What did Gautama look like?...

The Buddha usually referred to when discussing Buddhism, did not look like the happy, fat, bald man, that the many statues now sold in gift shops, claim to be The Buddha. That particular character is a representation of a mythical Father Christmas type figure in Buddhist belief. That character is sometimes known as the Happy Buddha' or the, Laughing Buddha.' Within Buddhist mythology, that happy Buddha,' was actually an itinerant Chinese monk named Ho-tei.

The Buddha usually referred to within the field of Buddhism is a man called Siddhattha Gotama (Siddhartha Gautama). Siddhattha lived around 2500 years ago in an area of Northern India. In paintings and statues, Siddhattha is usually represented meditating, sitting in the lotus position, or standing with his right arm up in front of him with the palm of his hand facing you. He looks extremely serene and peaceful, but he is not laughing, as the representations of the Happy Buddha' sometimes are. In any case, what he looked like is irrelevant in many ways, but I felt it was important for me to try to clarify this potential misunderstanding. I for one, had always thought that the fat, bald figure was The Buddha. Indeed, my children, love them, often refer to the fact that I seem to be doing my best to try to look like The Buddha. I took this as a compliment until I realized that it was the hairline and body shape of the Happy Buddha' to which they were referring!

Amongst all the literature about Buddhism that I have read, there are some different versions of the early life of Siddhattha. However, almost all of them agree that he was born a prince to a fine and wealthy royal household. During his childhood, teenage years and early adult life he was given everything he could possibly want. He lived a life of total and utter luxury for the first twenty-nine years of his life, wanting for nothing, and caring about less. Because of the life he led and the protective nature of his father, he was sheltered from all things in the world which could be regarded as upsetting, or even thought provoking.....

by Graham Fisher