Was the Buddha Bald?

We usually think of the Buddha as having a full head of hair, but it may not always have been so. Today we'll look at some of the history of Buddhist iconography, and take some lessons about how viewpoints can change over time.
Check out my Patreon page at / dougsseculardharma
Some suttas mentioned in this video:
The Marks of a Great Man: suttacentral.net/en/dn30
Ambaṭṭha Sutta: suttacentral.net/en/dn3
Vasala Sutta: suttacentral.net/en/snp1.7
Sundarika-Bhāradvaja Sutta: suttacentral.net/en/snp3.4
Sāmaññaphala Sutta: suttacentral.net/en/dn2
Other reference:
www.newmandala.org/the-buddha-...
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Please visit the Secular Buddhist Association webpage!
secularbuddhism.org/

[@brianreeves]

So well done and interesting, thanks Doug.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Brian, glad you found it interesting! It's fun stuff.

[@upasakajoris1613]

Hey Doug, great short little video. One of the sutta's you didn't mention is MN 26 the Ariyapariyesana Sutta: The Noble Search. "while still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessing of youth, in the prime of life, though my mother and father wished otherwise and wept with tearful faces, >> I shaved off my hair and beard

[@DougsDharma]

Another great point Joris, duh! Of course! 😆

[@butterflymagicwithhottea9291]

Hi Doug, Thank you for this. It is helpful to understand the incongruency between the iconography of the Buddha and the true-to-life appearance of Buddha.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes I think it shows pretty well the historical development of Buddhist iconography.

[@GuenevereSchwien]

This was very interesting thanks for making it!

[@DougsDharma]

My pleasure, Guenevere! 🙏

[@davideskridge83]

Cool video! In Mahayana traditions, it is commonly mentioned that the major marks and minor signs could not be seen by everybody. The supreme emanation body is often seen differently by people depending on their karma and level of attainment.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for the information David! 🙏

[@bigdudut9353]

fyi,in many pictures which described a lot of buddha and each one of it has a round yellow/white in their head..thats are their deeds. my friend(who is indigo) told me that collecting a small bean sized of that round need to make a lot of good deeds, imagine how big each one of those buddha have.

[@dumbtom6831]

Amazing !! I have never thought of someone talks about the Buddha's hairstyle but definitely everybody talks about his facial image. I have been to number of countries in south and southeast Asia and found that his face is influence by the local community but the hairstyle remains almost the same. I have read some articles that when his image was created after the invasion of Alexander, his hairstyle was influence by Greek sculpture.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, it's difficult to say for sure but certainly some of the early images were influenced by Greek sculpture.

[@samanthas6342]

As always, another great and interesting video. Thank you so much for the content you post. What is your opinion on Buddha statues in your house/rooms etc? Also, only the head of Buddha statues and flower pot Buddha’s or things of the like? To some it’s offensive, to some it’s great. I’m curious what your opinion might be.

[@DougsDharma]

Hi Samantha! I think it's a personal thing if you want to have a Buddha statue or not. I rather like them. I don't find use of the Buddha form offensive in any situation I've seen, though of course there are rules for traditional practitioners such as not to put them on the floor or tattoo oneself with them, and so on. The only issue I can see with a Buddha head is if it's been cut off a larger statue for sale separately. That's kind of destructive and sad. But if it's just made as a head then again, a personal thing if it's something you find pleasant and inspirational or not.

[@Tamikashu92]

WHY IT GOTTA B SNAILS THO???🤔😂😂

[@debaratibanerjee8138]

Thanks so much... this is hugely useful!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome!

[@quinnkdjs]

Interesting thanks for the talk.

[@DougsDharma]

Thank you for watching quinnkdjs. 🙂

[@robertkeck4932]

Doug, Hello! Enjoy your videos. Can you explain The Buddha's "curls", or the "snails" on The Buddha's head and ornamentation? What is he wearing? Thanks, Rob

[@DougsDharma]

Hi Robert and thanks! The curls on the Buddha’s head are supposed to be curls of hair. One of the so-called “marks of a great man” that I mention in the video is: “His hairs stand up; they’re blue-black and curl clockwise.” There is no other ornamentation on his head. The bump on the head is the “ushnisha” and sometimes that bump is capped by a flame that is supposed to signify awakening. It’s sort of like a halo in western depictions of holy people.

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome Leonardo and thanks for the funny story. So far as I know there is no evidence for them being snails in the texts. 🙂

[@azoresplayah]

I’ve read that Mahavira was a contemporary of the Tathagata Buddha, & also his guru. Could you please make a video anent the two quite possibly being contemporaries. Thank you; Amitābh

[@DougsDharma]

Mahavira is mentioned in many Buddhist texts as Nigantha Nataputta. I've discussed him in a number of my videos. He was not however the Buddha's "guru", indeed they were strong competitors, and at least in the early Buddhist texts Nataputta is always depicted as losing the arguments or disagreements. (Though they seem never to have met in person, they had various arguments and disagreements through their disciples).

