Subject: Signs of a Great Man | 32 & 80
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Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:02:14 +0100

The Signs of a Great
Man

Introduction
Today's lecture comes from a
sutta in the Diigha Nikaaya, the long-discourses of the Buddha, and
its called the 'Lakkhana Sutta' (D.iii.142ff.). The word 'lakkha.na'
means 'a sign' or a 'mark' -- and in fact its about the special
features of the Buddha's body that distinguish him from
unenlightened beings like you or me. Perhaps you can imagine some of
the things you see on a Buddha image which are different from people
in general? In fact there are many distinguishing features of the
Buddha -- and this lecture will deal with what they are and the
benefits of having them -- because they are not just for
decoration!

There are many Buddhists who wonder about how the
Buddha could be born and immediately walk seven paces and talk. It
would be rather hard to explain if he were like you or me. The truth
of the situation is that bodily speaking the Buddha was not like we
are today -- his body had many special features. Even from the time
he was conceived, he sat for meditation in the womb (rather than
being curled up like a normal embryo) and was therefore born feet
first. His body was built in such a sturdy way, that he was like a
'knock down' toy which would stand up again no matter how he fell.
In fact it was not only the Buddha who was like this -- his disciple
Sivali was also the same.

There are 32 two main features
[lakkha.na] which distinguish the Buddha and 80 sub-features
[anubya~njana]. You have to look at all of them in order to
understand all the features you see on a Buddha image. Such features
allow us to realize that we are all hideously disfigured by
comparison, even the Miss Worlds and Mr. Universes amongst us. Such
features allow the Buddha to pursue perfection much more easily than
us who cannot even sit for meditation for an hour without beginning
to feel aches and pains. In fact the features of the Buddha are the
ideal for the human, but in our present day and age we have become
deformed by comparison and that is why it is less convenient for us
to meditate or do other good works. Let us take a look first at each
of the thirty-two main marks of the Buddha:

Main 32 Signs
[lakkha.na mahaapurisa 32]

supati.t.thapaado: feet with a
level sole (the Buddha would have an even pace -- not like those
who wear down their shoes unevenly -- such a sole would spread the
weight of His body evenly)

he.t.thapaadatalesuu cakkani
jaataani: 1,000 spoked wheel marks on soles (such marks
would make the Buddha's hands and feet infinitely flexible --
unlike our hands and feet which can flex only in one or two
directions because there are only two or three lines on our
palms)

aayatapa.nhi: projecting heels--
the heels were not round in shape but more oval (spreads weight
and gives extra leverage for strength to the foot)

diigha"ngulii: literally this means
big fingers, but in fact it refers to the fingers & toes of
the Buddha being of even length (makes the hands and feet very
strong by comparison to our own for whom all our fingers and toes
are of different lengths)

mudutalahatthapaado: hands &
feet soft skinned (this is not to say that the Buddha was not
strong. Normally we associate hunks of taut muscle with strength
-- but also soft flesh can be full of muscles)

jaalahatthapaado: netlike lines on
palms and soles (this is similar to no.2 -- it allows the feet and
hands to be infinitely flexible -- it is not people of ancient
times who had such a feature -- even Kuhn Yay Thongsuk Samdaengpan
had such a feature on her hands which perhaps explains why she was
so resiliant, even at a senior age when travelling to give
teachings around the country)

ussa"nkhapaado: high raised ankles
(this feature is similar to the way the legs of a horse are built
-- it gives exceptional strength, leverage and agility to the
leg)

e.nimigasadisaja"ngho: taught calf
muscles like antelope (again this explains why the Buddha could be
so strong -- because his legs were strong like those of an
antelope -- rather than being flacid like those of a
buffalo)

.thitako va anonamanto: even
standing without bending down, the Buddha could touch his knees
(such proportions for a person are in fact the ideal -- not like
Asians who have a long body but short legs or at the other extreme
negros and caucasians who have a long body and long legs)

kosohitavatthguyho: sexual organs
concealed by sheath (the advantage of this is not to risk bringing
offence to anyone even when naked)

suva.n.nava.n.n.o: bright
golden-coloured complexion (such golden skin has the advantage of
being sensitive to the touch)

sukhumacchavii: skin so fine no
dust can attach (this is unlike the rough skin of a reptile to
which all manner of dirt attaches. In fact the Buddha managed to
achieve what women and sportsmen still try to achieve, but without
all the effort!)

