The signs of a Mahapurusha are there, including the prominent Ushanisha (protuberance at top of the head), elongated earlobes and trinali (three lines) mark on the neck. His body is slim and slender. The eyes are half-closed and are inward-looking in meditation. The facial expression is calm, expressing compassion and serenity. His hair is arranged in small tight curls.
The Sakyamuni was born in the Lumbini garden (Nepal) in 563 B.C. and was given the name Siddharth. His father king Suddhodana was the ruler of the Shakya Republic of Kapilvastu. His mother queen Mahamaya died seven days after his birth. Siddharth showed meditative bent of mind from his childhood. He was married at sixteen to Yasodhara and had a son, Rahula. At the age of 29 years he relinquished the worldly life and went to the forest, meditated as a hermit for six years to search for the truth behind the nature of suffering. Siddhartha finally attained enlightenment and became Buddha at the age of 35 in Bodhgaya. Subsequently, he spread the law of Dhamma among the suffering beings till his Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar (U. P.) in 483 B.C. at the age of eighty.
Ref.
D. L. Snellgrove, The Image of the Buddha, New Delhi, 1978.
A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962.
A. Waddell, Buddhism and Lamaism of Tibet, New Delhi, 1978 (reprint).
This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (from its inception to 8th century A.D)."
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist