BUDDHA RATANA

BY MINGUN SAYADAW

Edited and Translated by
Professors U Ko Lay and U Tin Lwin
Yangon, Myanmar

THE STATE BUDDHA SASANA COUNCIL'S VERSION

THE CHRONICLE OF BUDDHA GOTAMA

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma-Sambuddhassa

THE JEWEL OF THE BUDDHA

The uproar announcing appearance of a Buddha; (Buddha kolahala)
The request made to the Bodhisatta Deva
The Bodhisatta made the five great investigations
The consent given to the Devas and Brahmas

Time for the Bodhisatta Deva's demise

The festival of the constellation Uttarasalha
Mahamaya's dream
The conception of the Bodhisatta
The thirty-two great prophetic phenomena
Siri Mahamaya's dream read by learned Brahmins
The protection given by Deva Kings
The mother's womb likened to a stupa
The arrival of gifts
The mother seeing the child in her womb
The visibility or the Bodhisatta

Mahamaya Devi's journey to Devadaha City
Lumbini Garden of Sala trees
The congregation of Devas and Brahmas
The Birth of the Bodhisatta
Receiving the Bodhisatta successively by Brahmas, Devas and humans
The fearless roar
The extraordinary acts of the Bodhisatta and their significance
The three existences in which the Bodhisatta spoke at birth
The three existences in which the Bodhisatta spoke at birth
The phenomenal events at the Bodhisatta's birth and what they presaged
The seven connatals of the Bodhisatta
The Return of Mahamaya Devi to Kapilavatthu
The Story of Kaladevila the Hermit
Kaladevila's act of laughing and weeping
The enquiry made by people
The Monkhood of Nalaka the youth
The prognostication of the marks on the Bodhisatta
The Treatise dealing with the Marks of a Great Man
Thirty-two Major Marks of a Great Man
Explanations of the thirty-two major marks
The Eighty Minor Characteristics
The Satupannacharacteristics
The naming of the Prince as Siddhattha
The story of the Five Bhikkhus (Pancavaggi)
The measures taken by King Suddhodana
The death of the Bodhisatta's mother
The appointment of attendants for the Bodhisatta
The selection of Attendants as described in the Temiya Jataka
The upbringing of the Bodhisatta by Mahapajapati Gotami through breast-feeding

THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PLOUGING CEREMONY

'King Suddhodana performing the ploughing ceremony and saluting the Bodhisatta for the second time'
'The Bodhisatta Prince's attainmet of the First Anapana Jhana'
Sakka the King of Devas Sent Visukamma Deva to create an auspicious royal lake for the Bodhisatta
The construction of three palaces for the use and enjoyment of the Bodhisatta Prince
THE ARCHERY DISPLAY The Bodhisatta's display or skill in archery
The assumption of kingship attended upon by forty thousand Sakyan princesses
The beauty of Queen Yasodhara
Inauguration Ceremony

The Return of Mahamaya Devi to Kapilavatthu

      The citizens from the two cities of Kapilavatthu and Devadaha conveyed Queen Mahamaya and her noble Bodhisatta son back to the city of Kapilavatthu.

The Story of Kaladevila the Hermit

      The very day the Bodhisatta and his mother were thus brought back to the city of Kapilavatthu, Tavatimsa Devas headed by Sakka rejoiced on learning that "a noble son has been born to King Suddhodana in Kapilavatthu City" and that "the noble son will definitely become an Enlightened One on the sacred grounds of the Assattha Bodhi Tree," and they threw up their garments in the air, clapped their arms with the other hands, etc. and indulged themselves in merry-making.

      At that time Kaladevila the Hermit who had gained the Five Higher Knowledges and Eight Attainments and who was in the habit of frequenting the palace of King Suddhodana took his meal there as usual and went up to Tavatimsa to spend the daytime in that celestial abode. He sat down on the throne of gems in the bejeweled mansion, enjoying the bliss of Jhana. When he emerged from his jhana, standing at the mansion's gate and looking here and there, he saw joyous Sakka and other Devas tossing up their headgears and costumes and extolling the virtues of the Bodhisatta on the celestial main road of sixty-yojana length. The Hermit then asked: "O Devas, what makes you so happy and so playful? Tell me the reason."

      Thereupon the Devas answered: "Venerable Hermit, a noble son has been born to King Suddhodana today. That noble son, sitting cross-legged under the Assattha Bodhi Tree at the most sacred spot, the centre of the universe, will attain Omniscient Self-Enlightenment. He will then deliver the sermon—the Wheel of Dhamma. We will thus get the golden opportunity of seeing the boundless glory of a Buddha and of listening to his supreme Dhamma-sermon. That is why we are indulging ourselves in merry-making."

      On hearing the Devas's reply, Kakadevila the Hermit speedily descended from Tavatimsa and took his seat prepared in the palace of King Suddhodana. After exchanging words of greeting with the king, Kaladevila said, "O King, I have heard that a noble son has been born to you. I would like to see him." Then the king had his fully dressed son brought to him, and he carried the son straight to the Hermit to make him pay homage to the royal teacher. When he was thus carried, the two feet of the Bodhisatta flew aloft and rested on the Hermit's matted hair just as a streak of lightning flashed on the top of dark blue clouds.

      Special note: There is verily no one deserving of the homage by a Bodhisatta who is in his last existence. Should anybody, not knowing about this, places the Bodhisatta's head at the feet of the Hermit, the Hermit's head would be split into seven pieces.

      Kaladevila the Hermit, realizing this astonishing and extraordinary glory and power of the Bodhisatta, decided: "I should not destroy myself" Then rising from his seat he paid obeisance to the Bodhisatta with his hands clasped. Witnessing the marvellous scene, King Suddhodana also bowed down before his own son.

Kaladevila's act of laughing and weeping

      Kaladevila, having acquired the Five Higher Knowledges and the Eight Attainments, could recall events of the past forty kappas and also foresee those of the future forty kappas. Thus he was capable of recollecting and discerning the events of eighty kappas in all.

(A detailed account of Kaladevila is given in the Anudipani of this volume.)

      Having inspected the major and minor characteristics on the Bodhisatta Prince, Kaladevila pondered whether the Prince would become a Buddha or not and came to know through his foreseeing wisdom that the Prince certainly would. With the knowledge that "Here is a superb man," the Hermit laughed in great delight.

      Again, the Hermit pondered whether he would or would not see the young Prince attain Buddhahood; he realized through his foreseeing wisdom that before the young Prince's attainment of Budhdahood he would pass away and be reborn in an Arupa abode of Brahmas where nobody would be capable of hearing the Deathless Dhamma even if hundreds and thousands of Buddhas were to come and teach it. "I will not get an opportunity of seeing and paying obeisance to this man of marvel who is endowed with unique merits of the Perfections. This will be a great loss for me." So saying and being filled with immense grief, Kadevila wept bitterly.

      (An Arupa abode of. Brahmas means a plane of existence which is totally devoid of material phenomena, there being only mental consciousness (citta) and its concomitants (cetasika). In such an abode are reborn tihetuka puthujjanas, worldlings with three roots (roots of non-greed, non-hate and non-delusion) and such Noble Ones as Sotapannas ('Stream-winners'), Sakadagamis ('Once-returners') and Anagamis ('Non-returners') who have attained the Arupa Jhana. The Sotapannas, Sakadagamis and Anagamis who have reached that Arupa Brahmas' abode will no longer return to the lower planes of existence. As they are experienced in practising meditation up to the stage of the Path and Fruition while in the sensuous wholesome abodes (kama sugati) and in the material (Rupa) abodes, they are able to pursue the same Vipassana (Insight) meditation that they had practised previously; they attain higher stages up to the Path and Fruition and Nibbana in the same abodes of Arupa, thereby terminating all suffering in samsra even though they do not hear the Dhamma from anyone. Worldlings of the three roots (who have won the Arupa Jhana in the human world) such as Hermits Kaladevila, Alara and Udaka were reborn in an Arupa abode upon their death; as this abode by nature is devoid of any kind of matter, those who are reborn there have absolutely no eyes (cakkhupasada) for seeing the Buddha and no ears (sotapasada) for hearing his Dhamma, thus they can neither behold a Buddha nor listen to his sermon even if one comes and delivers it. On their part, Buddhas do not pay a visit and give a sermon in an Arupa abode. And if worldlings have no chance to hear the Dhamma from others (parato ghosa), they will never attain the Path and Fruition.

      (Kaladevila and Udaka who reached Nevasanna-nasannayatana Arupa abode as worldlings would remain in samsara for eighty-four thousand kappas. Alara who reached the Arupa abode of Akincannayatana would remain in samsara for sixty- thousand rnahakappas. Therefore even if a Buddha were to appear in the human world in the present kappa, they have no chance to realize Liberation.

      (In this connection, it may be questioned as to whether Kaladevila could not have been reborn in a Rupa abode provided he directed his mind towards that existence. Since the Hermit had finlly attained the eight mundane Jhanas, his rebirth could have taken place in any of the ten Rupa Brahma worlds up to the topmost Vehapphala if he were so inclined. This is the answer.

      (If there was such an opportunity, it may be asked: "Why had the Hermit no inclination to be reborn in one of the ten Rupa abodes of his choice?" The reply should be that he had no such inclination because he was not skilful enough to do so. (What it essentially means is this: a winner of the eight mundane attainments is likely to be reborn in one of the Rupa or Arupa abodes that attracts him. Devila could have been in a Rupa abode only if he desired to be there. If he were there he would have been in a position to pay homage as a Rupa Brahma to the Buddha. But his failure to be there was due to his lack of proper skill in directing his mind towards that particular abode which is lower than Arupa.

      (There still arises another argument: "Devila who had kept away grief (domanassa) through his attainment of Jhanas should not have succumbed to that displeasurable feeling and shed tears." He did so because his was merely keeping grief away. To make it a little more explicit: only those mental defilements that have been completely eliminated by means of the Path cannot reappear in one's mental continuum. But those defilements just kept away from oneself through sheer mundane Jhana attainments are apt to reappear when confronted with something strong enough to draw them (back to oneself). Devila had not eliminated such defilements; he had only kept them away from himself by means of Jhana attainments. Hence his weeping.

      (Still another question may be asked as to how it was possible for Devila to be reborn in an Arupa abode since he slipped from the Jhanas through grief when he wept. The answer should be that he could be so reborn because the same Jhanas were regained by him effortlessly. To make it still more explicit: the defilements that have been just removed from worldlings of mundane Jhana attainments come back because of a powerful factor and thereby making them slip from their Jhanas, but if the defilements do not reach the extreme the worldlings can readily regain their Jhanas as soon as the force of the emotion subsides; and it cannot be easily known by others that "These are the ones who have fallen off their attainments."

      (In brief, like Devila and others, those who have gained the eight mundane Jhanas can be reborn in one of the ten Rupa Brahma abodes, which are lower, or in one of the four Arupa Brahma abodes, which are higher, if they have prepared their minds to do so. If they have not, they will be reborn only in the abode that is determined by the highest of their mundane Jhanas since that particular Jhana alone can effect such a result. The knowledge that one can reach any abode that one sets the mind on is acquired only through a Buddha's teaching within his dispensation. Outside the dispensation, however, there can be no such penetration. Devila was not a disciple of a Buddha; thus he did not belong to a Buddha's dispensation. Therefore he was ignorant of the means to train his mind. If he had known, he would have done so to be reborn in one of the ten Rupa Brahma worlds, of which Vehapphala is the highest. If he had done at all, he could have been reborn there and might get the opportunity of seeing the Buddha. But now his ignorance had led to the failure of doing what would be proper for him. He would therefore be reborn in Nevasanna-nasannayatana which is the topmost Arupa abode, and reflecting on his forthcoming rebirth, he became so distressed that he could not help weeping; when he thus wept, he lost his Jhanas. But, since he had committed no serious evil deeds whatever, he regained the eight mundane attainments by resuming the preliminary exercises of a kasina meditation effortlessly as soon as the tempo of his grievous defilements ceased with nobody knowing his slip from the Jhanas. Therefore it should be understood that Devila the Hermit was reborn in the Arupa Brahma abode of Nevasanna-nasannayatana on his death through Nevasanna-nasannayatana Jhana which is the highest of the eight mundane attainments.)