[@doppalapudigowthami2367]

Excellent video, since my childhood I always keen to know why do Buddha had hair bun when the other monks were fully shaved, I assume in Gandhara school of art they might wanted to depict him with special appearance but during mauryan period Buddha presence was represented with symbols foot prints, wheel of dhrma, bhidi tree and lotus

[@DougsDharma]

🙏

[@theinspector7882]

Oh. I always thought Siddhartha wore a head cap made of wool with long ear flaps to protect his head and ears warm in the freezing Himalayan weather in Nepal where he was born, for which he seems to have worn curly hair and long ears! When wool gets wet and dries out it turns curly. So the classical image depicting Siddhartha Gautama appears to be as if he had curly hair and long ears (the earflaps of the cap or hat). 🍷🍾

[@DougsDharma]

😄I guess that might work! Though I don't think he was up in the Himalayas much at all.

[@theinspector7882]

@@DougsDharma ........ no prob 🙂

[@valeriemaxwell8862]

I had read somewhere that the "hair" Was actually 108 snails that had gathered on Buddha's head for protection when he was out on his journey

[@DougsDharma]

Ha! That's pretty funny Valerie. I think that's probably an interpretation that came later but it would be interesting to know its history. 🙂

[@dynaise2412]

Buddha was a black man his hair was sponged its not snails

[@asamanthinketh249]

@@dynaise2412 They’d believe snails gathered on his head or Aliens before that. Lol. The hair is definitely a style of small Bantu Knots.

[@mradz9574]

@@dynaise2412 black man in northern India dont think so . Not everybody is black btw . Afros dont even look like that and if he got his bantu knots to look like that somebody give me his hairstylists phone number.

[@dynaise2412]

@@mradz9574 I can explain it to you logically as if you would like.

[@afanasibushmanov7463]

Can you do a video on how you live your life as a secular Buddhist? You can talk about how often you meditate, how often you read/study the suttas, how Buddhism has impacted your life, how you were before you turned to Buddhism, changes that you noticed in your life since practicing Buddhism, etc.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Afanasi, yes that's a good idea. I did something along those lines with my dharma vlog playlist, but it's only a start: kzbin.info/aero/PL0akoU_OszRgETTJkXqTwpGWR5CxoK4ZJ

[@afanasibushmanov7463]

Doug's Secular Dharma I just watched it and I have a lot of things to say about it. First of all, it was one of my favorite videos on your channel so I definitely think you should keep doing them. Second of all, you're actually similar to me in a lot of ways. When you mentioned introversion, anxiety, etc. I was really able to relate to that and that's part of what made me become more interested in Buddhism as well. I honestly didn't expect that coming from you since you always came across as a teacher to me that just made KZbin videos on the side. I had no idea that teaching is something that you wouldn't be comfortable doing because you seem so natural on camera. You also asked for suggestions about how to gain viewers from women. I'm not sure about that, but I think I know how you would be able to gain more viewers in general. When you were talking about yourself like in that vlog your delivery was a lot more natural. With some of these videos it seems like you're actually trying too hard and trying to be a perfectionist (I struggle with that as well). You often go too far in depth and that probably makes some of your audience lose interest. I follow the "Enthusiastic Buddhist" channel as well and she seems like less of a perfectionist which in turn makes her more relatable. If I met you I would probably be intimated by the amount of knowledge that you have and I would feel stupid compared to you. If I met her I would probably just want to meditate with her or something like that. My suggestion to you would be to try to just be yourself on camera. Maybe even try posting unedited footage and if you make a mistake you can make a joke about it. That would allow you to become more relatable and you might get more viewers as a result of that. Another suggestion would be to make your videos more concise. You try to include as much information as possible in a 10 minute video and that's very difficult to do. Try focusing on the main points and then provide links in the video description so people can learn about it more in depth if they want to. Great job overall though and excellent vlog video.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for the thoughts Afanasi! 👍

[@pawanchoursiya8522]

@@afanasibushmanov7463 I think now you are going to change your religion 😁😁😁

[@afanasibushmanov7463]

@@pawanchoursiya8522 I describe myself as an atheist but I follow certain Buddhist principles.

[@SuperNagappan]

Hey, Doug! Thanks for the videos. I guess you are the only prominent KZbin Channel dedicated to early Buddhism. My question is can you give us any leads to Early Buddhist Records describing the Buddha's "hairstyle" when he attained Enligtenment at Bodh Gaya. Thank You so Much & Warmest Regards.

[@DougsDharma]

Well all we know is that he says when he left home he shaved off his hair and beard, so most likely he would have been bald.

