The Bodhisatta in Theravada Buddhism by Nico Moonen (best books to read now .TXT) 📖

    In his last life, the Bodhisatta was endowed with the 32 auspicious marks (lakkhana) of a Mahāpurisa. The literal meaning of the word Mahāpurisa is “Great Man”. It generally means a great, noble or excellent man. The knowledge of the 32 marks of a Mahāpurisa belongs to Brahmanical wisdom, and is enumerated in the mantras of the Veda. The concept of the Great Man is found already long before the time of the Buddha. These 32 marks are pre-Buddhistic; their history is not easily traceable.[146]

    For one endowed with the 32 Marks, endowed as a superman, there are only two ways open, two careers, namely that of a universal monarch (a wheel turner), or that of a Bodhisatta. If he lives the life of a householder, he becomes Lord of the Wheel, a righteous Lord of the Right, Ruler of the four quarters, conqueror, guardian of the people's good, owner of the seven treasures: the wheel treasure, the elephant, the horse, the jewel, the woman, the steward, the heir apparent. More than a thousand sons are his, heroes, vigorous of frame, crushers of the host of the enemy. He, when he has conquered this earth to its ocean bounds, is established not by the scourge, not by the sword, but by righteousness. But if he goes forth from his home to homelessness, he becomes an Arahant Buddha Supreme, rolling back the veil from the world.[147]

    These words do not mean that the Bodhisatta in his last existence can choose between these two ways, these two careers. He has no choice anymore. For he made the resolve to become a Buddha already long ago. He got the prediction from a living Buddha and he trained himself during many aeons. For him there is only one way open.[148]

    The 32 marks are:[149]

He has feet with level tread.

On the soles of his feet are wheels with a thousand spokes, complete with felloe and hub.

He has projecting heels.

He has long fingers and toes.

He has soft and tender hands and feet.

His hands and feet are net-like (or webbed).

He has high-raised ankles.

His legs are like an antelope’s.

Standing and without bending, he can touch and rub his knees with either hand.

His male organs are enclosed in a sheath.

His complexion is bright, the colour of gold.

His skin is delicate and so smooth that no dust can adhere to his body.

His body-hairs are separate, one to each pore.

His body-hairs grow upward, each one bluish-black like collyrium, curling in rings to the right.

His body is divinely straight (like that of Brahmā).

He has the seven convex surfaces. (The backs of the four limbs, the shoulders and the trunk are well-rounded).

The front part of his body is like a lion’s.

There is no hollow between his shoulders.

He is proportioned like a banyan-tree: the height of his body is the same as the span of his outstretched arms, and conversely.

His bust is evenly rounded.

He has a perfect sense of taste.

He has jaws like a lion’s.

He has forty teeth.[150]

His teeth are even.

There are no spaces between his teeth.

His canine teeth are very bright.

His tongue is very long.

He has a Brahmā-like voice, like that of the karavīka-bird.

His eyes are deep blue.

He has eyelashes like a cow’s.

The hair between his eyes is white and soft like cottondown.

His head is like a royal turban.

    Several of these marks could be said to point to deformities. In ancient times the priests probably explained away the deformities of children of well-to-do families by interpreting the deformities as marks of a great man. Having soles with wheels with a thousand spokes, or soles with quite a lot of wrinkles, is not normal. Having webbed fingers and toes is not normal. Long arms reaching down to the knees are not normal. Some say that having hair between the eyes points to incest. And if one has a head like a royal turban, one has an abnormal head. Another translation is that he has a bulge on the crown. That is not normal either.

    And mark no. 19 is so very normal that it doesn’t belong in this list of special marks. It also contradicts mark no. 9. Someone, who can touch his knees with his hands, has arms that are extremely long. The span of those stretched arms is more than the height of that person. Mark no. 19 possible means that the Mahāpurisa does not belong to the category of dwarfs.

    Some of these 32 marks cannot easily be seen; they are not special physical marks. The Buddha had a body like that of others. If the Buddha’s complexion was bright, the colour of gold, or if his arms were so long that he could touch his knees without bending, then he could have been distinguished easily among the group of monks. But there is another way of distingishing the Great Man. He is distinguished by his internal qualities. According to Ven. Wimalaratana the earliest notion of Mahāpurisa in the Pāli Canon can be traced to Sn. 1040-1042.[151] There the Venerable Tissametteyya asked:

“Who is contented here in the world?

For whom are there no commotions?

Who, knowing both ends, does not cling to the middle?

Whom do you call a great man?

Who has gone beyond the seamstress here?”

    And the Buddha replied:

“The bhikkhu who lives the holy life amidst sensual pleasures, with craving gone, always mindful, quenched after consideration, for him there are no commotions.