The enquiry made by people

      When the courtiers saw the Hermit now laughing and now weeping, it occurred to them thus: "Our Venerable Hermit laughed first, and later he wept which is strange indeed." So they enquired: "Venerable Sir, is there any danger that might befall our master's son?" "There is no danger for the Prince. In fact, he will become a Buddha." "Then why do you lament?" the people asked again. "Because I shall not get an opportunity to see the attainment of Enlightenment by a superb man who is endowed with such wonderful qualities. This will be a great loss to me. So thinking, I lament," replied the Hermit.

(The above narration has been made in accordance with what is described in the Buddhavamsa and Jataka Commentaries and the Jinalankara, Sub-commentary. In some works on the life of the Buddha in prose, the reading goes as follows: When King Suddhodana asked, "At what age the Prince would renounce the world and attain Buddhahood?" Kaladevila answered, "At the age of thirty-five." This passage is a deduction from the words addressed by Devila to his nephew (sister's son) Nalaka the youth, "Dear Nalaka, a son has been born to King Suddhodana. The child is the Future Buddha; he will attain Buddhahood at the age of thirty-five" The king was not pleased to hear that his son would become a Buddha. He wanted to see his son only as a Universal Monarch, not as a Buddha. Therefore, he must not have asked about the time of his son's renunciation and attainment of Buddhahood. That is the reason for the omission of such a passage in the aforesaid Commentaries and Sub-commentary. Here in this work, too, we therefore make no mention of it.)

The Monkhood of Nalaka the youth

      Having answered thus, Kaladevila the Hermit pondered: "Though I will miss the Bodhisatta Prince's attainment of Buddhahood, I wonder whether somebody among my relations will have an opportunity of witnessing it." Then he foresaw that his nephew Nalaka would. So he visited his sister's place and summoned his nephew and urged him, saying:

      "My dear nephew Nalaka, the birth of a son has taken place in the palace of King Suddhodana. He is a Bodhisatta. He will attain Buddhahood after passing the age of thirty-five. You, my nephew, are somebody deserving of seeing the Buddha. Therefore, you had better become a recluse even today."

      Though born to the parents of eighty-seven crores' worth of wealth, the young Nalaka had confidence in his uncle, and thought "My uncle would not have urged me to do what is not beneficial. He did so because it is of benefit indeed." With this conclusion he had the robes and the alms-bowl bought and brought immediately from the market. Having his hair and beard shaved, and putting on the robes, he said to himself:

      "I have become a recluse with dedication to the Buddha, the noblest personage in the world. (I become a recluse being dedicated to the Buddha who will certainly appear.)"

      Having said thus, he faced to the direction of Kapilavatthu, where the Bodhisatta was, and made obeisance, raising his clasped hands in fivefold veneration. Thereafter he put his bowl in a bag, slang it on his shoulder and entered the Himalayas. Awaiting to receive the Buddha there in the forest, he devoted himself to asceticism.

(In connection with the birth of the Bodhisatta, the history of his lineage together with the founding of Kapilavatthu City is mentioned in the Anudipani.)

The Prognostication of the marks on the Bodhisatta
at the head-washing and naming ceremonies

      On the fifth day after the birth of the noble Bodhisatta, the father King Suddhodana held the head-washing ceremony, and with the idea to name his son he had his palace pervaded with four kinds of fragrant powder, namely, tagara (Tabernaemontana coronaria), Iavanga (cloves, Syzygium aromaticum), kunkuma (saffron, Crocus sativus), and tamala (Xanthochymus pictorius) and strewn with the five kinds of 'flowers', namely, saddala (a kind of grass), rice, mustard seeds, jasmine buds and puffed rice. He had also pure milk-rice cooked without any water, and having invited one hundred and eight learned Brahmins who were accomplished in the three Vedas, he gave them good and clean seats prepared in the palace and served them with the delicious food of milk-rice.

(The enumeration of the four kinds of fragrant powder here is in accordance with that given in the exposition of the Sekha Sutta, Majjhima Pannasa Tika and in the Tika on the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. (a) In the exposition of the Mahasudassana Sutta, however, kunkuma is replaced by turukkha. (b) In the exposition of the Avidure Nidana, etc., Jataka Tika, the enumeration is black sandalwood, tagara, camphor and essence of sandalwood. (c) In the Magadha Abhidhana (Abhidhanappadipika) the four are saffron, cloves, tagara and turukkha. (d) The exposition of the sixth Sutta of the Asivisa Vagga, Salayatana Samyutta Tika, contains saffron, turukkha, cloves, and tamala. (e) The Mala1aakara Vatthu has sala, mahatagara, camphor essence and sandalwood essence, (f) The Jinatthapakasani mentions aguru (aloe wood), tagara, camphor and sandalwood.)