[@SuperNagappan]

Is it possible for you to cite the Sutra which describes Buddha's enlightenment & the Sutra where he leaves home in the middle of the night on horseback, please?

[@DougsDharma]

@@SuperNagappan The suttas are linked to in the description box of the videos. The one where he leaves home is the sāmaññaphala sutta. His leaving home on horseback though is a later idea that doesn't appear in the earliest material. There are various suttas discussing awakening, none mention baldness or hair so far as I know.

[@SuperNagappan]

Exactly, I wanted the name of the Sutra describing His Enlightenment. Not the Sutra describing his Hair Do. Thanks a lot, Doug!

[@SuperNagappan]

@@DougsDharma Thanks will definitely reach out to you for more questions in the future.

[@middlewayers]

Interesting channel

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Amit!

[@zynthexthezane]

I was the 600th like and the 200th comment. At times, there's perfection in an imperfect world.

[@DougsDharma]

😄😄

[@KevinLopez-rl6wq]

Excellent video! I do think the Buddha was bald. Regarding the 32 marks of a great man - when I read all of the major marks with the exception of only a few I would wonder if I could even recognize someone like that by sight alone unless I was actively looking for those marks and knew what to look for. No one would be able to readily discern that his private parts are retracted or that he has an excellent sense of taste for instance. I think the only marks that would be unusual and readily discernible would be the deep blue eyes, the white hair between the eyebrows, the 1000 spoked wheels on his feet (if he is revealing the soles of his feet!), bluish-black hair, gold skin, and the usnisa. We aren't told how much hair is between the eyebrows so that mark is uncertain with respect to how apparent it would be. In Bhikkhu Sujato's translation, the Buddha's head is shaped like a turban but it does not say he has a fleshy protuberance such as an usnisa. I wonder if the usnisa is just a later misinterpretation. As for the 1000 spoked wheels - I am more inclined to think that it is a pattern of skin creases on a person's foot and not a birthmark. Think of the divinatory art of palmistry just applied to reading the feet instead (I actually know of a fortune teller who does claim to examine the feet)! Blue eyes in India would be unusual but I don't think most people would attach any special significance to it unless they know it is a sign of greatness and are specifically looking for other signs. Ditto for some of the other more obvious marks such as the "unibrow" mark. Actually there is another sutta you do not mention that involves a Vedic practitioner who is well studied in the 32 marks of a great man who is sent by his master to examine the Buddha for the 32 marks: MN 91 Brahmayu Sutta. I am inclined to think on this basis that these 32 marks require study and training in omenology to be able to discern and all of these marks should be understood to be within the range of normal human physiology (no usnisas!). Some of these marks That being said, we are discussing forms here and aren't we all trying to overcome attachment and clinging to forms? I think you are right to deflate the importance of these 32 marks and other supernatural stories about the Buddha. What was most important to the Buddha was that his disciples correctly understood, examined, and practiced the teachings. More to the point - I don't see why a woman can't bear the 32 marks either. Isn't female genitalia "retracted"? I know tradition didn't understand it that way but I can't think of a convincing reason why it wouldn't be so. :)

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, some have speculated that the 32 marks are not meant to be easily visible, but instead perhaps only "intuited" by some sort of Brahminic specialist or the like. My own sense is that that is a kind of apologetics, but it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility.

[@KevinLopez-rl6wq]

@@DougsDharma Because the Buddhist suttas give causes based on merit from past lives for each of the 32 marks, from a practice-based perspective I see the 32 marks as a way of visually encoding an image of the Buddha so that when you take an image of a Buddha with the 32 marks as a meditation object and you have studied the causes for the 32 marks, then you are able to recollect all of the moral qualities that we are working to cultivate as followers of the Dharma. It is similar to "memory palaces" if you are familiar with those. It functions as both a mnemonic device (cultivating mindfulness of sila) and as an appropriate meditation object for calming the mind (shamatha) and for cultivating faith for those who have not yet developed sufficient insight (vipassana) to effectively analyze their mental experience (dharmas) according to the teachings. In this way we can start to see how some components of Vajrayana practices are not wholly at odds with the earliest teachings (though admittedly other Vajrayana practices do flatly contradict the Pali Canon). If we consider the 32 marks as a mnemonic device being encoded into meditation objects (images of Buddhas), then the development of the ushinsha (fleshy protuberance) from a merely "turban shaped head" starts to make more sense as an ushnisha is much more visually striking.

[@MANpREETSINGH-qk1rn]

Hi Doug Thanks for good knowledgeable video.I still have two questions if you can answer me that will be so great because from a long time, I have these questions into my mind Nd disrupt me a lot. 1. If Buddha had hairs than why he did not had beard Nd moustaches? which is normal, if you have long hairs than you have beard Nd moustaches too like other saints of old Indian time. 2. Why Buddha’s followers have shaved heads on that time as I saw in movie Nd still now, they shaved their heads. This looks unusual that a saint who had hair Nd his followers were shaved heads. Please answer me if you can. Thanks in advance

[@DougsDharma]

Strange! I thought I had answered this question but it doesn't show up, maybe it didn't upload correctly. Anyway yes, this is what I was trying to get at in the video: that the Buddha shaved his head.

