I know. It is nonetheless relevant as a response to the claim that the Buddha doesn't describe himself as a mahāpurisa.
Buddha's skin colour
- Dhammanando
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Re: Buddha's skin colour
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.
In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.
In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
Re: Buddha's skin colour
Great wisdom of mahapurisa and the 32 marks of mahapurisa are certainly not the same mahapurisa. The Buddha does not in the text describe himself as the mahapurisa with 32 marks.Dhammanando wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:38 amI know. It is nonetheless relevant as a response to the claim that the Buddha doesn't describe himself as a mahāpurisa.
- Dhammanando
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Re: Buddha's skin colour
They certainly are, for in the Vassakārasutta the first of the four features of a great man of great wisdom includes the words, "... is one who has established the manyfolk in the ariyan method" (bahussa janatā ariye ñāye patiṭṭhāpitā). This is a descriptor that is only ever applied to Sammāsambuddhas.
That being so, the only difference between mahāpurisa in the Vassakārasutta and mahāpurisa in (some of) the thirty-two marks contexts is that in the former it it is a term for Sammāsambuddhas alone, while in the latter it may denote either Sammāsambuddhas or Wheel-turning Monarchs.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.
In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.
In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
Re: Buddha's skin colour
Another difference is: in the latter the Buddha does not say he is the mahapurisa (with 32 marks).Dhammanando wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:37 pmThey certainly are, for in the Vassakārasutta the first of the four features of a great man of great wisdom includes the words, "... is one who has established the manyfolk in the ariyan method" (bahussa janatā ariye ñāye patiṭṭhāpitā). This is a descriptor that is only ever applied to Sammāsambuddhas.
That being so, the only difference between mahāpurisa in the Vassakārasutta and mahāpurisa in (some of) the thirty-two marks contexts is that in the former it it is a term for Sammāsambuddhas alone, while in the latter it may denote either Sammāsambuddhas or Wheel-turning Monarchs.
Re: Buddha's skin colour
Knowing what we know now, such as DNA and all that good stuff, it makes perfect sense...I haven't seen Indians with "forty teeth", but I've seen enough with "blue eyes" to convince me...it's about connecting the dots...we're not talking the whole of India, but just a small number of Indians who still resemble their Aryan forefathers...Mr Man wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2017 11:11 amHi Kusala
Really try and think about this. What you have said does not make sense at all.
What you have said is -
Kusala has seen "quite a few high caste Indians with blue or green eyes" and because of that "it makes perfect sense that the historical Buddha, who belonged to the ruling elite would have blue eyes."
How does that make sense?
The late Indian actor, Raj Kapoor
His granddaughter
Northern Indian toddler
Blue eyed Sadhu
The Buddha's charioteer, Channa, looks pretty similar to the Sadhu pictured above, don't you think?
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
Re: Buddha's skin colour
Most adults have 32 teeth. Among these teeth are 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, and 12 molars (including 4 wisdom teeth). Most people have a complete set of adult teeth by the time they reach their teenage years.
- cappuccino
- Posts: 12879
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- Contact:
Re: Buddha's skin colour
his skin was the color of skin
his blood was the color of blood
his bones were the color of bones
his blood was the color of blood
his bones were the color of bones
Re: Buddha's skin colour
I get what you're saying... people tend to make assumptions when discussing the appearance of the Buddha. The Buddha was from ancient Nepal, so they automatically assume that he'd look like the people from there. Human beings have been moving to different parts of the globe since recorded history.cappuccino wrote: ↑Fri Mar 23, 2018 7:14 am his skin was the color of skin
his blood was the color of blood
his bones were the color of bones
Take, for instance, these people are all from China, but they don't look like they're from China.
Buddhist history is complex...
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
Re: Buddha's skin colour
I know. I was poking fun of the maha purisa lakkhaṇa(32 marks of a great man). Unless the Buddha was some kind of mutant, the maha purisa lakkhana is pretty much just myth. As for the "blue eyes", there might be some truth to it. This is due the fact that the Aryans invaded/migrated to India and passed on their genes. We see it in some Indians today. For instance, this Brahmin lady:
Genetics carries more weight than just some ancient texts...
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
Re: Buddha's skin colour
Golden skin is mentioned not only among 32 characteristics, but also in Vinaya gold is actually defined as something being the color of the Buddha:
(NP18; BD, 2.103)
What concerns blue eyes, it is said "nīla", which can mean any dark color. In Myanmar language nīla is actually translated as black (e.g. nila kasina is understood there as black kasina).
Gold (jātarūpa) means: it is called the colour of the teacher (satthuvaṇṇa).
(NP18; BD, 2.103)
What concerns blue eyes, it is said "nīla", which can mean any dark color. In Myanmar language nīla is actually translated as black (e.g. nila kasina is understood there as black kasina).
-
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Re: Buddha's skin colour
Based on what my Nepalese friend told me, it is actually not uncommon for people in the northern indian subcontinent region to have blue eyes or light skin.
"Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism" - the 14th Dalai Lama
"The Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by brahmins, devas, Maras, Brahmas or anyone in the cosmos." -Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
"The Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by brahmins, devas, Maras, Brahmas or anyone in the cosmos." -Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta