Make Buddha Images in This Very Mind

Why should people create Buddha images? Did the Buddha really want everyone to make images of him and worship his body?

In truth, the purpose of creating the Buddha images is not to create symbols for worship. Buddha images are reminders that “the mind is the Buddha,” and that everyone has Buddha nature. Buddha images also remind us to frequently recollect the virtues of the Buddha to manifest our own Buddha nature.

In our practice, we pay homage to sacred images of the Buddha. This strengthens our faith and helps us persevere in our practice.

Venerating the kind and compassionate countenance of the Buddha can put an end to greed, anger, and ignorance in the mind.

It can also help us to correct our behavior and maintain propriety.

There is the saying, “Sincere faith can break open even hard stone.” 

When we venerate sacred images, naturally we feel something in our hearts. Some people mistakenly think that Buddhists worship idols. In fact, no one worships idols less than Buddhists. Such can be seen in the famous gongan “Danxia sets the Buddha aflame.”

Most people benefit from symbols. Without an image or symbol to venerate, how will most people find a worthy figure to model themselves after? Buddha images are a means by which we can connect with the Buddha’s mind. They can help us realize our own Buddha nature. By frequently looking upon and venerating Buddha images, the mind becomes free of illusory thoughts. Amid formlessness, our temperament changes. After that change, we will develop an elegant, proper appearance as well.

In the Sumati Sutra, the Buddha uses verses to reiterate and summarize his teachings. In this passage, the verse can be glossed to read: Anger ruins virtuous roots; we must not allow them to grow. Images of the Buddha are made with a kind and compassionate heart. Entrust one’s body and mind to great kindness and compassion. Love the Dharma. Protect the Dharma. Create Buddha images to be beheld by future generations, so that others can venerate them. Then, one will obtain an elegant, proper appearance, which all sentient beings will delight in seeing.

From Ten Paths to Happiness, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.

More Featured Articles

Greed narrows our vision as it obscures the wealth of wisdom contained in our inherent Buddha nature. Read more
"Walk like the wind, stand like a pine, sit like a bell, and rest like a bow."This basic etiquette not only applies to Buddhists; everyone should practice it as well in daily living.When we first meet a person, we can tell the level of his/her education and cultivation by his/her manners. We know how refined a person is by the way he/she speaks and conducts Read more
I once copied out a sutra in blood by pricking myself, and once I also burned my arm as an offering. I once remained silent for a year without speaking, and once I also kept my eyes closed for three months without seeing. Later on, I would occasionally open my eyes and suddenly feel: Oh, there are still verdant mountains; there are still trees; the Read more
The Avatamsaka Sutra says, 'The mind controls everything.' In order to properly control body and speech, we must come to understand our minds. If we can control our minds, we can do anything.Master Xingkong (780-862) wrote a wonderful passage that expresses this point very well. He said, "The practice of Buddhism can be compared to presiding over a walled city; during the day, thieves and Read more
In the practice of meditation, once you have developed meditative concentration it does not matter if you are walking, standing, sitting, lying down, carrying firewood, or bringing water—every single action can suddenly lead to enlightenment and seeing intrinsic nature. For true Chan practitioners meditation is whatever they see in their daily lives; it is everywhere. Read more
If someone who holds firmly to the name of Avalokit­esvara were to find themselves in a fire, no matter how big, they need not fear being burned by it because of the Bodhi­sattva’s awe-inspiring spiritual powers. Specifically the passage describes one who “upholds the name.” The Chinese character chi (持), “uphold,” means to hold firmly to or mindfully maintain something. One who upholds the name Read more
Birth and death are realities of life. Regardless of who we are, we cannot escape either one. While birth is celebrated, death is feared by most. In order to cope with our fear, we often seek comfort in religion. Although each of the world's major religious traditions has its own teaching concerning death, Buddhism is the only one that promotes the doctrine of impermanence as one Read more
If someone is too tough or stubborn, one can say that they have a cold heart, or even a heart made of stone. But consider this: our teeth may be hard and rigid, but they will each fall out as we get older. On the other hand, the tongue more or less retains its form even after we die. In general, things can sustain themselves Read more
To "commit" is to give assurance to others and to make a conscientious effort to deliver a promise. To instill credibility and trustworthiness, we must honor our words. Confucius once said, "One without credibility is like a large vehicle without a brake pedal, or a small carriage without axles. How can one go anywhere?"Living up to one's word is a basic courtesy. In past agricultural Read more
Some people may think it is strange that in this scientifically enlightened century anyone would want to talk about ghosts. In the past, even sages avoided the subject of the supernatural if they could. Confucius never spoke about ghosts. At the mere mention of ghosts, frightful images instantly arise in our minds of their pale faces, their wild hair and their sharp fangs. The truth Read more
What is the fastest thing in the universe? Of course, everyone knows it is light, which moves at three hundred thousand kilometers per second. However, in Buddhism, the fastest thing is not light but a person’s mind. The speed of mind is several hundred times faster than light and is not limited by time and space. In a flash you can think of Li Bo, Read more
In the Buddha's teachings, there are four kinds of friends: friends who treat you like a flower, friends who act like a balance, friends who are like the mountains, and friends who are like the earth.Friends who treat you like a flowerWe all enjoy flowers, especially when they are fresh. We put them in vases to decorate our homes, we give them to our loved Read more