The way to discriminate a statue whether Buddha or not
There are some arguments when Buddha was born and dead. His birth is thought as from B.C. 7th to B.C. 5 and it is said he died at eighty. After his passing away, people had worshiped his bones, stupa(tomb), and footprints as a religious object for decades. Beefing up as a religion, the leaders of Buddhism designed new things of an idol, for replacing Buddha’s belongings. That was the origin of Buddha statue.
But most of them didn’t know his physical feature as time had too much gone by and made up Buddha statue with idealization and imagination. In the process, they decided the thirty-two big and the eighty tiny common features of Buddha statue, “Sanjuni-so Hachiju-shuko”(三十二相八十種好).
Though there is no one which has a shape of them perfectly, we can recognize that the sculpture is a figure of Buddha by Sanjuni-so Hachiju-shuko. The features are mostly for Nyorai, but Bosatsu also has some of them. Because they are Buddha itself but Myoo and Tenbu are the guradians for him.
Click! Learn More About “Nyorai”
Click! Learn More About “Bosatsu”
The thirty-two features of Buddha
1. 足下安平立相(Sokka-anpeiritsu-so)
The sole is really flat and stable.
2.足下二輪相(Sokka-nirin-so)
The patterns of the ring are on the soles and hands.
3.長指相(Cho-shi-so)
The slender fingers.
4.足跟広平相(Sokon-kohei-so)
The big heels.
5.手足指縵網相(Shusokushi-manmo-so)
The webbed fingers of the foot and hands.
6.手足柔軟相(Shusoku-nyunan-so)
The soft and rudy foot and hands.
7.足趺高満相(Sofuku-koman-so)
The arched insteps.
8.伊泥延膊相(Idei-enshitsu-so)
The slim knees like a deer.
9.正立手摩膝相(Shoritsu-shumashitsu-so)
The long arms.
10.陰蔵相(Onzo-so)
The Inconspicuous penis like a horse.
11.身広長等相(Shinko-choto-so)
The length of outstretched arms is same to the height .
12.毛上向相(Mojoko-so)
The turned-up and clockwise twining hair.
13.一一孔一毛生相（IchiIchiku-ichimo-so)
The every pores have a hair.
14.金色相(Konjiki-so)
The whole faintly golden body.
15.丈光相(Joko-so)
The three meter shine in four directions.
16.細薄皮相(Saihakuhi-so)
The thin skin.
17.七処隆満相(Shichisho-ryuman-so)
The plump and soft hands, foot, shoulder, and neck.
18.両腋下隆満相(Ryoekige-ryuman-so)
The plump and soft armpits
19.上身如獅子相(Joshinnyo-shishi-so)
The dignity upper body like a lion.
20.大直身相(Daizikisin-so)
The big and heavy body.
21.肩円好相(Ken-en-go-so)
The well-rounded shoulder.
22.四十歯相(Shijushi-so)
The forty white and clean teeth.
23.歯斉相(Shisei-so)
The orderly and uniformity teeth.
24.牙白相(Gebyaku-so)
The four sharp and solid canines.
25.獅子頬相(Shishikyo-so)
The swollen cheek like a lion.
26.味中得上味相(Michu-tokujomi-so)
The tongue can taste everything good.
27.大舌相(Daizetsu-so)
The soft, wide, and long tong which can cover most of the face.
28.梵声相(Bonsho-so)
The big and beautiful voice which moves people’s hearts.
29.真青眼相(Shinshogen-so)
The deep Prussian blue eyes.
30.牛眼睫相(Gyugonsho-so)
The long and beautiful eyelashes like a cow.
31.頂髻相(Chokei-so)
The raised top of the head.
32.白毫相(Byakugo-so)
The clockwise twining white hair between the eyebrows.