[@udayangadananjaya7914]

In vinaya pitaka there buddha allows to monks to have head hair 1inch size if they had no time to shave them. The reason why they shaved is to prevent from lice infections and prevent from other uncomfortable situations. And i heard some suttas and buddhist littriture things that mentioned ,when siddhartha went to the forest he wash cut his hear by his sword but not shaved. Cz he had only sword . And it says when he cut his heir they were become more curly and they become like that and its a one of buddha natures like 32 marks. And it says after that that hairs never grown and losed from his hair.and after he become buddha he didn't grew beard also. And it says buddha had a skin that no litter will stick or even dust don't stick in to his skin. So they all might be myths or truths. Its all depends on how we see him.

[@kzrolf]

I associated the bumpy hair as 'dreadlocks' like many sahdus wear even today- and i'd guess-existed in ancient times too. Maybe both possibilities are true. We see pictures of Ramana Maharshi (the great 20th century sage) and sometimes he had hair and sometimes his head was shaven. Just considering 🙏

[@nivedkhandekar3663]

Hey Enjoyed it but can you just explain Buddha told his followers to cut their hairs and why he didn't cut the hairs then...!

[@DougsDharma]

Hi nived and thanks for the question! But as I say, the point is he DID cut his hair. 🙂

[@oldstudent2587]

Two things, both guesses: 1) Buddha was probably shaven, early in Buddhism families held funerals for their family members if they went to become Buddhists, could this have been why? Brahmin men shave (except for a small tikki) for funerals. 2) Manjusri is the oldest Mahayana bodhisattva dating from the Prajnaparamita Sutra (1st c. B.C.E.). He is depicted in all descriptions as having 5 locks of hair (he's a Kumara -- a teenager). Maybe that's where the locks come from?

[@DougsDharma]

I'm not aware of any scholarly studies of why the Buddha is depicted as having hair. It would be interesting to investigate.

[@shantanushekharsjunerft9783]

Also to mention that in ancient India this clean shaven top-knot was typical of warriors, yogis, and even gods. For example Shiva, Arjuna and Indra are all portrayed like that.

[@DougsDharma]

That's true too Shantanu, though I don't know historically how far back that style goes.

[@zzzzzz-zd6ws]

TIL that the Buddha wore heelys, the most enlightened footwear lol. For real tho, great video 😁 the topic turned out to be more interesting than I initially thought

[@DougsDharma]

Glad you enjoyed! 😄

[@americo8568]

Hi Doug, I also notice what appear to be snail shells on some Buddha statues, I’m guessing there is a myth behind this?

[@DougsDharma]

I’m not sure what that might be. The Buddha’s hair curls might look like snails, but I think that’s coincidence.

[@supriyobanerjee6387]

The "snails"are actually a stylised , sculptural represantation of his hairCURLS, as mentioned in the scriptures.

[@DougsDharma]

I think that’s right@@supriyobanerjee6387.

[@chiacheeseng538]

Interesting 👍🙏

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@sudiptochakma3351]

Sir Can You Tell Me about Buddhas first 5 disciples? What happened to them after getting knowledge from buddha Where they went Please reply me sir

[@DougsDharma]

Hello Sudipto! Offhand I’m not sure of the answer to your question. Much of the incidental biographical material in the Canon is likely legendary anyway. Why does it matter to you?

[@sudiptochakma3351]

Doug's Secular Dharma hello Sir I am From India And Our People follow Theravada Buddhism I really wanted to know this answer from before and even I asked from monks But no one knows And one monk told me that Buddha wanted to spread his teaching mostly in middle East so some monks think they went middle east But i know this is not the right answer Sir i want to know because From these 5 disciples One disciple was Siddharta teacher in his childhood Also he became enlightened one after getting knowledge from buddha But no one mentioned about his life story

[@DougsDharma]

Hello Sudipto, I’ve done a quick search and it doesn’t seem much at all is known about these first five disciples from the earliest texts. If this is correct, then the information we have on them is going to be legendary and hence not trustworthy. We have to assume that they became arahants and lived out their lives quietly.

