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The image of Buddha, who was called The Greatest Yogin of all Times, expresses serene quiescence. The harmony
of his physical proportions is the expression of great beauty. The
required measurements are laid down in the canon (or standard pattern)
of Buddhist art, which corresponds to ideal physical proportions. The
span is the basic measure, i.e. the distance from the tip of the
middle finger to the tip of the thumb of the outspread hand. This
distance corresponds to the space between the dimple in the chin and
the hair-line. Each span has twelve finger-breadths. The whole figure
measures 108 finger-breadths or 9 spans corresponding to the
macro-micro-cosmic harmony measurements.
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The perfect proportions of a Buddha,
the graciousness of his physical form, represent one of the ten qualities or
powers of a Buddha. They are the characteristics of the physical harmony and
beauty of a Great Being, and are described in Story of the Life of Buddha
Shakyamuni. There are thirty-two major and eighty minor characteristics. The
lines of the eight-spoked on the soles and palms of a Buddha are among them. The
appearance and the measurements of a Buddha are perishable and a worldly
conception: they describe the ideal picture of a Heavenly Body. They are not
subject to change like growth, sickness and death, which can only affect the
earthly incarnation of a Buddha.
Examining the canon of the body of a Buddha, one
realises that every detail represents harmonious proportions. Everything, the
spot between the eyebrows, marking the eye of wisdom, as well as the tip of the
nose, has its own special place. The nose has its specific length, just as the
ears have their own characteristically exaggerated length. The symbol of a
Buddha's greatest enlightenment is the so-called enlightenment-elevation on the
top of the head, described in old texts as that which emerges out of the head of
an enlightened saint. It is the visible symbol of the spiritual generative power
that strives towards heaven and passes into the immaterial sphere.
The ideal proportions of any image of the Buddha
are described in books on iconography. The canonic prototype shows the seated
Buddha with his legs crossed and the soles of his feet visible. This
yoga-posture has a pre-Buddhist tradition in India, appearing for the first time
on the seals of Mohenjodaro in the third millennium BC. This yoga-posture hides
the lower part of the body. The broad shoulders are emphasised in early Buddhist
sculptures of Mathura. These characteristics, and the slightly almond eye of
Buddha Sakyamuni, hint at his descent from the Licchavi clan, related to the
Proto-Tibetans by kinship and blood. Before the final domination of the
Indo-Europeans, these Licchavis ruled in northern India and the Himalayan
regions. Their principalities had democratic constitutions with equal rights and
no discrimination of sex or race. Buddhism and its founder must be considered on
the basis of this social structure which is confirmed in the oldest texts as
well as in the modern Oxford History of India.
Physical Marks
Ushnisha, the Enlightenment Elevation above the
fontanelle; is the flame-topped elevation on the head of the Buddha, defined as
that which emerges from the head of a Fully Enlightened One.
Urna, the mark in the centre of the forehead,
called the Eye of Wisdom, also depicted as a Bundle of Rays or fine hairs
between the eyebrows.
The lower part of the body is covered by the
Diamond-Seat (Vajrasana). This is the meditation pose (Dhayanasana)
of utmost concentration with the legs crossed so that the soles are
visible.
The Subtle Energy-Spheres of the Body
The Enlightenment-Centre, the Top of the Head or
fontanelle above the upper cerebrum, called Sphere of the Thousand-petalled
Lotus (SAHASHRARA-CAKRA).
The cerebral centre of thinking and
conscious-power, called Command-Centre (AJNA-CAKRA),
the forehead between the eyebrows; ascribed to lotus-centre.
The guttural centre or subtle Sphere of Speech
(VISHUDDHA-CAKRA) at the base of the
throat.
The cardiac plexus, the emotional Sphere of the
Inner Voice (ANAHATA-CAKRA),
called the Source of the Heart, situated in the central region of the thorax or
chest.
The solar plexus with the gastric plexus, called
`the brain of the belly', Fiery-lustrous or Navel-Centre (MANIPURA-
CAKRA) in the region of the loins and
connected with the lumbar plexus.
The sacral plexus, called Root-Centre
(MULADHARA-CAKRA) or Secret Place,
being the root of all streams of vital energy (NADIS)
in the region of the rump-bone or sacrum.
The human body is the receptacle of the power of
thinking described as a bundle of energy and pervaded by the so-called breath of
life flowing in subtle streams throughout the body.
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