Diamond Sutra Ch20 - On Physical Attributes
2009-02-05
Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Buddha be recognized by means of his perfect physical body?” “No, World Honored One. The Tathagata cannot be recognized by means of his perfect physical body. Why? The Tathagata teaches that a perfect physical body is not a perfect physical body, hence it is called a perfect physical body.” “Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Tathagata be recognized by means of his perfect attributes?” “No, World Honored One. The Tathagata cannot be recognized by means of his perfect attributes. Why? The Tathagata teaches that ‘perfect attributes’ are actually not perfect attributes. Therefore they are called perfect attributes.
- We discussed the idea of beauty and what is considered "perfect body". People in class mentioned that there were some studies suggesting that there may be a "standard" idea of beauty, by symmetry, by averaging thousands of faces, or by measuring a "golden ratio". What do you think? Any references? How does this relate to Buddhism?
- Buddha, because of his perfect merits, is said to have a "perfect body", at least to the people of India. We get an idea of what Buddha may look like in different countries by their Buddhist statues. What will an American Buddha look like?
- More generally, physical or non-physical attributes of a person may help us see and judge a person (using the attributes), but we can never be 100% sure (attributes are not attributes), such is the reality of attributes. What virtues or attributes do we find in the great people of history? Give examples.
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We discussed yesterday the societal influences on what a perfect body is depending on the place, culture, etc. Here in America, it's simpler than face symmetry and such, and I think the media and Hollywood are the most influential yet damaging to Americans in terms of bodily perfection. Every magazine has a section on how to lose weight in 3 weeks, youtube has links to diet pills, and every movie star has the so-called perfect slim and glowing body. This is the message young people grow up with, that in order to be popular and liked by all you must have a pretty face, nice color, and a toned body. A simple example is how Master Jian Hu became a hit when he came to America with his "skinniness" and "cool tan"!
ReplyDeleteSo because of the obsession with bodily perfection in this nation, an American Buddha would NEVER be portrayed as fat or chubby like many Asian portrayals are, its chest would be buff and its biceps chiseled, with high cheekbones and a defined chin. Charlene and I agree that an American Buddha would have blonde hair, blue eyes, and a nice beach tan!
3. Those who has faith in peace and equality and bravely put their faith into action. For example, Ghandi whose faith in peace that freed India from British rule; Abraham Lincoln who freed the slaves; Martin Luther King who fought racial discrimination and Rosa Parks who started it all; John F. Kennedy who started 'peace corp' and brought idealism to the youth of his time.
ReplyDelete1) The golden ration can work for a large portion of the world's humans. But just like statistics, there is still a very small chance, and likely chance, that someone does not agree with that definition of beauty. The Chinese a couple hundred years ago would look at the perfect ratio of the body and think that it was alright but when looking upon the feet and not seeing them being bound and small, they might found the person unattractive. The Masai men of Africa are very tall and wear traditional African garb, where would they fit into the golden standard? Even if there was someway for everyone to agree on the perfect standard, Buddhism would say that it is only conventional for this time. In the time of the Dinosaurs, the perfect ratio human would have made a good meal, and nothing else.
ReplyDelete2) An American Buddha would not have blonde hair, because the Buddha has renounced all worldly attachments! The Buddha would have green eyes, not too muscular, not too thin. The Buddha would be about 6 feet tall.
3) Great people of the past have been able to humble themselves down, walk long distances. Their messages have been able to be heeded by others; they are honest and straight to the point.