[@sudiptochakma3351]

Doug's Secular Dharma sir it will be good if you make one video about his first five disciples I can share with my friends and also with my relatives It will be good for us If we know what happened with his first five Disciples THANK YOU SIR

[@user-cz4ge2mp7t]

@@sudiptochakma3351 may I respond you. I have known some but as Doug said,but many of it belong to later tradition and I am quite curious about it so. As I can recall Kondañña went to live alone in Himalayan until the last of his life because he want to avoid the priority that made for him by all the monks cause he is the Eldest brother in the community. Vappa in some source called him DasabalaKasyapa is said to be the one who taught supernatural power to Devadatta. Bhaddiya and Mahanama no mention I can found. Assaji went into Rajagaha and became the first teacher to Sariputta and guided him to the Buddha. He also appeared again in CulasaccakaSutta. After the first talk of the Buddha in DhammacakkappavattaSutta, they all listened to the discourse on nonself (AnattalakkhanaSutta) and all attained arhatship. Then they stayed with the Buddha in Deer Park for rain season until these 5 with the group of Yasa altogether 60 had been sent into different directions.

[@KevinLopez-rl6wq]

Actually I am just now reading a small passage from the book "Image Problems: The Origin and Development of the Buddha's Image in Early Buddhism" by Robert Daniel DeCaroli. DeCaroli cites several Mahayana sutras that denigrate excessive fixation on Buddhist iconography and relics including the Maitreyasimhanada Sutra. One analogy from the Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita is that a person who clings to the Buddha's form (and is seeking relics) is like a person who tries to quench their thirst from a mirage.

[@DougsDharma]

Indeed so Kevin, that's a great book and I may do a video on some of what he says at some point. I think he demonstrates how conflicted many Buddhists were about images.

[@ccchasm6126]

Hi Doug. Just discovered this video. Growing up I learned that the Buddha had Jatas or Dreadlocks. He grew up in hinduism, a Sadhu. In hinduism and older traditional forms of buddhism long hair was encourage. It was /is a sign of spirituality. The Buddha was never bald. The round belly laughing man is not the Buddha, but a Buddhist monk from the 10th century named Budai. Buddha Budai was bald, The traditional Buddha had matted/jatas tied in a top knot until he passed.

[@DougsDharma]

Well if you see the video I go through the detailed evidence from the suttas that show the Buddha had shaved his head.

[@ccchasm6126]

@@DougsDharma Hi. I did watch the video, that is why I commented what I did about what I learned growing up being different. It wasn't argumentative.

[@DougsDharma]

Ah, interesting! Yes there are a lot of legends that have grown up about the Buddha over the centuries.

[@Nep.Victor]

Buddha might not be a hindu.. In those days other types of religions were prevelant which we call Shravanas. Jain and Buddhism also falls under this category.

[@krishnaghimire390]

@@Nep.Victorhe came from a newar family which falls under hinduism

[@kenwallach5718]

I'd really appreciate more info on the "fat" buddha figure.i once bought a jadlte buddha in Chinatown and often wondered about the difference between that and the young buddha figures . Thanks Doug.

[@DougsDharma]

That’s probably a figure of “Budai” rather than of the Buddha. For more see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai

[@simthiam3712]

That fat figure, with big belly , is an ancient Holy Buddhist Monk called Budai , believed to be one of an emanation of Maitreya Buddha.

[@gabrielleangelica1977]

A generous monk filled with joy...so opposite of the Hollywood version of perfection. 📽️

[@trudyskog1748]

Ah, but the topknot was the original comb-over, so the mystery remains! ;-)

[@DougsDharma]

😄 Good thinking Trudy!

[@user-cz4ge2mp7t]

There are many mentions in suttas and vinaya that Buddha just look like normal monks and sometimes people can't even distinguish him with the monks! So this suggest that the Buddha had no topknot. That could be a way to portray the image that people can recognize the Buddha from other monastics. Or a way to interpretate one of 32 marks of great man : Unnahisasisa "the head like the turban" which should just means to have the good shaped head but some tradition believe that is a special part of his body on the head.

[@jayshridadajibadekar2490]

No you you's thinking is not true. You read the Holly Book writen by Dr. Bhimrao Ambekar..The Buddha and His Dhamma. Dr. B.R.Ambedar is the great Symboll Of Knowledge.

[@steverouton915]

I can't remember if I read this or was told that the Buddha had hair right up until the time of enlightenment, and supposedly after becoming enlightened he shaved off his hair. Do you think there is validity in that, or is that just an assumption by someone?

[@DougsDharma]

Great question Steve, check out the comment below by Upasaka Joris. In the Ariyapariyesanā Sutta (considered one of the earliest), the Buddha claims to have shaved off his hair and beard when he left home, which would have been years before his awakening. While of course we can never be certain of such things, the best evidence is that he was shaven-headed ever since that time. suttacentral.net/en/mn26

[@steverouton915]

Thanks for the link! I enjoyed the video.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks for watching, Steve!

[@user-ki1ys5wz1q]

The bun represents the Pine cone and the swirling hairs is the Grace from above spiraling down and rewire the two side hemisphere 😂

[@miiigoreng]

I wonder how people shaved cleanly? There were no shaver, no razor blades i believe?

