“Namo Tassa Bhagavato Araha Samma Sambuddhassa”
This Buddhist mantra is to highly respect the Lord Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The monks and devotees chant this mantra in front of Lord Buddha statue or picture to offer him homage. Idol worshipping in Buddhism has different views. Some branches of buddhism encourage the Idol worship of buddhism like in Mahayana buddhism while some do not believe in idol worship like HinaYana Buddhism. We will talk about Mahayana Buddhism here.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the followers are encouraged to worship the Buddha idol and offer him flowers, fruits, water and incense. But what does the statue signify?What does it mean to worship a statue? What are the benefits of worshipping Buddha statues? We are going to dive into the details about this.
Meaning of Worshipping Buddha Statue
Usually when we think about the idol worship, we worship the form of god, goddess or deity but here in buddhism it is a bit different when we talk about idol worship in buddhism, the statue stands as a personified symbol of his great virtues and his teaching that has helped to elevate the mankind.
In the earliest days of buddhism there were no statues but images and symbols that would represent Buddha. Some of those symbols were an empty chair, foot prints, Empty space under the parasol.
The making of the Buddha statue was popular around the First century AD. The oldest Buddha Statue was found in Jamal Garhi in present day Pakistan. This statue is from the Kushan empire during which the making of the statue originated or became popular.
The true meaning of Buddha statue is to remind the people and his followers about being compassionate, at peace, and remember his teaching.
Benefits of Worshipping Brass Buddha Statue
When we worship a Buddha statue we worship the qualities of the Great Lord buddha as well as his teaching. Many monks believe that praying to the Buddha is like meditating in front of him to keep reminding the person of the teachings of Buddha.
There are different statues of Buddha which signifies different meanings and bestows different blessings to their worshippers. We have listed some of them down below. Continue to read if you want to know about them.
Medicine Buddha: Medicine Buddha comes from the branch of Tibetan Buddhism. He is one the Bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism. He is known for his great healing qualities. He is said to be the colour of Lapis Lazuli which is blue.
He is shown with a bowl of herbs in his left hand while his right hand rests on his leg or in some statues and pictures his right hand is raised to his shoulder level to bless his devotees.
He is said to heal his people from sickness and injury. His healing capabilities don’t crease with physical healing but his powers are so pure and strong that he can heal the diseased mind and soul. His Brass Buddha statue is said to prevent the illness from entering in the surroundings he is kept in.
Meditative Buddha: The Meditative Buddha is well known with his name Amitabha in Mahayana buddhism. The word Amitabha translates as Infinite Light. His pure light is said to destroy the darkness of illusion of materialistic desire and dirt of bad deeds from the soul of his devotee. The place where the brass buddha Statue is kept receives his steady positive energy. Praying to the statue is said to prevent mishaps like accidents due to flood , fire and weapons.
He is called the buddha of West Pure Land, a land where only the purest of soul can enter. It is said in one of his vows that if a person chants or thinks of his name even ten times will enter his realm without a doubt or he (The Amitabha) might not attain perfect enlightenment given the person did not commit the 5 great sins of buddhism.
Sleeping Buddha: The most ancient and popular subject to sculpt a statue was Gautam Buddha’s life and the important events of his life. One of the greatest and final events of Buddha’s life was his demise.
This brass buddha statue depicts his last moment in the above picture. This stance is called Sleeping Buddha or reclining buddha. In the regions of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the brass buddha statue is seen resting his head on his knee with his eyes either fully closed or half way open. In other East Asian Countries, Buddha is seen lying down on his right side with his head on a pillow or on his right hand.
No matter the representation, the core value that the Buddha shows is the same as his serene face which is to be kind, compassionate and achieve inner peace. The event of Buddha in his last moments is called the Mahaparinama. In this stage, Lord Gautam Buddha is about to enter the Perfect Nirvana escaping from the never ending cycle of Life and death and attain eternal peace.
Buddha Head: The Buddha Head is a fairly modern representation of Buddha compared to his counterparts. It is more into the modern contemporary portrayal of Buddha’s qualities and teaching. The Head of Buddha symbolises the wisdom and knowledge of Buddha. Different parts of the Buddha Head signifies the different meaning, teaching and life phrases of Buddha.
In this picture we can see that Buddha has short curls on his hair unlike the shaved head that monk wears, this is the representation of his journey that he is still on his path to attain nirvana. His calm and serene eyes show that he can see through the illusion of materialistic desire and expectations. His calm and joyful smile teaches us a great lesson which is to be calm in every situation in our life.