      Having fed them, the king honoured them, making excellent offerings to them, and out of one hundred and eight Brahmins, eight were selected and asked to prognosticate the marks on the body of the Bodhisatta.

      Among the eight selected Brahmins, the seven, namely, Rama, Dhaja, Lakkhana, Jotimanta, Yanna, Subhoja and Suyama, having examined the physical marks of the Bodhisatta Prince each raised two fingers and made two alternative predictions with no decisiveness thus: "If your son who is endowed with these marks chooses to live the life of a householder, he will become a Universal Monarch, ruling over the four great Islands; if he becomes a monk, however, he will attain Buddhahood."

      But Sudatta of the Brahmin clan of Kondanna, the youngest of them, after carefully examining the Prince's marks of a Great Man raised only one finger and conclusively foretold with just one word of prognostication thus: "There is no reason for the Prince's remaining in household life. He will certainly become a Buddha who breaks open the roof of defilements."

(The young Brahmin Sudatta of the Kondanna clan was one whose present existence was his last and who had previously accumulated meritorious deeds that would lead him towards the fruition of Arahatship; therefore he excelled the seven senior Brahmins in learning and could foresee the prospects of the Bodhisatta that he would definitely become a Buddha. Hence his bold reading with only one finger raised.)

      This reading of the marks by young Sudatta, a descendent of Kondanna family, with the raising of a single finger was accepted by all the other learned Brahmins.

The Treatise dealing with the Marks of a Great Man

      It became possible for these Brahmins to read the physical marks of a Great Man such as a Buddha and other Noble Ones owing to the following events: At times when the appearance of a Buddha was drawing near, Maha Brahmas of Suddhavasa abode incorporated in astrological works certain compilations of prognosticative matters with reference to the marks, etc. of a Great Man who would become a Buddha (Buddha Mahapurisa Lakkhana). The Brahmas came down to the human world in the guise of Brahmin teachers and taught all those who came to learn as pupils; in so doing their idea was: "Those who are possessed of accumulated merit and mature intelligence will learn the works of astrology which include (the art of reading) the marks of a Great Man." That was why these Brahmins were able to read the marks such as those indicating the future attainment of Buddhahood and others.

There are Thirty-two Major Marks of a Great Man

      There are thirty-two major marks which indicate that their possessor is a Great Man (Bodhisatta). They are as follows;

     1. The mark of the level soles of the feet which, when put on the ground, touch it fully and squarely;

     2. The mark of the figures in the one hundred and eight circles on the sole of each foot together with the wheel having a thousand spokes, the rim, the hub and all other characteristics,

     3. The mark of the projecting heels;

     4. The mark of the long and tapering fingers and toes;

     5. The mark of the soft and tender palms and soles;

     6. The mark of the regular fingers and toes like finely rounded golden rail posts of a palace window; there is narrow space between one finger and another as well as between one toe and another;

     7. The mark of the slightly higher and dust-free ankles;

     8. The mark of the legs like those of an antelope called eni

     9. The mark of the long palms of the hands which can touch the knees while standing and without stooping;

     10. The mark of the male organ concealed in a sheath like that of a Chaddanta elephant;

     11. The mark of the yellow and bright complexion as pure singinikkha gold;

     12. The mark of the smooth skin (so smooth that no dust can cling to it);

     13. The mark of the body-hairs, one in each pore of the skin;

     14. The mark of the body-hairs with their tips curling upwards as if they were looking up the Bodhisatta's face in devotion;

     15. The mark of the upright body like a Brahma's;

     16. The mark of the fullness of flesh in seven places of the body: the two upper parts of the feet, the two backs of the hands, the two shoulders and the neck;

     17. The mark of the full and well developed body like a lion's front portion;

     18. The mark of the full and well developed back of the body extending from the waist to the neck like a golden plank without any trace of the spinal furrow in the middle;

     19. The mark of the symmetrically proportioned body like the circular spread of a banyan tree, for his height and the compass of his arms are of equal measurement;