[@DougsDharma]

Oh the ancients did have methods of shaving with sharpened stones or knives. There were metal blades in the Buddha's day, but even many stone-age people shaved.

[@narayanborkar4404]

thanks

[@DougsDharma]

You’re very welcome Narayan. Thanks for watching.

[@petagonkyi]

Buddha was supposed to have shaved his hair before began meditating at Bodhgaya. It is said that Buddha shaved his hair himself with a knife near Niranjan river (Phalgu) which flows east of Bodhgaya.

[@DougsDharma]

Thanks Peta. In one of the earliest texts (the Ariyapariyesana Sutta) the Buddha mentions shaving his hair and beard before leaving home: "while still young, a black-haired young man endowed with the blessings of youth in the first stage of life - and while my parents, unwilling, were crying with tears streaming down their faces - I shaved off my hair & beard, put on the ochre robe and went forth from the home life into homelessness." www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html

[@studentofspacetime]

Is it possible that the Buddha might have actually changed his look over time? I mean, he had a 45 year long teaching career. Couldn't the various seemingly contradictory sutras be referring to different periods in his life?

[@DougsDharma]

Sure, they definitely could Andrés. Indeed when it comes to his teaching, it would be very unusual indeed if it *didn't* change over time. The issue with things like the "marks of a great man" is that they seem fanciful to begin with, which is to say there is a good chance they were composed after the Buddha's lifetime by people who had not actually seen Gotama. Though of course that is not the only possibility.

[@studentofspacetime]

Doug's Secular Dharma I see your point about the descriptions being unrealistic to begin with. I see two (related) further possibilities: 1) They are not to be taken literally, or not in such black/white dualistic terms. I have for instance read material by Tibetan masters (who would in principle embrace the fantastical descriptions), telling some tale about people who distrusted the Buddha, and didn’t see anything special about him 2) That only people with a particular purified karma would perceive those 32 majors marks plus minor marks. Anyone else would just see an ordinary being. For instance: There is the tale of Atisa finally being able to perceive Maitreya after developing boddhicitta, whereas no one else could see him.

[@DougsDharma]

Right. Well it wasn't just people who didn't trust the Buddha who didn't see the marks; indeed, one of his own disciples didn't recognize him and thought he was an ordinary person in one of the suttas. So I think it's unlikely he looked different. It has been put forward by some scholars that these marks may be indeed hidden aspects that were supposedly visible to some trained Brahmins but not to people without training.

[@studentofspacetime]

Doug's Secular Dharma I understand it wasn’t just people who didn’t trust him. I didn’t mean to suggest the contrary, that was just one example of a Mahayana teacher (Patrul Rinpoche) acknowledging that not every one would see an exceptional being when looking at the Buddha. For my other example, Atisa was a highly devoted practitioner. Nevertheless it would have taken him long years of hard practice to be able to even perceive Maitreya. What I am trying to say is that, maybe the point being put forward is that only practitioners with highly purified minds would have the fanciful perception of the Buddha.

[@DougsDharma]

It's certainly possible that that is what's meant Andrés, but there isn't any specific evidence of it in the texts that I know.

[@Magnulus76]

I suspect shaving the head emerged after the Buddha's death, as a way to distinguish themselves from Brahmins, as apparently the Buddha visited a barber at least once (Upali). www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/db_06s.htm It always seemed an affectation to me. In Japan, you don't always see Buddhist priests with shaved hair, especially among women . Many Japanese Buddhist sects don't follow the traditional vinaya. And of course, there are some non-monastic forms of Buddhism (Nichiren, Jodo Shinshu) that don't involve any special appearance at all.

[@DougsDharma]

Well Gotama's shaving off of his hair and beard is a key part of some of the earliest accounts of his going forth. It was a mark of a renunciant in ancient India: someone who had renounced the worldly life and gone into the forest to meditate on the larger questions of life. It did distinguish such people from ordinary householders and Brahmins.

[@Magnulus76]

@@DougsDharma Apparrently, in modern Zen in Japan, many schools do a tonsuring ceremony, but it's up to the individual whether they choose to keep shaving their heads or not. Do you think its possible that Gothama might have cut his hair, but later grown it back?

[@DougsDharma]

Unlikely, it's never mentioned in the texts that way, instead it's mentioned that he looks just like any other monk, and is at times berated for being a "shaveling" by Brahmins.

[@prashantnath6588]

The statues which we see in our daily life of buddha are actually not of buddha.... But these images are of a stage prior to become the buddha... It was decided to not make the statues of buddha in kushana period because buddha never preached such things, to make idols of him and then rever him. So as a side path it was decided to make statue of Bodhisattva Siddhartha instead. In this way the words of the buddha were not broked. And also general public can see the traits of him. One more points is before kushana. Mauryans also never made statues of buddha. Because it's not the Dhamma.