Just like we endure the season of scorching heat and freezing cold, we should train and teach ourselves that the ups and downs in life are not permanent and we should not let it affect us. We should be in control of our senses, not the other way around.
Here, we have discussed the significance of statues in Buddhism which includes the explanation of idol worshipping, different types of Buddha statues with their meaning. So long story short is that we can conclude, no matter which buddhism we follow or what type of Brass Buddha Statue we worship it all comes down to being kind, compassionate and at peace with ourselves.
Thank you for reading till the end!
"Namo Tassa Bhagavato Araha Samma Sambuddhassa" Mantra hii ya Kibuddha ni kuheshimu sana Bwana Gautama Buddha, mwanzilishi wa Ubudha. Watawa na waabudu huimba mantra hii mbele ya sanamu au picha ya Bwana Buddha ili kumheshimu. Ibada ya sanamu katika Ubudha ina maoni tofauti. Baadhi ya dini za ki-Buddha huabudu sanamu kama vile Mahayana na nyingine zinaabudu sanamu kama vile Hinaina. Kwa mfano, kuna dini ya Mahayana ya Budha. Katika dini ya Mahayana, wafuasi wanahimizwa kumwabudu sanamu ya Buddha na kumtolea maua, matunda, maji na uvumba. "Lakini, ""mfano"" huo unamaanisha nini, na ""kuabudu sanamu"" kunamaanisha nini?" Ni faida gani za kuabudu sanamu za Buddha? Tutazungumzia mambo madogo-madogo kuhusu jambo hilo. "Mfano wa Buddha ni ""mfano wa ibada ya sanamu"" - kwa mfano, sanamu ya Buddha ni mfano wa ibada ya sanamu ya Buddha, ambayo ni mfano wa ibada ya sanamu ya Buddha, ambayo ni mfano wa ibada ya sanamu ya Buddha, ambayo ni mfano wa ibada ya sanamu ya Buddha." Katika siku za mapema za Ubudha hakukuwa na sanamu bali picha na alama ambazo zingemwakilisha Buddha. Baadhi ya ishara hizo zilikuwa kiti tupu, alama za miguu, nafasi tupu chini ya mwavuli. Ujenzi wa sanamu ya Buddha ulikuwa maarufu karibu na karne ya kwanza KK. Sanamu ya kale zaidi ya Buddha ilipatikana huko Jamal Garhi katika Pakistan ya leo. Sanamu hii ni kutoka milki ya Kushan wakati ambao utengenezaji wa sanamu hiyo ulitokana au ukawa maarufu. Maana halisi ya sanamu ya Buddha ni kuwakumbusha watu na wafuasi wake kuwa na huruma, amani, na kukumbuka mafundisho yake. Kuabudu sanamu ya Buddha ya Shaba: Wakati tunapoabudu sanamu ya Buddha, tunamwabudu Bwana Buddha na mafundisho yake. Watawa wengi wa kiume wanaamini kwamba kuomba kwa Buddha ni kama kutafakari mbele yake ili kumkumbusha mtu mafundisho ya Buddha. Kuna sanamu tofauti za Buddha ambazo zina maana tofauti na hutoa baraka tofauti kwa waabudu wao. Tumetaja baadhi yao hapa chini. Endelea kusoma ikiwa unataka kujua zaidi juu yao. Buddha wa Tiba: Buddha wa Tiba anatoka kwenye tawi la Ubudha wa Tibet. Yeye ni mmoja wa Bodhisattva wa Ubudha wa Mahayana. Anajulikana kwa sababu ya uwezo wake mkubwa wa kuponya. Inasemekana kwamba yeye ni wa rangi ya Lapis Lazuli ambayo ni bluu. Anaonyeshwa akiwa na bakuli la mimea katika mkono wake wa kushoto wakati mkono wake wa kulia unasimama kwenye mguu wake au katika sanamu na picha zingine mkono wake wa kulia umeinuliwa hadi kiwango cha bega ili kuwabariki waabudu wake. Inasemekana kwamba yeye huponya watu wake kutokana na magonjwa na majeraha. Uwezo wake wa kuponya hauzidi kwa uponyaji wa kimwili lakini nguvu zake ni safi na zenye nguvu sana hivi kwamba anaweza kuponya akili