Buddhas and bodhisattvas are always portrayed with large pendulous ear lobes. As enlightened beings they have large ears to hear the sounds and cries of suffering of the world, and guided by their compassion and wisdom, respond and sooth those who are suffering. Sometimes lohans, monks and sages have pendulous ears to signify their superior wisdom and intellect and enlightened state. There is also a historical interpretation of the Buddha’s large ears. Raised as a prince in Kapilvastu in Nepal), he would have followed the custom of men to display their wealth and prosperity on their ears with large and heavy ear jewelry of precious metals and stones, which would have caused stretched ears. Although Siddhartha the prince stopped wearing them when he left the palace to become an ascetic to the search for the ultimate truth his earlobes would have remained stretched throughout his life.
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Monks, called Bhikkus, have had a significant role in Buddhism since its inception, and its monasticism is one of the earliest surviving forms of institutional organization of monks in the world. Monks and nuns (Bhikkunis) of local Mahayana Buddhist monastic communities collectively are called the Sangha and are responsible for teaching and preserving the Buddhist principles…
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