[@DougsDharma]

Right, many of these statues are from before his enlightenment. Though far from all, many depict for example his first sermon, his parinibbāna, and the like.

[@prashantnath6588]

@@DougsDharma one more thing which I want to mention is there are still many stupas of buddha made by Ashoka which are not recognisable today. Just yesterday I found one such stupa in a village near me. I live in a place which is around 1000 km away from the mainland of buddha. I found it in a place where I never thought that it could be so near to me. From this I can conclude that Ashoka really made 84000 stupas in his reign.

[@engleharddinglefester4285]

Did I just read on the net somewhere that the Buddha's head was covered with snails? That the snail, pitying him for meditating in the hot sun, crawled up on him to keep him cool and died on his head?

[@DougsDharma]

I'm not sure where that legend came from. I'd guess it's a late reaction to the hairstyle iconography we find in South Asian Buddha sculptures, but I'm not sure. It's not in the early suttas.

[@engleharddinglefester4285]

@@DougsDharma Aha! Thanks for that!

[@soysuka]

I'd love to hear about the buddha's stretched ears and how you interpret buddhism's views on body modification like tattoos, piercings, ect Thanks for the content!

[@DougsDharma]

You're very welcome! So far as I know the stretched earlobes are supposed to be an indication that he used to wear earrings while he was a wealthy youth, but that he has given them up. It would be interesting to know where that tradition began, since to my knowledge it is not mentioned in the early texts. Neither is anything said about body modifications, again to my knowledge.

[@khalidbinwaleed5072]

Many Buddhists and monks have tattoos the tiger is very popular amongst Thai boxers and warriors

[@udayangadananjaya7914]

That calls lambakarna ears and it littraly means long ears. There were a lineage of royalists in srilanka who came from india also had so long ears and they were mentioned as lambakarna clan.

[@rahult1518]

Couple of points . Brahmins do shave their head but leave a lock of hair at the top. Complete bald is a tradition when someone has died in the family , especially the parent hence inauspicious .. its a cultural thing even to this day. Monks do clean shave once in their life .

[@Nelisyoga]

Buddha is said to have 32 markings In his body that would distinguish him from any other man , the curved twirl like thing on his forehead , his hair, his long earlobes are a few I remember .

[@DougsDharma]

Yes this is something I discuss in the video.🙂

[@sonamtshering194]

The influence of Mahayana on Theravada/Shravakayana Buddhism is clear from the fact since the Theravadins themselves have adopted the iconography of the Buddha having hair

[@DougsDharma]

I think the Buddha having hair goes back to the turn of the CE when the first images began to be made of the Buddha. This is just at the dawn of the Mahāyāna, and involved many schools that were neither Mahāyāna nor Theravāda.

[@sonamtshering194]

@@DougsDharma Is that so? Previously I thought the iconography of the Buddha having hair with a topknot was a Mahayana conception

[@Yashunegifromuttarakhand2146]

🙏🙏🙏👍

[@DougsDharma]

🙏😊

[@nettinetti8465]

Doug is right. The Buddha was indeed bald. He cut off his hair after leaving his palace. The bun hairstyle was for sanyasins who followed the Vedic tradition.

[@DougsDharma]

🙏

[@titehena8278]

good explanation. i meet many buddhis monk in my country indonesia and all of them shave their head. very interesting.

[@DougsDharma]

Yes, it's completely normal to do so tite hena, thanks!

[@titehena8278]

@@DougsDharma and what about food? are the monks vegetarian? and buddhist too?

[@user-ki1ys5wz1q]

Top knit is yours Pinecone symbol and the spiral hairs is the Grace of Universe spiral down to the skull /2 hemispheres to balance and natural meditation kick in

[@drscolly9166]

I always thought about it this way... If Buddha asked his followers to shave their heads, then he must also be doing it too! Otherwise it would be very hipocritical of him! So he must have been bald too!

[@DougsDharma]

Yes that's right, and there is a lot of textual evidence for it as well.

[@gregshannon9263]

OMG!

[@DougsDharma]

😄

[@mrnobody2689]

Some monks had combovers.

[@DougsDharma]

😄

[@thedonychannel]

Yes buddha was bald , I was reading one of old text and it mentions one brahmin who angrlyily called buddha him mathmunda which means bald

[@DougsDharma]

Right yes I think I mentioned such cases.

[@debaratibanerjee8138]

I have ‘heard’ that the image largely depicts the right impression of the Buddha as he was seated in extreme meditation. During that time his hair had grown in the natural process.

[@DougsDharma]

Well, I suppose that is one possible answer.

[@helios2379]

Hair is basically your crown chakra so i don't think he shaved his hair

[@DougsDharma]

The whole notion of "chakras" is a later development. We don't find it in the early teachings.

