If the particular work of art shows a large piercing or rather a hole in the
ear, it must intend to communicate that he used to have large and heavy
earrings, which he renounced. This does not necessarily mean that his ears
were not also naturally pinayata.
Allen
On Thursday, December 30, 2021, 05:43:16 PM EST, Andrew Nicholson via
INDOLOGY <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear colleagues,
I've been asked to review some scripts for an educational website, and in their
presentation of Buddhism they spend an inordinate amount of time (in my
opinion) on the Buddha's earlobes. Describing a Gupta period statue, they write:
"His earlobes are very long to remind us that he grew up wearing heavy
earrings. . . Siddhartha was born a prince, and the artist depicted him as
having long earlobes to remind us that he gave up his wealth, including heavy
jewelry, on his journey to reach enlightenment."
I've seen this claim before. My question: is there any pre-modern text that
describes his ears in these specific terms, or is it a modern interpretation?
I'm familiar with lists of the 80 minor marks of the Buddha's body that include
"ample and long ears" (pīnāyata-karṇau). But are his long ears thanks to his
formerly wearing earrings, or was he born that way as he was with his long
tongue, lump on his cranium, sheathed penis, etc.?
Thanks, and happy new year!
Andrew
Andrew J. Nicholson, Ph.D. (he/him)
Associate Professor, Asian and Asian American Studies
Director, History of Philosophies East and West M.A. ProgramDirector, Minor in
South Asian StudiesStony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5343 USA(631) 632-4030http://philosophicalrasika.com/
Virtual office hours meeting room: https://stonybrook.zoom.us/j/7495611341
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