Why does the Buddha have such long earlobes?

"The earlobes are elongated, partly to indicate the Buddha is all-hearing and partly as a reminder of the heavy earrings that weighed them down before Siddhartha renounced material things to seek enlightenment."


1) "Some basics. First, buddha is a title, not a name, similar to Christ, messiah, or saint; it means "awakened one" or "enlightened one." The Buddha, also called the historical Buddha, was the prince Siddhartha Gautama, who achieved buddhahood somewhere around 500 BC, and he's consistently portrayed as svelte and serene."

"Second, though Buddhism and its symbols originated in India, the iconography now varies widely by region and sect. The following elements are fairly universal.

The earlobes are elongated, partly to indicate the Buddha is all-hearing and partly as a reminder of the heavy earrings that weighed them down before Siddhartha renounced material things to seek enlightenment.
The Buddha's head is usually enlarged (sometimes by a large bump on top) to symbolize wisdom; a jewel in the bump denotes brilliance.
The hair is generally curly. According to legend, after shearing off his long princely locks, Siddhartha from then on had a head of short, fine curls - not a common look in Asia and thus a distinguishing sign.
A dot or protrusion in the center of the forehead represents power or an all-seeing eye.
The fingers are long, slender, and usually finely webbed to indicate that the Buddha can "catch" people, similar to the Christian idea of Jesus the fisherman. Webbing also has the practical advantage of making the statue's delicate fingers less likely to break off.
Often a stylized representation of light emanates from the Buddha, akin to a halo but usually encircling the entire body.
Different postures - standing, sitting lotus position (cross-legged), sitting half-lotus position (one leg hangs down to the ground), and lying down - represent different stages or aspects of the Buddha's life. The two lotus positions symbolize that Buddha, like the lotus plant, emerged from the mud to achieve enlightenment. The reclining Buddha usually represents his death, passing into nirvana and escaping the tedious cycle of life, death, and rebirth."
Source and further information:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2714/why-do-statues-of-buddha-have-long-earlobes


2) " The Buddha is also always depicted with very long ear-lobes. This may be because in his earlier life as a prince he had always worn heavy earrings, but has come to symbolize wisdom."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconography_of_the_Buddha_(Thailand_and_Laos%29


3) "The Buddha was born a prince in India. He wore big, heavy gold earrings, which showed others his wealth and power. These heavy earrings stretched out his ears. He taught that suffering and pain come from wanting things. To make suffering stop, he worked hard to give up things, and wanting things. He gave up his riches, took off his fine clothes and earrings. That is why his earlobes are long but empty. The bump is to show that he learned to be free from suffering, that he is wise. The word Buddha means a person who is awakened (or enlightened).

To learn to be free from suffering, the Buddha meditated for a long time. A demon used every trick to distract the Buddha. The Buddha touched the earth to say, "Earth, be my witness; I am not distracted by the demon."

The long earlobes and the bump help us recognize the Buddha and also remind us of who he was and what he did."
Source and further information:
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/onlineActivities/ArtStories/kids/buddha3.asp

He doesn't. Yours are short!
;-)