page_title: Physical characteristics of the Buddha
section_title: The 32 Signs of a Great Man
hierarchical_section_title: Physical characteristics of the Buddha / The 32 Signs of a Great Man
caption_attribution_description: Photographed by Mark Evans (uploader) in November 2005 with a Nikon Coolpix 5200. Photo is of paintings of eyes on the top of the Kumbum in Gyantse, Tibet. Removed from the following pages: en:Kumbum --OrphanBot 09:24, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
context_page_description: There are no extant representations of the Buddha represented in artistic form until roughly the 2nd century CE, partly due to the prominence of aniconism in the earliest extant period of Buddhist devotional statuary and bas reliefs. A number of early discourses describe the appearance of the Buddha, and are believed to have served as a model for early depictions. In particular, the "32 signs of a Great Man" are described throughout the Pali Canon, and these are believed to have formed the basis for early representations of the Buddha. These 32 major characteristics are also supplemented by another 80 secondary characteristics.
  In Mahāyāna Buddhism, including the traditions of Esoteric Buddhism, the 32 major characteristics and 80 minor characteristics are understood to be present in a buddha's sambhogakāya, or reward-body. In contrast, a buddha's physical form is understood to be a nirmāṇakāya, or transformation-body.
context_section_description: The Buddha is traditionally regarded as having the Thirty-two Characteristics of a Great Man (Skt. mahāpuruṣa lakṣaṇa). These thirty-two characteristics are also regarded as being present in cakravartin kings as well.
  The Digha Nikaya, in the "Discourse of the Marks" (Pali: Lakkhaṇa Sutta) (DN 30) enumerates and explains the 32 characteristics. These are also enumerated in the Brahmāyu Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya (MN 91).
  The 32 major characteristics are:
  Level feet
  Thousand-spoked wheel sign on feet
  Long, slender fingers
  Pliant hands and feet
  Toes and fingers finely webbed
  Full-sized heels
  Arched insteps
  Thighs like a royal stag
  Hands reaching below the knees
  Well-retracted male organ
  Height and stretch of arms equal
  Every hair-root dark colored
  Body hair graceful and curly
  Golden-hued body
  Ten-foot aura around him
  Soft, smooth skin
  Soles, palms, shoulders, and crown of head well-rounded
  Area below armpits well-filled
  Lion-shaped body
  Body erect and upright
  Full, round shoulders
  Forty teeth
  Teeth white, even, and close
  Four canine teeth pure white
  Jaw like a lion
  Saliva that improves the taste of all food
  Tongue long and broad
  Voice deep and resonant
  Eyes deep blue
  Eyelashes like a royal bull
  White ūrṇā curl that emits light between eyebrows
  Fleshy protuberance on the crown of the head
caption: Tibetan art representing the blue eyes of the Buddha
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