Buddha's 32 marks of a Great Man

According to the Brahmayu Suttanta, it was said that Buddha possessed all 32 Marks of a Great Man. And Buddha revealed His private male organ by means of Supernormal Power to the Brahmin Brahmayu. After seeing the male private part of the Buddha and confirmed it as one of the 32 marks, Brahmayu at once acquires great faith in the Buddha. It seems only the Buddha can pull this trick safely but not others.

But I read some where else that even the elder Mahakassapa possessed some of the marks similar to Lord Buddha.

asimitha-budhu-guna-bala

Are there any other Suttas or gathas mentioned about the 32 marks? Did Atthakatha mentioned how to acquire them?

2 Likes

Yes, indeed many suttas mention the 32 mahāpurisa lakkhanās…

Lakkhana sutta, Dhīgha Nikāya 30 is the most precise on the topic.
Each mark is detailed, with the kamma previously done, peculiar to it.
The Brahmins like in Brahmayu were aware of these marks because the devas in the realms of anāgāmi (suddhavāsa) when they understood the arrival of a Buddha was going to happen, teach it to the Brahmins.

It is mentioned in the sutta nipāta atthakathā, when the Bodhisattva was born, his father the king Suddhodana was aware, that his son was very special, with many miracles and marvelous things around his birth.
He then conveyed 8 of his most clever and learned Brahmin to announce what was his destiny.

All the first 7, seing the 32 marks of a great man, announced he had two possibilities: he will become an universal monarch if staying at home or a Buddha if he goes forth…

But the young Brahmin, the youngest and most clever, who later became the Venerable AññāKondañña could announce he had only one course, he will become a Buddha without any other options, it is said because the mark (a hair) on his front was in a certain sense.
The sons of the others Brahmins were the 4 other ascetics who followed the Prince Siddattha when he renounced the world and started 6 years of hardship… They became the pañcavaggiya bhikkhū.

1 Like

Have you looked at DN 30

Dīghanikāyo

Pāthikavaggapāḷi|

7. Lakkhaṇasuttaṃ

If you are very into Buddha vandana, you can try this link:
Mahā Namakkārapāḷi
The Great Reverence Text

This is actually the Pa-Auk chanting book and Mahā Namakkāra is chanted daily at night. It was generically named because the editing and approval process was taking years. Since there is no copyright, we simply published under a generic name and shipped 1500 large format copies to Myanmar. Sadhu for Ven Anandajoti for kindly translating a few more works not included in his original chanting book and organizing his own works to match Pa-Auk.

1 Like

Very long indeed.

I will just stick to “Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammasambuddhassa” :pray:t2:

1 Like

You have to read it a few times (in pāḷi) before you realize the genius of the poetic work. You also have to read it correctly according to the pronunciation-timing to appreciate how great it is.

1 Like

I believe its possible and even common for people to have some of the marks. But only a cakkavatti or a sammasambuddha can have all 32 marks. A sammasambuddha will also have the 80(?) minor marks as well i believe.

5 Likes

Do all cakkavatti have all 32 marks? Or only Sammasambuddhas? Are the 80 minor marks mentioned in the suttas? Do all Sammasambuddhas naturally look better and shine brighter than all brahmas and devas?

1 Like

I found the answer to my own question.

That venerable one, it seems, saw a figure of the Enlightened One created
by Mára. He thought, “How good this appears despite its having greed, hate
and delusion! What can the Blessed One’s goodness have been like? For he was
quite without greed, hate and delusion!” He acquired happiness with the Blessed
One as object, and by augmenting his insight he reached Arahantship.
Visuddhimagga Page 224

Athassa puratthimakāyato suvaṇṇavaṇṇā ghanabuddharasmiyo uṭṭhahitvā asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ aggahesuṃ, tathā pacchimakāyato dakkhiṇapassato vāmapassato suvaṇṇavaṇṇā ghanabuddharasmiyo uṭṭhahitvā asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ aggahesuṃ, uparikesantato paṭṭhāya sabbakesāvaṭṭehi moragīvarājavaṇṇā asitā ghanabuddharasmiyo uṭṭhahitvā gaganatale asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ aggahesuṃ, heṭṭhāpādatalehi pavāḷavaṇṇā rasmiyo uṭṭhahitvā ghanapathaviyaṃ asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ aggahesuṃ, dantato akkhīnaṃ setaṭṭhānato, nakhānaṃ maṃsavimuttaṭṭhānato odātā ghanabuddharasmiyo uṭṭhahitvā asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ aggahesuṃ, rattapītavaṇṇānaṃ sambhinnaṭṭhānato mañjeṭṭhavaṇṇā rasmiyo uṭṭhahitvā asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ aggahesuṃ, sabbatthakameva pabhassarā rasmiyo uṭṭhahiṃsu. Evaṃ samantā asītihatthaṭṭhānaṃ chabbaṇṇā buddharasmiyo vijjotamānā vipphandamānā vidhāvamānā kañcanadaṇḍadīpikādīhi niccharitvā ākāsaṃ pakkhandamānā mahāpadīpajālā viya, cātuddīpikamahāmeghato nikkhantavijjulatā viya ca disodisaṃ pakkhandiṃsu. Yāhi sabbe disābhāgā suvaṇṇacampakapupphehi vikiriyamānā viya, suvaṇṇaghaṭato suvaṇṇarasadhārāhi āsiñciyamānā viya, pasāritasuvaṇṇapaṭaparikkhittā viya, verambhavātena samuddhatakiṃsukakaṇikārakoviḷārapupphacuṇṇasamokiṇṇā viya, cīnapiṭṭhacuṇṇasamparirañjitā viya ca virociṃsu.

