I read something that mentioned the 32 marks of a bodhisattva in a way that made me think they were indicating something different than the 32 marks of a buddha.
Is there a seperate set of 32 marks?
You wouldn’t happen to remember where and what you read? That would help.
Presumably the same thing, as the marks were recognized when Siddhartha was a child, no? Perhaps this writer was just being pedantic (as, at that time, he was still a Bodhisatta).
But yeah, if you could find the context that would be helpful.
The thirty-two marks are possessed by the Bodhisatta in his final life even before he attains buddhahood.
It’s possible, though, that the author may be referring to something else: the dvattiṃsapubbanimittāni - thirty-two auspicious signs, mentioned in the Suttanipāta commentary:
Meanwhile, from the time he made the resolve at the feet of Dīpaṅkara until the Vessantara Jātaka, our bodhisatta fulfilled the pāramīs, after which he was reborn in the Tusita heaven. Having remained there for the length of the life span, when requested by the deities, he made the five great investigations, informed the devas [that he would pass away], and while thirty-two auspicious signs were occurring, he took rebirth here, causing the ten-thousandfold world system to shake.
and described in the commentary to the Itivuttaka:
Abhijātikkhaṇe panassa paṭisandhiggahaṇakkhaṇe viya dvattiṃsa pubbanimittāni pāturahesuṃ, ayaṃ dasasahassilokadhātu saṃkampi sampakampi sampavedhi, dasasu cakkavāḷasahassesu aparimāṇo obhāso phari, tassa, taṃ siriṃ daṭṭhukāmā viya andhā cakkhūni paṭilabhiṃsu, badhirā saddaṃ suṇiṃsu, mūgā samālapiṃsu, khujjā ujugattā ahesuṃ, paṅgulā padasā gamanaṃ paṭilabhiṃsu, bandhanagatā sabbasattā andubandhanādīhi mucciṃsu, sabbanarakesu aggi nibbāyi, pettivisaye khuppipāsā vūpasami, tiracchānānaṃ bhayaṃ nāhosi, sabbasattānaṃ rogo vūpasami, sabbasattā piyaṃvadā ahesuṃ, madhurenākārena assā hasiṃsu, vāraṇā gajjiṃsu, sabbatūriyāni sakasakaninnādaṃ muñciṃsu, aghaṭṭitāni eva manussānaṃ hatthūpagādīni ābharaṇāni madhurenākārena saddaṃ muñciṃsu, sabbadisā vippasannā ahesuṃ, sattānaṃ sukhaṃ uppādayamāno mudusītalavāto vāyi, akālamegho vassi, pathavitopi udakaṃ ubbhijjitvā vissandi, pakkhino ākāsagamanaṃ vijahiṃsu, nadiyo asandamānā aṭṭhaṃsu, mahāsamudde madhuraṃ udakaṃ ahosi, upakkilesavinimutte sūriye dippamāne eva ākāsagatā sabbā jotiyo jotiṃsu, ṭhapetvā arūpāvacare deve avasesā sabbe devā sabbe ca nerayikā dissamānarūpā ahesuṃ, tarukuṭṭakavāṭaselādayo anāvaraṇabhūtā ahesuṃ, sattānaṃ cutūpapātā nāhesuṃ, sabbaṃ aniṭṭhagandhaṃ abhibhavitvā dibbagandho pavāyi, sabbe phalūpagā rukkhā phaladharā sampajjiṃsu, mahāsamuddo sabbatthakameva pañcavaṇṇehi padumehi sañchannatalo ahosi, thalajajalajādīni sabbapupphāni pupphiṃsu, rukkhānaṃ khandhesu khandhapadumāni, sākhāsu sākhāpadumāni, latāsu latāpadumāni, pupphiṃsu, mahītalasilātalāni bhinditvā uparūpari satta satta hutvā daṇḍapadumāni nāma nikkhamiṃsu, ākāse olambakapadumāni nibbattiṃsu, samantato pupphavassaṃ vassi ākāse dibbatūriyāni vajjiṃsu, sakaladasasahassilokadhātu vaṭṭetvā vissaṭṭhamālāguḷaṃ viya, uppīḷetvā pavattamālākalāpo viya, alaṅkatapaṭiyattaṃ mālāsanaṃ viya ca ekamālāmālinī vipphurantavāḷabījanī pupphadhūpagandhaparivāsitā paramasobhaggappattā ahosi, tāni ca pubbanimittāni upari adhigatānaṃ anekesaṃ visesādhigamānaṃ nimittabhūtāni eva ahesuṃ. Evaṃ anekacchariyapātubhāvā ayaṃ abhijāti yadatthaṃ tena abhipatthitā, tassā abhisambodhiyā ekantasiddhiyā tathāva ahosi avitathā anaññathā.
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