t h e U r n a |
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| When the first statues were made, sculptors would have been guided by the list below
when deciding how they should look. Item 31 - the Urna - is commonly seen as a dot;
occasionally spiralled, or set with a gem. This single dot on the forehead is a
traditional marking still worn by Indian women today. You can see it clearly on the front,
5th and 14th pages. Some say that it is the 'third eye' or the sixth chakra - which opens to give wisdom and divine vision of truth. When you close your eyes what can you see? Can you see your feelings? Can you see your thoughts, your breath? This is not really seeing, it is knowing. What sees the darkness when the lights go out? Here is a partial list of the 32 marks found in the Theravada scriptures, describing the Buddha: 1 · he sets his foot down squarely 2 · he has a thousand spoked wheel on the soles of his feet 12· his skin is the colour of gold 14· his hair is jet black and curls to the right 31· in the space between the eyebrows he has a whorl of hair 32· his head is shaped like a turban |
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