Bhagavatopi asītianubyañjanabyāmappabhāparikkhepasamujjalaṃ dvattiṃsamahāpurisalakkhaṇappaṭimaṇḍitaṃ sarīraṃ abbhamahikādiupakkilesavimuttaṃ samujjalantatārakāvabhāsitaṃ viya, gaganatalaṃ vikasitaṃ viya padumavanaṃ, sabbapāliphullo viya yojanasatiko pāricchattako, paṭipāṭiyā ṭhapitānaṃ dvattiṃsasūriyānaṃ dvattiṃsacandimānaṃ dvattiṃsacakkavattīnaṃ dvattiṃsadevarājānaṃ dvattiṃsamahābrahmānaṃ siriyā siriṃ abhibhavamānaṃ viya virocittha, yathā taṃ dasahi pāramīhi dasahi upapāramīhi dasahi paramatthapāramīhīti sammadeva paripūritāhi samatiṃsapāramitāhi alaṅkataṃ kappasatasahassādhikāni cattāri asaṅkhyeyyāni dinnena dānena rakkhitena sīlena katena kalyāṇakammena ekasmiṃ attabhāve samosaritvā vipākaṃ dātuṃ okāsaṃ alabhamānena sambādhappattaṃ viya nibbattitaṃ nāvāsahassabhaṇḍaṃ ekaṃ nāvaṃ āropanakālo viya, sakaṭasahassabhaṇḍaṃ ekaṃ sakaṭaṃ āropanakālo viya, pañcavīsatiyā gaṅgānaṃ sambhinnamukhadvāre ekato rāsibhūtakālo viya ahosi.

Translated by ChatGPT

From the eastern body, the golden-colored rays of light, dense and Buddha-like, rose and extended to the eighty-fold range. Similarly, from the western body, golden-colored rays, dense and Buddha-like, extended to the eighty-fold range, as did the rays from the southern and northern body. From the upper part of the body, the rays of light, resembling peacock feathers and lotus flowers, extended to the eighty-fold range. From the lower part of the body, the rays of light, resembling coral, extended to the eighty-fold range. From the teeth, white rays extended to the eighty-fold range, and from the nails, white rays also extended to the same range. From the red and yellow-colored parts, rays resembling the color of a blue lotus extended to the eighty-fold range. Throughout all directions, radiant rays of light extended equally.

Thus, in all directions, rays of light, six-colored, Buddha-like, shining, flickering, and moving as if they were golden staves, appeared in the sky, shining like a great torch or like the lightning from a great cloud, illuminating all directions. They shone as if spreading from golden campaka flowers, or like a golden vessel pouring out golden nectar, or like a golden cloth spread out, or like a mixture of flowers soaked in the ocean spray, or like a mixture of powdered silk from China.

The Blessed One, too, with his body adorned with the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks, shining with the radiance of the Buddha, was resplendent and free from defilements. His body, shining like a star, or blooming like the lotus in the sky, or like the full moon or the sun in the sky, or like the pinnacle of Mount Meru, appeared radiant and surpassing all. It shone with such splendor, surpassing that of thirty-two suns, thirty-two moons, thirty-two wheels, thirty-two deva kings, and thirty-two great Brahmas.

Thus, he was adorned with the perfections of ten paramis, ten upaparamis, and ten ultimate perfections, perfected and completed by these perfections, shining like the splendid fulfillment of all paramis through countless eons. This radiance was like a single boat with thousands of loads, or a single cart with thousands of loads, or like the confluence of twenty-five rivers at their junction.

Aṭṭhakathā Suttapiṭaka (aṭṭhakathā) Khuddakanikāya (aṭṭhakathā) Udāna-aṭṭhakathā 8. Pāṭaligāmiyavaggo

Imāya buddharasmiyā obhāsamānassapi bhagavato purato anekāni daṇḍadīpikāsahassāni ukkhipiṃsu, tathā pacchato vāmapasse dakkhiṇapasse. Jātisumanacampakavanamālikārattuppalanīluppalabakulasinduvārādipupphāni ceva nīlapītādivaṇṇasugandhagandhacuṇṇāni ca cātuddīpikamahaāmeghavissaṭṭhā salilavuṭṭhiyo viya vippakiriṃsu. Pañcaṅgikatūriyanigghosā ceva buddhadhammasaṅghaguṇapaṭisaṃyuttā thutighosā ca sabbā disā pūrayamānā mukharā viya akaṃsu. Devasupaṇṇanāgayakkhagandhabbamanussānaṃ akkhīni amatapānaṃ viya labhiṃsu. Imasmiṃ pana ṭhāne ṭhatvā padasahassehi gamanavaṇṇaṃ vattuṃ vaṭṭati. Tatridaṃ mukhamattaṃ (ma. ni. aṭṭha. 2.22; udā. aṭṭha. 76) –

"Even with the radiance of the Buddha shining forth,

In front of him, countless thousands of torches were lifted,

Similarly behind him, on the left and right sides.

Flowers of various kinds, such as jasmine, lotus, and other fragrant blossoms,

And powders of colors like blue, yellow, and others,

Spread and filled the space like the rain from a great cloud.

The sounds of five-stringed instruments and praises,

Associated with the qualities of the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha,

Filled all directions with their reverberation,

Like a great uproar.

The eyes of gods, Suvaṇṇas, Nāgas, Yakkhas, and humans

Received an experience like drinking ambrosia.

Here, at this place,

It is fitting to describe the characteristics of the Buddha’s walking in thousands of steps.

This is the essential point.”

1 Like