ekekalomo: body hair separate with
one hair per pore (not like some people who have whole tufts of
hair coming from each pore).

uddhaggalomo: bluish body hair
curls clockwise

brahmujugatto: upright stance like
a god (such a stance gives an exceptional sense of balance and a
firm stance)

sattussado: flesh undinted and
convex in seven places (these seven places comprise: the back of
the hands [2], the upper side of the feet [2], the shoulders [2]
and the neck [1])

siihapubba.d.dhakaayo: lion-like
chest (such a chest allows strong breathing and better metabolism
than a normal person)

piitantara.mso: flesh on back
undinted (not like some people whose back looks like
fishbones)

nigrodhaparima.n.dalo: equal
distance hand-to-hand & head-to-toe (such a proportion allows
one to sit comfortably for meditation, without one's legs sticking
out)

samva.d.dakkhandho: neck rounded
and smooth (the shape of the Buddha's neck was perfect like a tube
or organ pipe and is the reason for the melodious voice he
had)

rasaggasaggii: sensative taste-buds
(allows one to pick up the nutrients from even the poorest of
foods and is why the Buddha could survive for 49 days on seven
lumps of rice after his enlightenment or during the time when he
had to spend his rainy-season in a place where there was
famine)

siihahanu: lion-like jaw (such a
jaw is necessary to accommodate the 40 teeth of mark 23.)

cattaa.liisadanto: 40 teeth (most
people have only 32 teeth and normally some are missing too. Such
a set of forty teeth is permanent throughout life -- not like ours
which change from milk teeth > adult teeth > false
teeth!)

samadanto: evenly-spaced
teeth

avira.ladanto: gapless teeth

sukkadanto: crystal canine teeth.
Some people ask how when, as we sometimes find in the scriptures,
the Buddha and Ananda are walking along, how Ananda could know
that the Buddha has noticed something and is smiling about it.
Normally, Ananda would walk directly behind the Buddha, but the
reason he could know that the Buddha was smiling is because even
just the parting of his lips, light would eminate from his canine
teeth)

pahutajivho: large, long tongue
(large enough to cover his whole face and long enough to lick ears
-- contributes to melodious sound of the Buddha and accommodates
exceptional tastebuds)

brahmassaro hiravikabhaa.nii:
god-like voice (this is a particularly melodious sort of voice --
collective fruit of the shape of his neck, teeth and tongue -- not
like a person who is having problems with their teeth)

abhiniilanetto: bluish-black
eyes

gopamukho: eyes innocent like a
calf

u.n.naa loma bhamukantare jaataa:
white cotton-wool soft wisp of hair in centre of brow
(Indians respect this very highly and if they don't have one will
draw one in as a 'caste mark')

u.nahiissiiso: brow & face,
especially the join between the two, are excellently smooth

Even having studied the thirty-two signs of a
great man, we find that they are not enough to explain all the
things we see on the Buddha image. What is missing is the following
eighty sub-characteristics:

80 Sub-characteristics
[anubyañjana]

beautiful fingers and toes

well-proportioned fingers and toes

tube-shaped fingers and toes

finger- and toenails have rosy tint

finger- and toenails slightly upturned at tip
(elegant)

finger- and toenails smooth & rounded without
ridges (not like ours which have lines and rough parts)

ankles and wrists rounded and undinted (you don't
see the bones)

both feet equal (left and right feet are the
same)

gait beautiful like a king-elephant

gait stately like king-lion

gait beautiful like that of a swan

gait majestic like royal ox

right foot leads when walking (not just a habit,
but automatic for him)

knees have no (visible) kneecaps (thus there are
know kneecaps to be painful when meditating)

comportment of a great man

navel without blemish

deep-shaped abdomen

clockwise marks on abdomen (sometimes represented
as a swastika on the chest of the Buddha)

thighs rounded like banana sheaf (like a Burmese
pagoda)

both arms shaped like elephant's trunk (but
without the wrinkles)