na roho zilizoambukizwa. Sanamu yake ya Buddha ya shaba inasemekana kuzuia ugonjwa usiingie katika mazingira ambayo anawekwa. Buddha wa Kutafakari: Buddha wa Kutafakari anajulikana sana kwa jina lake Amitabha katika Ubudha wa Mahayana. Neno Amitabha hutafsiriwa kuwa Nuru isiyo na kikomo. Nuru yake safi inasemekana kuharibu giza la udanganyifu wa tamaa ya vitu vya kimwili na uchafu wa matendo mabaya kutoka kwa roho ya mfuasi wake. Mahali ambapo sanamu ya Buddha ya shaba imehifadhiwa hupokea nishati yake chanya ya kudumu. Kuomba kwa sanamu hiyo inasemekana kuzuia ajali kama vile mafuriko, moto na silaha. "Buddha wa nchi safi ya magharibi, ""nchi ambayo ni roho safi tu inayoweza kuingia.""" "Kama mtu akisali au kufikiri jina lake hata mara kumi ataingia katika ulimwengu wake bila shaka au yeye (Amitabha) anaweza kupata mwangaza kamili kwa sababu mtu huyo hakufanya dhambi kubwa tano za Ubudha. """ Buddha anayelala: Somo la kale zaidi na maarufu la kuchonga sanamu ilikuwa maisha ya Gautama Buddha na matukio muhimu ya maisha yake. Mojawapo ya matukio makubwa na ya mwisho katika maisha ya Buddha ilikuwa kifo chake. Sanamu hii ya Buddha ya shaba inaonyesha wakati wake wa mwisho katika picha iliyo hapo juu. Msimamo huu huitwa Buddha Aliye amelala au Buddha aliyelala. Katika maeneo ya India, Sri Lanka na Bangladesh, sanamu ya Buddha ya shaba inaonekana ikitegemea kichwa chake kwenye goti lake na macho yake yamefungwa kabisa au yamefunguliwa nusu. Katika nchi nyingine za Asia Mashariki, Buddha huonekana amelala upande wake wa kulia akiwa na kichwa chake juu ya mto au mkono wake wa kulia. "Hata hivyo, ""thamani ya msingi ambayo Buddha anaonyesha ni sawa na uso wake wa utulivu, ambayo ni kuwa mwema, huruma na kufikia amani ya ndani.""" Tukio la Buddha katika dakika zake za mwisho huitwa Mahaparinama. Katika hatua hii, Bwana Gautama Buddha yuko karibu kuingia katika Nirvana kamilifu, akiondoka katika mzunguko usio na mwisho wa Maisha na Kifo na kufikia amani ya milele. Kichwa cha Buddha: Kichwa cha Buddha ni uwakilishi wa kisasa wa Buddha ikilinganishwa na wenzao. Ni zaidi katika uchoraji wa kisasa wa kisasa wa sifa na mafundisho ya Buddha. Kichwa cha Buddha hufananisha hekima na maarifa ya Buddha. Sehemu tofauti za Kichwa cha Buddha zinaonyesha maana tofauti, mafundisho na misemo ya maisha ya Buddha. Buddha alikuwa na nywele fupi, tofauti na nywele zilizochongwa za mtawa, na hii ni uwakilishi wa safari yake ya kufikia Nirvana. Macho yake yenye utulivu na utulivu huonyesha kwamba anaweza kuona kupitia udanganyifu wa tamaa na matarajio ya kimwili. Tabasamu yake ya utulivu na furaha inatufundisha somo kubwa ambalo ni kuwa mtulivu katika kila hali katika maisha yetu. Kama vile tunavyovumilia majira ya joto kali na baridi kali, tunapaswa kujifunza na kujifunza kwamba mapinduzi na mapungufu ya maisha si ya kudumu na hatupaswi kuruhusu hayo yatugharimu. Tunapaswa kudhibiti hisi zetu, si kinyume chake. Katika makala hii, tutazungumzia umuhimu wa sanamu katika dini ya Budha, pamoja na ufafanuzi wa ibada ya sanamu, aina tofauti za sanamu za Buddha na maana yao. Kwa kifupi, tunaweza kuhitimisha kwamba haijalishi ni dini gani ya Buddha tunayofuata au ni aina gani ya sanamu ya Buddha ya shaba tunayoabudu, yote yanatokana na kuwa na fadhili, huruma na amani na sisi wenyewe. Asanteni kwa kusoma hadi mwisho!