjoy reading all of these 32 incredible marks of the Buddha, more so the causes and teachings behind each of them. Reading through all these is very inspiring because before Prince Siddharta became enlightened, he was like any one of us; Hence, through this, it also reminds and teaches us that we can too achieve enlightenment if we start putting ourselves into practice now.
This article enumerates the 32 major marks of a Buddha and after reading from the description, I do find that if that is actually how the Buddha looked, he would look pretty strange, almost like an alien. Hence, most depictions of the Buddha tend to stylize the descriptions while maintaining accuracy and aesthetic considerations.
Therefore, the best artists and artisans are able to pain and craft the best works that keep a tidy balance between these two. One cannot take the traditional descriptions too literally without aesthetic considerations and one cannot ignore them as the image would loose its blessings. Nevertheless, the best art would endow the artwork with sufficient blessings and power upon the beholder and yet aesthetically pleasing.
Therefore, I feel that I would adhere to the school of thought that they are symbolic or at least, these special physical attributes that are only visible by other enlightened beings as the article explains. No one really knows how the Buddha really looks like and such traditional descriptions does make him out to be something other than human. However, the Buddha himself said he is nothing but a man who had simply become awakened.
The Body of a Buddha is an excellent article. As Buddhists we always learn that the Buddha’s form is a teaching for us to learn from and then to practice, but before reading this article, I never really had an idea as to how deep the teachings actually go.
Combined, each and every part of the Buddha’s body is actually a complete path to enlightenment itself. And though I knew that each part of the Buddha’s form embodied the enlightened state, I did not know how to understand until this article.
Reading this gives me a whole new understanding into Buddha images, and their importance. It is awe-inspiring yet extremely motivating to know the meaning behind the major marks. Because each mark has a real transformation ability in one’s life. It is something that we can practise here and now, to develop that mark and become a Buddha ourselves.
Now I can understand the importance of creating iconographically correct images of the Buddhas, whether in thangka/painting form, statues, tsa-tsas, etc. In fact, Rinpoche is always creating and giving away iconographically correct Buddha statues, and now I know why. As they embody the very qualities and teachings that we should develop and follow, Buddha images are more than worthy objects of veneration and merit making. I guess that is the reason why Tsem Rinpoche makes them available for everyone to download for free here on the blog:
Free Buddha Images
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/downloads/buddha-images.html
Which Dorje Shugden Style is Your Favourite
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/which-dorje-shugden-style-is-your-favourite.html
Rime Thangkas
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/downloads/rime-thangkas-free-download.html
Thank you for sharing the 32 marks of the Buddha, having heard of the marks of Buddha it is good that this article shares the marks of the Buddha in more detail. Also good that it explains what the mark is and what creates the causes to achieve it.
??? Thank you Martin for sharing.
Very informative. Most if the time we know very briefly on 32 major marks but not in detail.
It will help us in further understanding and a great tool to share with everyone.
All enlightened beings are worthy of homage and worship. They are the best beings to take refuge in and we should offer them our prayers as we can put our full confidence in them. Of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, I personally find that Manjushri is extremely important. This is because what keeps us in samsara (cyclic rebirth) is our total ignorance and misunderstanding of the reality of existence. What is necessary to penetrate this deep ignorance that keeps us bound in a perpetual state of reincarnation is wisdom. We need many types of wisdom which can be acquired by relying on Manjushri as our yidam (meditational deity). By focusing on his meditation, practice, mantra and path we can gain wisdom in order to have the tool to penetrate the reality of existence. Therefore, Manjushri is an extremely important Buddha for us to focus on and take refuge in.
