Building on his ground-breaking The Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal with the present
monograph Bhikkhu Analayo approaches a closely related topic from the perspective of the bodily
dimension as evident in the thirty-two marks with which according to tradition the Buddha was
endowed. The study begins by proposing that a cross-fertilization between text and art has
influenced the conception of one of these marks namely the wheel-marks on the soles of the
Buddha's feet. By way of a comparative study of the early discourses Analayo proceeds to show
how the thirty-two marks - initially nearly imperceptible features - came to be more clearly
visible and acquired salvific power. Eventually he argues these turned into a psychosomatic
chart for the bodhisattva path and thereby set a precedent for the prediction (commonplace in
later Buddhist doctrine) that assures an aspiring bodhisattva of becoming a Buddha in the
future.
