Physical characteristics of a buddha

One of the first representations of the Buddha, 1st-2nd century CE, Greco-Buddhist art, Gandhara.

Physical characteristics of a buddha - all buddhas are said to possess the following physical characteristics:

• Mahapurusalaksana - thirty-two major marks of a great man
• Minor marks of a great person - eighty minor marks

Within Buddhist cosmology, these thirty-two major marks and eighty minor marks are physical attributes possessed by both buddhas and chakravartins.

However, according to Gateway to Knowledge, the major and minor marks of a buddha are superior to those of a chakravartin, in that the marks on a buddha are more clear and distinct. Also, a buddha has a few marks that are not found on the chakravartin, such as the protuberance on the crown of a buddha's head.

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Mipham Rinpoche (2002), Gateway to Knowledge, vol. III, translated by Kunsang, Erik Pema, Rangjung Yeshe Publications 

External links

• Physical characteristics of the Buddha, Wikipedia