Considering the ideality of Jesus and Buddha through the lens of the golden ratio can be undertaken as part of an interdisciplinary study, where aesthetic, mathematical, and anthropometric methods help to uncover universal principles of harmony and proportion.

Divine Proportions: The Golden Ratio in the Ideals of Jesus and Buddha

Considering the ideality of Jesus and Buddha through the lens of the golden ratio can be undertaken as part of an interdisciplinary study, where aesthetic, mathematical, and anthropometric methods help to uncover universal principles of harmony and proportion. Specifically, this approach involves analyzing images in terms of their ideal proportions and symmetry—the very characteristics that in geometry are demonstrated through the golden section.

For example, G.E. Timerding, in his description of the dodecahedron, notes that “the entire dodecahedron is literally permeated by the principle of the golden division” (source: link txt, page: 52). This geometric model serves as one example of how mathematical laws expressed through the golden ratio bestow aesthetic perfection on shapes. If this idea is applied to the study of the images of Jesus and Buddha, it is plausible that traditional representations of these figures were also created with the principles of proportional harmony and ideality in mind.

Furthermore, the analysis of aesthetic qualities is based on the idea that “the beautiful is not simply an abstractly given ideal. Even the very term points to something being akin to something else; in the thing itself there must be two facets: one that provides the likeness and another that is used for comparison. Ideality, that is, beauty, lies in the complete resemblance of both these facets within the object” (source: link txt). This reasoning allows us to view the images of Jesus and Buddha not only as religious or spiritual symbols but also as embodiments of mathematically defined harmony, where proportions analogous to the golden section contribute to the creation of an aesthetically perfect form.

Thus, in a scientific context, the ideality of Jesus and Buddha can be seen as the outcome of applying universal laws of beauty and proportion, wherein mathematical harmony (as reflected, for example, in the forms of the dodecahedron) serves as a model for explaining their ideal anthropometric and aesthetic characteristics.

Supporting citation(s):
“Regarding the dodecahedron, which, according to Plato himself, is close to a sphere, one might ask about the relationship between the side of the pentagon and the diameter of the sphere into which it is inscribed. According to G.E. Timerding, it is precisely this ratio that attests to the presence of the golden ratio here. In other words, the entire dodecahedron is literally imbued with the principle of the golden division.” (source: link txt, page: 52)

“The beautiful is not simply an abstractly given ideal. Even the very term suggests that something is similar to something else, meaning that the thing itself must have two aspects: one for which likeness is demonstrated and another for which comparison is made. Ideality—that is, beauty—lies in the complete resemblance of both these aspects within the object.” (source: link txt)