Tsem Rinpoche
(Photograph: this is the beautiful outdoor Manjushri statue who is in a teaching pose. He is floating above a koi fish pond nestled among lush greenery in Kechara Forest Retreat, Malaysia)
每一位觉者都能成为我们朝拜、膜拜的对象。他们是我们至高、至好的皈依，我们应该向他们做祈请，并且对他们生起全然的信念。在众佛菩萨之中，我个人认为文殊菩萨极为重要。这是因为使我们身陷娑婆（轮回）的是我们自身的无明，以及对实相的曲解。智慧是一种必要，它能穿透我们深不见底的无明，那个使我们受困于无止境投生的无明。我们需要多种智慧，而依止文殊菩萨作为我们的本尊，即能使我们成就多种智慧。透过文殊菩萨的观想、修持法门、心咒及修行道路，我们能成就智慧，拥有了知实相的“器具”。故此，专注于文殊菩萨的修持法门、皈依他，对我们而言都极为重要。
詹杜固仁波切
（相片：这尊户外文殊菩萨像呈转法轮姿。他被茂密的草木环绕，安坐在马来西亚克切拉禅修林的鱼池之上。）
谢谢仁波切和曹铭光的分享。
佛的32相80种好是因为佛累世所累积善行与功德的显现。 代表着佛陀已经证得菩提心、六度波罗蜜等等善业。 这些也是提醒我们时时需要修行的道路。
我自己是非常喜欢看和留意佛像的特征。 每尊佛像的手印， 坐姿、站姿、手上拿的武器、物品都代表着成佛之道。
谢谢
A very interesting and in-depth explanation of the marks of a Buddha. A visual roadmap to liberation. We should all strive hard to achieve what Buddha has achieved through continuous practice and hard work. Liberation cannot be won without effort. The discipline to hold our vows, commitments, actions, of body speech and mind will not only help us in future lives but will ultimately benefit us and all beings in the end. Three aeons of hard work of helping and benefiting others, through my three doorways. May I never get tired of doing so. ?
It is true that a Buddha’s body, with the 32 major and 80 minor auspicious marks, is like a road map to enlightenment. These marks are the results of aeons of spiritual practice and are fully visible only to other enlightened beings. But as can be seen in the pictures shown in the article, these marks are represented in statues and paintings of the Buddha. The aim is to plant seeds of enlightenment in the those who look at the statues or images. In “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand,” Kyabje Pabongka Rinpoche said that “it is important to hold the attitude that Buddha statues are real buddhas.” Because to do so is to create the cause to see the bodies of the Buddha directly. As Pabongka Rinpoche said, “It is 16 times more beneficial to look at a representation of a buddha than to look at the real thing.” Through practice, it will be possible to see the bodies of a Buddha directly: “We see buddhas made of clay, brass, and so on, but when we gain the single-pointed concentration called “the stream of Dharma,” we will see supreme nirmanakayas [emanated bodies]. And when we reach the 1st of the ten bodhisattva levels, we will meet the sambhogakayas [enjoyment bodies] in person.”
According to H.E. Tsem Rinpoche, “Creating sacred Buddha images is a practice dating to over 2,500 years old. Buddha images represent the full enlightenment of a Buddha. The total omniscience and qualities of a Buddha is represented in any form of any Buddha (Chenresik, Tsongkapa, Tara, etc.). To see, feel, visualize, connect and remember any form of the Buddha plants seeds of enlightenment in one’s consciousness to be triggered open at a later date.”
Thank you Rinpoche and Martin for sharing.
buddha was born in Nepal
Amazing!
Its an interesting and informative article sharing with us. After reading this article I came to realise I have plenty to know. I get to understand a little much more knowledge of the Body of a Buddha. The details of the 32 marks and there are teachings of each mark. Most of the description of the marks, causes are new to me, such as long fingers and toes, soles of the feet are level, Buddha having hair from each pore and so forth. Great knowledge. Its a blessing just by looking at a image of a Buddha .
Thank you Rinpoche and Martin Chow for this GREAT sharing.
It had been taught and many of us, Buddhists, believe that it is a blessing to gaze at a Buddha image. This is the reason why benevolent beings would donate or sponsor the installation of huge Buddha images in prominent places for devotees to be blessed on sighting such holy images. It is also taught that huge Buddha images installed at high places would also bless the space with peace and harmony.
However to understand the holy 112 marks of the Buddha was never as clearly indicated as in this article. What impacted me with this learning is the teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha that all human beings can achieve Buddhahood if we try hard enough. This is shown as Shakyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood in the form of a human being.
As Martin has penned in this article, the Buddha not only taught us the Dharma but also manifested His teachings in a physical form.
With great appreciation to Rinpoche and Martin for this great education.
Simply interesting and educational write up in point form on the The Body of a Buddha: A Road Map to Liberation.? And the importance of self – discipline to hold our vows,commitments, actions, speech and mind in our spiritual practice in order to have the perfect qualities of the Buddha in our future lives. May i have the attitude to practice these perfect teachings from Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama to liberation and benefit others. Thank you very much Rinpoche and Martin for this wonderful article and hope for more great articles to come on the blog to benefit more people ?????