One of the most interesting personalities of antiquity is the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as Buddha Shakyamuni, or simply Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. He was born about 563 BC, and not a single lifetime image of this person has come down to us.
However, numerous images of Buddha - icons and statues - can be found all over the world: in India, China, Japan, even in Russia (for example, in Tuva and Kalmykia). Buddhists all over the world consider Buddha to be the greatest spiritual teacher, prophet, "enlightened" - but not a god at all, as some think. However, today we want to talk not about Buddha, but about his … hairstyle! Yes, about the hair!
You've probably seen Buddhist monks - at least on TV - in their distinctive orange robes and shaved heads. Shaving the head for a Buddhist monk is the most important ritual symbolizing cleansing from earthly passions. According to legend, Buddha himself was the first to set an example for this - starting his sermon, he shaved his head bald.
Numerous legends recorded in the books confirm this. For example, Indian brahmana priests despised Buddha and his disciples, because for brahmanas hair is one of the signs of communication with higher powers (therefore, brahmanas never cut hair at all). There are many legends that it was impossible to recognize the Buddha among his disciples - because he, like everyone else, wore orange robes and was shaved.
But let's look at the images of Buddha Shakyamuni and be surprised - because everywhere he is depicted with hair! He has long curly hair, gathered at the top of his head in a rather large bun, on painted statues and icons it is always black … Look at the statues of Buddha - everywhere he is depicted with hair, and nowhere - shaved bald! How so? Books say that Buddha shaved his hair, and images - that he wore his hair!
Later Buddhist books say that the "bun" on the Buddha's head is not a bunch of hair at all, but "ushnisha", "a lock of enlightenment", "upper chakra", one of the 32 signs of a "higher being", a kind of bump on the head. The hair covering the head of the Buddha is also not hair at all, but … snails!
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According to the legend, one day Buddha in the early morning on a walk deeply thought, sat under a tree and indulged in meditation. For long hours he sat motionless, immersed in himself; the sun rose, it became unbearably hot - but the great teacher continued to meditate. Then hundreds of snails crawled out from under the leaves that had fallen to the ground, climbed onto the shaved head of the Buddha by clothing and stayed there to protect him from the scorching sun.
