< Issue No. 1 (2005)Article
The Buddhalakṣaṇa and the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
Levman, Bryan G., N/A
Abstract
This is an examination of the thirty-two auspicious marks of the Buddha with reference to various Pali and Sanskrit texts. Most are simple lists of the characteristics of the mahāpuruṣa, but three – the Pali Lakkaṇa Sutta in Pali and the Lalita Vistara and Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtras in Sanskrit – offer a more extended description and attempt to explain the origin and/or significance of the lakṣaṇas. This paper focuses on a section of the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtras (Book 39 of the Avatamsaka Sūtra), which lists and frequently explains the Buddhalakṣaṇas. The study introduces a new translation of the passage from the original Sanskrit, and compares its descriptions to other relevant Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan sources. In most cases the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtras offers the most convincing explanation of the relevance and/or origin of the lakṣaṇa.