Sakyamuni was said to have an unusual appearance. The Sutras endow him with 32 unusual features, such as a golden body, a fleshy protuberance on the crown of his head, a tuft of hair between the eyebrows, and a swastika on his chest.
古印度人對哲學極為關切，對編年史卻不感興趣，所以後世對佛陀的思想比對他的生平事蹟，有更詳細的瞭解。釋迦牟尼佛像的身體是黃金色，頭頂有肉髻，眉毛中間有白毫，胸前有萬字，通常身穿僧服，不佩瓔珞，也就是棄俗出家的裝束。