     20. The mark of the proportionate and rounded throat;

     21. The mark of the seven thousand capillaries with their tips touching one another at the throat and diffusing throughout the body the taste of food even if it is as small as a sesamum seed;

     22. The mark of the lion-like chin (somewhat like that of' one who is about to smile);

     23. The mark of the teeth numbering exactly forty;

     24. The mark of the teeth proportionately set in a row;

     25. The mark of the teeth touching one another with no space in between;

     26. The mark of the four canine teeth white and brilliant as the morning star;

     27. The mark of the long, flat and tender tongue;

     28. The mark of' the voice having eight qualities as a Brahma's;

     29. The mark of the very clear blue eyes;

     30. The mark of the very soft and tender eyelashes like a newly born calf's;

     31. The mark of the hair between the two eyebrows;

     32. The mark of the thin layer of flesh that appears by nature like a gold headband on the forehead.

      These are the thirty-two marks of a Great Man. (Extracted from the Mahapadana Sutta and Lakkhana Sutta of the Digha Nikaya as well as from the Brahmayu Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya.)

Explanations of the thirty-two major marks

1. The mark of the level soles of the feet which, when put on the ground, touch it fully and squarely.

      When other persons set foot on the ground, the tip of the foot or the heel or the outer part of the sole touches the ground first, but the middle portion of the sole does not. So also when the foot is lifted from the ground, the tip or the heel or the outer part of the sole comes up first.

      But when a superb man like the Bodhisatta puts down his foot on the ground, the entire sole touches it evenly the way the sole of a soft golden shoe does when placed on the ground. In the same manner, when his foot is raised, the different parts of the foot come up simultaneously.

      In case the noble Bodhisatta wants to set his foot on the uneven ground, with holes, trenches, deep crevices, ditches, pits, banks and the like, all the concave parts of the earth rise at that very moment like an inflated leather bag and the ground become even, like the face of a drum.

      If he lifted his feet with intent to put it down at a distance, even the royal Mount Meru appeared underneath the sole of his feet in a moment.

2. The mark of the figures in the one hundred and eight circles on the sole of each foot together with the wheel having a thousand spokes, the rim, the hub and all other characteristics.

      The figures in the one hundred and eight circles are: (1) a large spear, (2) a house of splendour, srivatsa, (3) a buttercup flower, (4) three horizontal lines on throat, (5) a head-ornament, (6) a laid out meal, (7) a royal couch, (8) a hook, (9) a palace, (10) an arched gateway, (11) a white umbrella, (12) a double-edged sword, (13) a round fan of toddy palm-leaf, (14) a fan of a peacock's tail, (15) a head-band like forehead, (16) a ruby stone, (17) a lustrous eating bowl, (18) a festoon of sumana flowers, (19-23) the five kinds of lotus, namely, blue, red, white, paduma and pundarika, (24) a jar full of mustard seeds, etc., (25) a bowl similarly full, (26) an ocean, (27) a cakkavala mountain, (28) the Himalayas, (29) Mount Meru, (30-31) the disc of the sun and the disc of the moon;

      (32) the planets, (33-36) the four island-continents with two thousand minor surrounding islands, (37) a Universal Monarch with flowers and seven treasures, (38) a white conch with a clockwise spiral shell, (39) a couple of golden carps, (40) a missile weapon;

      (41-47) seven great rivers. (48-54) seven surrounding mountain ranges, (55-61) seven rivers (between the seven mountain ranges), (62) a garuda king, (63) a crocodile, (64) a banner, (65) a streamer, (66) a golden palanquin, (67) a yak-tail fly-flap, (68) Kelasa the silver mountain, (69) a lion king, (70) a tiger king, (71) a Valahaka horse king, (72) an Uposatha elephant king or a Chaddanta elephant king, (73) Basuki the Niga king, (74) a golden hamsa king, (75) a bull king, (76) Eravana the elephant king, (77) a golden sea-monster, (78) a golden boat, (79) a Brahma king, (80) a milch cow with her calf;

      (81) a kinnara couple (male and female), (82) a karavika (bird) king, (83) a peacock king, (84) a crane king, (85) a cakkavaka (ruddy-goose) king, (86) a jivajiva or partridge (pheasant) king, (87-92) the six planes of celestial sensual existence, (93 -108) the sixteen planes of Rupavacara Brahma existence.

