THE
BUDDHA’S PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
There is
enough incidental information in the Tipitaka to get
a good idea about the Buddha’s physical appearance. He was about a
fathom tall (S.I, 62), a fathom (byāma) being the distance
between both hands when extended to their full length. We are also
told that he was four finger-breadths taller than his
half-brother Nanda
(Vin.IV, 173). When young, before
his renunciation, he had long black hair and a beard (M.I, 163).
Although statues
of the Buddha always show him with
hair, this is an iconographic convention and is not historically
accurate. After his renunciation, like all other monks, he ‘cut off
his hair and beard’ (M.I, 163). All sources agree that the Buddha
was particularly good-looking. The brahman Sonadanda
described him as ‘handsome, of fine appearance, pleasant to see,
with a good complexion and a beautiful form and countenance’ (D.I,
115). These natural good looks were further enhanced by his deep
inner calm. Another person, Dona,
described him as ‘beautiful, inspiring confidence, calm, composed,
with the dignity and presence of a perfectly tamed elephant’ (A.II,
36). Concerning his complexion a particular brāhmin said of him: ‘It is
wonderful, truly marvelous, how serene is the good Gotama’s
presence, how clear and radiant is his complexion. Just as golden
jujube fruit in the autumn is clear and radiant ... so too is the
good Gotama’s complexion.’(A.I, 181)
However, like everyone else, the Buddha’s
appearance declined with age. Ānanda described him in old age like this: ‘The Lord’s complexion is no longer
pure and bright, his limbs are flabby and wrinkled, his body is
stooped, and his faculties have changed.’ (S.V, 216) In the last
months of his life the Buddha said of himself: ‘I am now old, aged,
worn out, one who has traversed life’s path. Being about eighty, I
am approaching the end of my life. Just as an old cart can only be
kept going by being patched up, so too my Body can only be kept
going by being patched up.’ (D.II, 100)
The Buddha and
His Disciples, S. Dhammika
2005.