[@helios2379]

@@DougsDharma ohh so it's like that, thanks, that's very interesting.🙏🏼

[@emptyemptiness8372]

If you imagine a person with the 32 signs of perfection - very tall, arms that reach the knees, webbed fingers, tumour like lump on top of his head, golden skin, retractable penis etc its sort of a freak lol.

[@DougsDharma]

It is strange to contemplate, though some have suggested the signs may have been extremely subtle, intended more for Brahmin "seers" to notice than ordinary people. My own sense is that they are probably late additions.

[@udayangadananjaya7914]

@@DougsDharma yah i head that some bhahmins recognized buddha as buddha by his 32 marks and until they saw him face to face they didn't believe what they heard about buddha.

[@rohanroynameless]

Indian Neo - Buddhists is India claims that Dharma & Dhamma is two different terms.

[@Scipionyxsam]

Why am I bald?

[@DougsDharma]

Dunno, you tell me. 🤔🙂

[@Octoberfurst]

Genetics.

[@shawnparker6635]

Impermanence is an innate quality of existence in this world. Some hair is more impermanent than others 👩‍🦲👴👨‍🦲😉

[@hope2251]

Brahmans have a concept of shaving heads, saints have long hair. Budhha had long hair because he accepted how the universe created him but sadly people today have tried to remove their problems instead of overcoming them. If long hair are distracting or irritating you, instead of shaving try to accept them as the commandment of god

[@DougsDharma]

Among the practitioners of Vedic Brahmanism having long hair was a sign of being a householder who upheld the dharma of being in a family. Those who left home typically shaved their hair as a sign of renunciation, and so also as a sign of giving up the dharma of a householder.

[@ThePitakArchives]

if a great man really have 32 physical marks than how can another ordinary person can become enlightened, to become enlightened one should born with 32 marks otherwise they should not think to become enlighten, do physical marks really matters

[@DougsDharma]

Yes. Well I think the marks were only for the Buddha not all arahants, but they don’t make a lot of sense.

[@iewtbs6806]

How,How you reply all the comment in all video. 100 reply for 100 comments. Your reply is almost 10000.

[@DougsDharma]

Well ... I don't reply to every comment, but I do my best to reply to those comments that seem to need replies! 😄

[@alankuntz4406]

I say Buddha had a big protuberance like a big brained Alien bubble head and he had deep blue eyes and was muscular and was 6 ft tall. Hotei the wandering Zen failure on the other hand just laughed his ass of when ever the subject of Buddha's physical appearance came up. I'm sticking to this story until some one can prove me wrong. ;)

[@Tamikashu92]

HEY Y'ALL 😁 IF EYE MAY... THESE CURLS ARE BANTU KNOTS.. LET US LOOK INTO SIDDHARTHA. GR8 DAY ALL💞LOVE KNOTS ON MY HEAD RITE NOW.

[@sacing3512]

He was celebate whole life so i guess he must be full head hairs but not human hairs they are spiritual hairs in india we call it jata जटा, God gifts such brown hairs only to yogi sadhu

[@DougsDharma]

Well he was celibate once he left home, yes.

[@swapnilthorat55]

As the Buddha believed in Equality and democratic culture there is no way that he had hairs and other monks were bald

[@DougsDharma]

Yes that makes it less likely for sure.

[@americanclassifiedspage]

The image of the Buddha was transformed and assimilated in China.

[@senerzen]

Marks of a Buddha were probably invented to prevent charlatans from claiming Buddhahood.

[@DougsDharma]

I don’t know of any evidence that they could have been used that way.

[@senerzen]

@@DougsDharma "I am a Buddha. Worship me and give dana/money." "Really? Your arms are too short, your knees and elbows protrude, you dont have 40 teeth and they are not all shaped the same. Your body hair isnt growing upwards. etc. You are fake." Logic is the evidence.

[@BloodLineBeats313]

I honestly think looking at the original Buddha is A woman and not any woman an African One!

[@truth9415]

Buddha with straight hair is greek influence. And it doesn't honor buddhist origins. Buddha originally has african feautures.

[@sargewilliepete2174]

Spacers in his ears, and knots in his hair, but NOT AFRICAN. Find me one photo or statue of any Indian or Asian man with spacers (stretch earlobes) and knotted hair. "Coincidence" (side eye)

[@trapmonkey1056]

That’s literally a black woman on that book

[@truth1840]

he wasn't bald.

[@luketracey3269]

No! Buddha had Merovingian origins . Long hair ....don't care ! Fact! Buddha had the same birthmark as Jesus . Buddha holds the lotus on the right abdomen ...if you view the shroud of Turin you will see a birthmark indicated in the same place . You can see this on Osiris ...Shiva ...etc . Asking if Merovingians are bald is an insult to God .