The Buddha's 80 Minor Marks

Eighty Minor Marks of Excellence dpe byad bzang po brgyad bcu, dpe byad bzang po

The Buddha's 80 Minor Marks

As explained by Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche in his Gateway to Knowledge, Volume 3, mkhas 'jug.

• [21,124] The eighty minor marks are the following:
• [21,125] 1-3) His nails have a red color resembling copper, possess a shiny hue and their centers are raised, being neither concave nor flat.
• [21,126] 4-6) His fingers are rounded, broad and well-tapered.
• [21,127] 7-8) His veins are not visible, and are free from knots.
• [21,128] 9-11) His ankle-bones do not protrude, his feet are even and do not differ in length, and he walks with steps of even length.
• [21,129] 12-18) Outshining humans, he walks with the lion’s gait; outshining nagas, he walks with the elephant’s gait; he walks with the manner of the swan moving through the air; leading the retinue to the desired destination, he walks with the bull’s gait; he walks naturally to the right side; he walks elegantly and attractively; and he walks evenly and straight. These were the seven manners of walking.
• [21,130] 19-21) His head is rounded and broad, like a parasol, his hairline is well-defined, and his forehead is broad and well-formed.
• [21,131] 22-27) His hair is shiny black like a bee, attractive, smooth, not tangled or matted, not strutting or unruly, and has a sweet scent.
• [21,132] 28-32) His eyes are long and wide, like the petals of the utpala flower; their black and white parts are well-defined and beautiful, like the petals of a lotus; his two eyes are pure, being free from defects of discoloration; his eyes are perfect, being free from the defilement of blurring when beholding an object; and his eyelashes are thick and attractive. These were the five minor marks of his eyes.
• [21,133] 33-36) Above his eyes, the eyebrows are long, have smooth hair, a shiny color, and have hairs of even length.
• [21,134] 37-38) His two ears are of equal size, and his faculty of hearing is totally unimpaired.
• [21,135] 39-40) His nose is prominent and totally clean, being free of mucus or the like.
• [21,136] 41-42) His face is even in size, not too long; and his lips are red, like the bimba fruit, and so bright they can reflect an image.
• [21,137] 43-45) His tongue, like the lotus, is supple, slender and red.
• [21,138] 46-50) His four incisors are round; they have sharp tips; his teeth are white in color, equal in length and are well-tapered.
• [21,139] 51-52) His voice is majestic like thunder, and being free from the harshness of scurrying sounds, is soft and gentle.
• [21,140] 53-54) His hands are long and broad, and are soft like cotton wool.
• [21,141] 55-57) The lines on his palms are distinct and clear, the lines are set deep, and they are long and without interruptions.
• [21,142] 58-67) Slender and shapely, his body is well-formed; free from irregular length and thickness, his body is well-proportioned; the details of the major marks are all distinct and complete; with the frame being wide and magnificent, he has a broad physical bearing; his body is extremely youthful; free from bumpiness, his body is smooth; free from the defect of an overlong body, his bearing is not sunken; his flesh is full; his body is firm and not sagging; his fingers and limbs are extremely well-proportioned through their well-defined thickness. These ten are the general qualities of his body.
• [21,143] 68-71) His body is free from moles and discoloration; free from unattractive defects, his body is perfect; it is spotless, being free from the impurities of eye-excretion, plaque on the teeth, and so forth; and being naturally clean, even without bathing, his body looks as if it were polished. These were the four qualities of his immaculate body.
• [21,144] 72-75) His waist is rounded as indicated by ‘well-rounded side’; the waist being regular, his belly is perfectly moderate; his belly is not drooping by being too long; and his belly is even since the abdomen, meaning the stomach, does not bulge. These were the four qualities of his lower torso.
• [21,145] 76-77) His navel is deep, and the designs of his navel coils to the right.
• [21,146] 78-80) The conduct of his three doors is pure, and his behavior is lovely to behold; his minor marks captivate people’s mind by their mere sight, and the palms and the soles of his feet are marked with auspicious designs, which are counted as one. These three were the general qualities.