That thinker, knowing both ends, does not cling to the middle. Him I call a great man. He has gone beyond the seamstress here.”[152]

    The Great Man is also mentioned in the Dhammapada. In stanza 352 we find: “He who is without craving and grasping, who is skilled in etymology and terms, who knows the grouping of letters and their sequence, who is versed in the four kinds of analytical knowledge, - it is he who is called the bearer of the final body, one of profound wisdom, a great man (mahāpuriso).”[153]

    In the Lakkhana Sutta the Buddha explained the karmic reasons for the gaining of those marks of a Great Man. And he also explained their real meaning.[154] Some of these reasons are also mentioned in the Cūla-Kammavibhanga Sutta.[155] There, long life, health, beauty, influence, wealth, high birth and wisdom are mentioned as results of good actions. Special physical marks like net-like formations between the fingers, long arms, a head like a royal turban or a bulge on the crown, are not mentioned. Those bodily marks must therefore be regarded as later additions inserted to appeal to people’s beliefs in the past. In Buddhist iconography, however, they still play an important part. The deeper meaning of those marks is explained by the Buddha in the Lakkhana Sutta. It says that the Buddha is quoted as saying that a Great Man who becomes a Buddha has the following qualities:

        In former existences, being born as human being, he undertook mighty deeds to good purpose. He was unwavering in good conduct of body, speech and thought. He was generous, following the 5 and 8 rules of discipline. He honoured parents, ascetics and Brahmins and the head of the clan. He lived for the happiness of the many, as a dispeller of fright and terror. He was a provider of lawful protection and shelter, and supplied all necessities. He rejected the taking of life and abstained from it. He layed aside stick and sword and lived kind and compassionate. He had friendship and sympathy for all living beings. He was a giver of fine food, delicious and tasty, hard and soft, and of drinks. He made himself beloved through the four bases of sympathy: generosity, pleasing speech, beneficial conduct and impartiality. He became a speaker to the people about their welfare, about Dhamma, explaining this to people and being a bearer of welfare and happiness to beings, a dispenser of Dhamma. He became a skilled exponent of a craft, a science, a way of conduct or action. Arts and sciences, ways and deeds, he learned with ease. He learned fast the skills that harm no living beings. He asked: “What is good, what is bad, what is blameworthy and what is not? What will be to my lasting sorrow and harm, and what to my lasting happiness?” He lived without anger, perfectly unruffled; he was not abusive nor agitated, not wrathful or aggressive, displaying neither anger nor hatred nor resentment. But he was in the habit of giving away fine, soft rugs, cloaks, fine linen, cotton, silk and woollen stuffs. Established in good will, he gave gifts of clothing, soft and fine. He reunited those long-lost with relatives, friends and companions who had missed them. He reunited children with parents, brothers with sisters. Long-lost friends and relatives, companions too, he brought together, thus uniting them in joy. He considered the welfare of people and knew the nature of each. He knew what each one deserved. He desired the welfare of the many, their advantage, comfort, freedom from bondage, thinking how they might increase in faith, morality, learning, renunciation, in Dhamma, in wisdom, in wealth and possessions, in bipeds and quadrupeds, in wives and children, in servants, workers and helpers, in relatives, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. He was one who avoided harming beings by hand, by stones, stick or sword. Harming none, causing death to none, harmless he lived. He was accustomed not to look askance at people, not obliquely or furtively, but directly, openly and straight-forwardly, and with a kindly glance. He became the foremost in skilled behaviour, a leader in right action of body, speech and thought, in generosity, virtuous conduct, observance of fasts, in honouring father and mother, ascetics and Brahmins and the head of the clan, and in various other proper activities. He was intent on living righteously. He rejected false speech, put away lies and became a truth-speaker, reliable, not deceiving the world. He was true to his promise, sincere in speech, he shunned all lies. He rejected slander, abstained from it. He did not repeat there what he had heard here. Thus he was a reconciler of those at variance and an encourager of those at one, rejoicing in peace. He rejected harsh speech, abstained from it, spoke what was blameless, pleasing to the ear, agreeable, reaching to the heart, pleasing and attractive to the multitude. He rejected idle chatter, spoke at the right time, saying only what was correct and to the point, of Dhamma and discipline, and what was bound up with profit. He rejected wrong livelihood, lived by right livelihood, refraining from cheating with false weights and measures, from bribery and corruption, deception and insincerity, from wounding, killing, imprisoning, highway robbery, and taking goods by force. He gave up wrongful living and took a pure and righteous course. Harmful things he cast aside, working only for folk’s good.

    These activities he used to do frequently. He developed and enlarged them. Virtue’s fruit cannot be lost! And because of this good conduct in body, speech and thought, the Bodhisatta in his last existence will acquire the marks of a Great Man, namely:

    He will become the chief, foremost, highest, supreme among beings. No man greater will be found. He will quickly acquire whatever things benefit a Buddha. He will have great wisdom. Among all beings there will be none equal to him or superior to him in wisdom. He will receive clothes of the finest quality. He will suffer little distress or sickness; his digestion will be good. He will be equable and tolerant of exertion. He will be long-lived; nobody will be able to take his life. He will receive fine food and drinks. He