32 Marks of the Buddha
32 Marks of the Buddha
"32 Marks of the Buddha" are mentioned in the Lakkhana Sutta and are very cultural in origin. Gautama, the historical Buddha, liked to give new meaning to teachings that were already around in the Indian tradition, rather than preaching against them. The Lakkhana Sutta is a good example of this. The idea of the marks already existed as the list of the "32 Marks of a Superior Being." What the Buddha added was the teaching that each of these marks is the result of ethical action in the past. For instance, the wheel-mark on the foot comes from having "lived for the happiness of many, a dispeller of fright and terror, provider of lawful protection and shelter, and supplying all necessities." The 32 Marks of a Superior Being are: 1. He places his foot evenly on the floor 2. The soles of his feet are imprinted with wheels 3. He has projecting heels 4. He has long fingers and toes 5. He has soft and tender hands and feet 6. He has webbed hands and feet 7. He has arched feet 8. He has legs like an antelope 9. When he stands upright his hands reach down to his knees 10. His male organ is covered with a sheath 11. His complexion has a golden sheen 12. His skin is so smooth that no dust clings to it 13. Each hair on his skin grows from a single pore 14. The hair on his skin is blue-black, curly and turns at the end to the right 15. His limbs are straight like those of a god 16. There are seven convex surfaces on his body - four behind his limbs, two behind his shoulders and one behind his trunk 17. His torso is like that of a lion 18. The furrow between his shoulders is absent 19. His body is perfectly proportioned - the span of his arms is the same as his height 20. His neck and shoulders are evenly proportioned 21. His taste is exceptionally sensitive 22. His jaws are like those of a lion's 23. He has forty teeth 24. His teeth are even 25. There are no gaps in his teeth 26. His teeth are white and shining 27. He has a long tongue 28. He has a divine voice 29. He has deep blue eyes 30. He has eyelashes like those of an ox 31. He has soft white hair growing between his eyebrows 32. His head is shaped like a turban the two, are excellently smooth
