You will sometimes come across the idea of the "32 Marks of the Buddha." These are mentioned in the Lakkhana Sutta and are very cultural in origin. Gautama, the historical Buddha, liked to give new meaning to teachings that were already around in the Indian tradition, rather than preaching against them. The Lakkhana Sutta is a good example of this. The idea of the marks already existed as the list of the "32 Marks of a Superior Being." What the Buddha added was the teaching that each of these marks is the result of ethical action in the past. For instance, the wheel-mark on the foot comes from having "lived for the happiness of many, a dispeller of fright and terror, provider of lawful protection and shelter, and supplying all necessities."
The Marks of a Superior Being are:
He places his foot evenly on the floor
The soles of his feet are imprinted with wheels
He has projecting heels
He has long fingers and toes
He has soft and tender hands and feet
He has webbed hands and feet
He has arched feet
He has legs like an antelope
When he stands upright his hands reach down to his knees
His male organ is covered with a sheath
His complexion has a golden sheen
His skin is so smooth that no dust clings to it
Each hair on his skin grows from a single pore
The hair on his skin is blue-black, curly and turns at the end to the right
His limbs are straight like those of a god
There are seven convex surfaces on his body - four behind his limbs, two behind his shoulders and one behind his trunk
His torso is like that of a lion
The furrow between his shoulders is absent
His body is perfectly proportioned - the span of his arms is the same as his height
His neck and shoulders are evenly proportioned
His taste is exceptionally sensitive
His jaws are like those of a lion's
He has forty teeth
His teeth are even
There are no gaps in his teeth
His teeth are white and shining
He has a long tongue
He has a divine voice
He has deep blue eyes
He has eyelashes like those of an ox
He has soft white hair growing between his eyebrows
His head is shaped like a turban the two, are excellently smooth
The protuberance at the crown of the Buddha called Usnisha, is a symbol of Supreme Enlightenment and wisdom. It is a cranial protrusion, covered with short curls which turn clockwise.This is known to be one of the 32 auspicious physical marks of the Buddha.
An Urna is a concave circular dot- an auspicious mark manifested by a whorl of white hair on the forehead between the eyebrows. It is often found on the 2nd and 3rd Century sculptures of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Sometimes it is represented with a jewel.
Urna is the 31st physical characteristic of Buddha. It symbolizes and radiates wisdom.which illuminates the world.
The distended earlobes, symbolic of longevity, which recall the heavy earrings the Buddha wore when he was still a prince.