In Search of Ideology
Attributes of the Buddha Statue
Unified Silla Dynasty was influenced by the development of international Buddha statue from India to the countries bordering on Western China. So things such as the balance of the body proportions, detailed descriptions and volume of face, and body, realistic clothing textures shows the peack of the Buddha Statue.
Generally it is said that Buddha contains "The 32 Signs of a Great Man" and the additional "80 Secondary Characteristics". These are special physical attributes of the typical Buddha statue shared all over the world. Also several physical non-human attributes represent the nature of the Buddha such as “The All-Knowing”, “The All-Seeing”, “The All-Hearing”. The same physical attributes of the Buddha, and meanings in to it are ubiquitous, and thus help the people communicate better with the same religion.
The 32 major characteristics are
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Level feet
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Thousand-spoked wheel sign on feet
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Long, slender fingers
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Pliant hands and feet
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Toes and fingers finely webbed
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Full-sized heels
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Arched insteps
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Thighs like a royal stag
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Hands reaching below the knees
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Well-retracted male organ
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Height and stretch of arms equal
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Every hair-root dark colored
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Body hair graceful and curly
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Golden-hued body
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Ten-foot aura around him
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Soft, smooth skin
17. Soles, palms, shoulders, and crown of head well-rounded
18. Area below armpits well-filled
19. Lion-shaped body
20. Body erect and upright
21. Full, round shoulders
22. Forty teeth
23. Teeth white, even, and close
24. Four canine teeth pure white
25. Jaw like a lion
26. Saliva that improves the taste of all food
27. Tongue long and broad
28. Voice deep and resonant
29. Eyes dark brown or deep blue
30. Eyelashes like a royal bull
31. White ūrṇā curl that emits light between eyebrows
32. Fleshy protuberance on the crown of the head
A few non-human characteristics
“The All-Knowing”: The Bump of Knowledge; the uppermost bump at the head of a Lord Buddha statue. This symbolizes spiritual wisdom and a fully-developed top chakra. Chakras are believed to be centers of the body which a person can collect energy. This bump is typically covered with spiral shaped curls of hair that symbolize enlightenment.
“The All-Seeing”: The Urna, commonly translated as the third-eye, is a circular dot positioned in between the eyebrows of a Buddha statue. It is viewed as an auspicious mark and symbol of the Buddhas enlightenment; his ability to see past our mundane universe of suffering and see the true nature of the world. Legend also says that Buddha had one strand of white hair in the center of his forehead, from which emitted rays of light to enlighten the world. Some traditions believe the location of the Urna is the sixth chakra – center of energy and wheel of light.
“The All-Hearing”: As the art of Buddha sculpture evolved, superhuman characteristics became standard traits carved into the Buddha image. Among them are webbed fingers, very long arms, and long earlobes. The elongated ears are typically present in any given Buddha statue. This is an expression of the highest degree of respect. Long earlobes came to be a symbol of all who achieves enlightenment.
