弘明集 1.13

1.13

The question was asked: "It is said that the Buddha has the thirty-two marks of a great man and the eighty secondary signs; why is he so exceedingly different from ordinary humans? These are likely words to regale the ear, not an account of reality." Mouzi said: "The proverb says: 'He who has seen little wonders at much; seeing a camel, he says the horse has a swollen back.' Yao's eyebrows had eight colors; Shun's eyes had double pupils; Gao Yao had a horse's muzzle; King Wen had four breasts; Yu's ears had three openings; the Duke of Zhou had a hunchback; Fuxi had a dragon's nose; Zhongni had an inverted roof-shaped crown; Laozi had a sun-shaped forehead and a dark lunar complexion, his nose having double pillars, his hands grasping the character for ten, and his feet treading on two fives. Are these not different from ordinary humans? Why should one doubt the Buddha's marks and signs?"