      These are the figures in the one hundred and eight circles on the Bodhisatta's soles.

      (Then the author quotes the enumeration of these figures composed in verse form by the Taunggwin Sayadaw, Head of the Sangha, as it appeared in his Gulhatthadipani, Vol. I. We do not translate it, for it will be a repetition.)

3. The mark of the projecting heels

      By this is meant all-round developed heels. To elaborate: with other persons the forepart of the foot is long; the calf stands right above the heel; and so the heel looks cut and hewn. That is not the case with the noble Bodhisatta. The sole of his foot may be divided into four equal parts, of which the two front ones form the foremost sector of the sole. The calf stands on the third part. The heel lies on the fourth, looking like a round top (toy) placed on a red rug as though it has been treated on a lathe. (As for ordinary people, since the calf is situated on the top of the heel, the heel looks ugly as though it were cut and hewn unsymmetrically. In the case of the Bodhisatta, however, the calf is on the third part of the sole. The rounded heel which occupies the fourth sector and which is conspicuous against the reddish skin is accordingly elongated and graceful.)

4. The mark of the long and tapering fingers and toes

      With other people, some fingers and toes are long and others short. Their girths also differ from one another. But that is not so in the case of the Bodhisatta. His fingers and toes are both long and even. They are stout at the base and taper towards the tip, resembling sticks of realgar made by kneading its powder with some thick oil and rolling it into shape.

5. The mark of the soft and tender palms and soles

      The palms and soles of the Bodhisatta are very soft and tender like a layer of cotton wool ginned a hundred times and dipped in clarified butter. Even at an old age they never change but remain soft, tender and youthful as when young.

6. The mark of the regular fingers and toes like finely rounded golden rail posts of a palace window; there is narrow space between one finger and another as well as between one toe and another.

      The four fingers (excluding the thumb) and the five toes of the Bodhisatta are of equal length. (If the reader raises his right palm and looks at them, he will see that his fingers are not equal in length.) The Bodhisatta Prince's eight fingers of both left and right hands are of the same measurement; so are his ten toes of both left and right feet. Accordingly, the somewhat curved lines on the joints taking the shape of barley seeds show no variation in length; in fact, they seem to form a row of curves, one touching another. The marks of these barley seeds are like uniformly and vertically fixed balusters. Therefore his fingers and toes resemble a palace window with a golden lattice created by master carpenters.

7. The mark of the slightly higher and dust-free ankles

      The ankles of other people lie close to the back of the feet. Therefore their soles appear to be fastened with cramps, small nails and snags; they cannot be turned at will. This being the case, the surface of the soles of their feet is not visible when they walk.

      The ankles of the Bodhisatta are not like that: they are about two or three fingers' length above the soles like the neck of a watering jar. Therefore the upper part of the body from the navel upwards maintains itself motionlessly like a golden statue placed on a boat: only the lower part of the body moves, and the soles turn round easily. The onlookers from the four directions—front, back, left and right—can see well the surface of his soles. (When an elephant walks, the surface of the sole can be seen only from behind. But when the Bodhisatta walks, his soles can be seen from all four quarters.)

8. The mark of the legs like those of an antelope called eni

      (Let the reader feel his calf. He will find the hardness of his shin bone at the front and see the muscles loosely dangling on the back.) But the Bodhisatta's calves are different; like the husk that covers the barley or the paddy seed, the muscles evenly encase the shin bone making the leg round and beautiful; it is thus like that of an antelope known as eni.

9. The mark of the long palms of the hands which can touch the knees while standing and without stooping

      Other persons may be hunch-backed or bandy-legged or both hunch backed and bandy-legged. Those who are with bent backs have no proper, proportionate frame because the upper part of the body is shorter than the lower part, nor do those with bandy legs because the lower part of the body is shorter than the upper part. (It means that the former are shorter in their upper part and the latter are shorter in the lower part of the body.) Because of the improper, disproportionate development of the frames, they can never touch their knees with their palms unless they lean forward.

      It is not so in the case of the Bodhisatta. Neither the upper part of his body is bent nor the lower part crooked; both the upper and the lower parts are properly and proportionately formed. And so, even

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