lines on palms have rosy tint

skin is thick or thin as it should be

skin unwrinkled

body spotless and without lumps

body unblemished above and below

body absolutely free of impurities

strength of 1,000 crore elephants or 100,000
crore men (Perhaps you have heard the story of when as a boy the
Buddha found an elephant carcase which had been left lying at the
side of the path by Devadatta, and which had been cleared to one
side by Ananda? Even as a child he could without trouble throw it
over the wall by its trunk)

protruding nose (more like an Aryan than an
Asian)

nose well-proportioned

upper & lower lips equal in size and have
rosy-tint

teeth unblemished and with no plaque

teeth long like polished conch

teeth smooth and unridged

all five sense-organs are unblemished

all four canine teeth are crystal and
rounded

face long and beautiful

radiant cheeks

lines on palms are deep

lines on palms are long

lines on palms are straight

lines on palms are have rosy-tint

body has halo of light extending around him for
two metres

cheek cavity is fully rounded and smooth

well-proportioned eyelids

five nerves of eyes unblemished (it is said that
his eyesight was exceptionally good -- he could distinguish a
mustard seed in the dark at a distance of 16 kilometres)

tips of bodily hair neither curved nor
bent

rounded tongue

tongue soft and with rosy-tint

ears long like lotus petals (long -- but not so
long as depicted in some Buddha images where they flap down over
the shoulders)

earholes beautifully rounded

sinews and tendons don't stick out
anywhere

sinews and tendons deeply embedded in
flesh

topknot is like a crown

forehead well-proportioned in length and
breadth

forehead rounded and beautiful

eyebrows arched like a bow

fine hair on eyebrows

hair of eyebrows lies flat (not like the hair in
other places which sticks up)

large brows

brows reach outward corner of eyes

skin fine throughout body

whole body abundant with (signs of)
fortune

body always radiant

body always refreshed like a lotus flower

body exquisitely sensative to touch

scent of body like sandalwood

all bodily hair consistent (not in tufts or of
different lengths)

fine bodily hair

breath always fine

mouth always beautiful like a smile

scent of mouth like a lotus flower (not only the
Buddha but also many of his disciples -- not like some people who
have to use special products such as Listerine to take the
unpleasant smell away)

hair has the colour of a dark shadow

hair is strongly scented

hair has the scent of a white lotus

curled hair (his hair would always stay the right
length for a monk without him having to shave it)

hair doesn't turn grey

fine hair

untangled hair

hair with long curls

topknot is as if crowned with flower garland (You
have to distinguish with a Buddha image what you are looking at --
whether it is the physical body of the Buddha which has a topknot
like a garland or whether it is the Body of Enlightenment
[dhammakaaya] of the Buddha which also has lotus bud on the
topknot.)

Sometimes in Dhammakaya Temple, newcomers are
curious why the Buddha images are not the same as in other places.
In fact, they don't need to be curious, because in Dhammakaya
Temple, the Buddha images conform very strictly to what is found in
the Lakkha.na Sutta, rather than just following the sculptor's
imagination or the traditional interpretation of proportions. Even
in Thailand, the proportions change in popularity from one era to
another -- in Japan, the Buddha images look like a Japanese; in
China the Buddha images look Chinese; in Tibet, they look like a
Tibetan. Sometime the Buddhas have flames or spikes coming out of
their heads which are hardly scripturally supported.

All
these details are quite interesting for us to know -- how the Buddha
is different. We can compare ourselves with the Buddha and it will
help to prevent us from becoming enamoured with our own bodies which
we can see are clearly deformed by comparison with the Buddha image.
We are 'nothing' if compared to all the signs of auspiciousness
which the Buddha had on his body. It is also useful for us to know
about the extra convenience these special features of the body
bring, in facilitating our pursuit of perfection. It can be
encouragement when we find we are in pain when we have to sit for
meditation for a long time -- if we cannot manage as much as we like
to, we can know it is a limitation coming from lack of good deeds in
comparison to those of the Buddha (and be quick to make up for
them!)

However, perhaps what is more interesting than all of
these is 'how' the Buddha earned these thirty-two marks. This
subject is the topic of a subsequent lecture which deals with
the special good deeds cultivated by the Buddha to achieve each of
these thirty-two signs.

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Last Update:
5/7/2002