Why should we worship statues of Lord Buddha?

Question

Why should we worship Lord Buddha statues with flowers, lights and food, even when we know Lord Buddha is not alive and does not exist? Did Lord Buddha instruct us to do so or is there any other reason?

Answer 1

I am not sure we should worship statues itself as that would be some sort of idolatry. Buddhists worship Buddha, and statue or other image is just symbol, something that bring into our memory good qualities of Buddha. It's mindfulness of Buddha. Statue is a symbol, and symbol is communication which states about its subject, Buddha in our case. Thus, showing respect before statue should be directed to Buddha as Jewel, and not to statue. Mindfulness and respect to the Saint and Teacher is good action.

Btw, Buddha is not disappeared, he stated that he will remain in his Teaching (Dharma).

Answer 2

Thanissaro says in many places that the act of respect develops hand-in-hand with learning the path:

In their eyes, the religious attitude of respect is needed for any philosophical understanding to grow. And as far as they're concerned, there's no conflict between the two. In fact, they're mutually reinforcing.

Opening the Door to the Dhamma: Respect in Buddhist Thought & Practice

The veneration of statues with flowers and so on should be a natural expression of your development of the path. The act of putting flowers next to a statue doesn't save anyone or develop anything, but it's an expression of your faith that what the Buddha taught is really worth learning:

Respect is the attitude you develop toward the things that matter in life.

Answer 3

The true Buddha is the Eternal Buddha revealed in the Lotus Sutra. It is not a normal human being. The statue serves as a tool for remembrance, but it's actually an inferior symbol, because it depicts the bodily form of the Buddha. A scroll with written characters is better. A Sutra (text) is more similar to the true Buddha-body than a statue of Siddharta Gautama. The true Buddha-body cannot be expressed or depicted so it expediently reveals itself in ways that are understandable to our feeble minds - such as "infinite buddha" (amitabha) etc. Since the true buddha is formless, it cannot be depicted or potrayed. But since it compassionately discloses itself to ignorant beings, it allows to be depicted in such a way. It's simply a useful device. It's dangerous though, because someone might cling to that body and believe a Buddha's body can decay, break or die. That's not possible according to the Nirvana Sutra - the Buddha's body is permanent & eternal. - To answer your question: what we really worship is the Buddha-nature that is present in every sentient and even insentient being. It's in you & me too.

Answer 4

No one should worship any Statue, in death bed Lord Buddha says not to build any statue of him.

More over He had been saying this all his life that his path is the path of practice not worship.

Now comes your Question why should we worship him ?

Once a king denied to worship a statue, then swami vivekananda asked him to spit on one his fathers portrait, as a result kind was angry.

So we should always keep in mind that the most important thing is to focus our minds, some may need help to keep it focused maybe some statue and some may need breathing techniques, some doesn't need anything, they just sit totally blank, As everything came out of nothing, nothingness is god, having a controlled & focused mind in nothing is all we need to do.

Answer 5

Lets say the Buddha was alive today and you offered Dana to the Buddha. But what if the Buddha does not accept it? Will you still not get the merits for your good intentions and the effort you put into preparing the Dana for the Buddha? It's about the quality of your thoughts throughout the time you spent on it.

Answer 6

Buddha is a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge. Thus a statue of Buddha is a personification of knowledge. Buddhists do not pray to Knowledge (Buddha statue). They venerate knowledge because 'knowledge is power'; they pursuit knowledge.

Theists hope to get power by praying. Teaching of Lord Buddha (Budda is a statue) is for practice, diligent strenous practice, to get knowledge.

See definition of Buddha and Buddhism in Oxford Dictionaries.

Answer 7

There is no reason we have to. There is also no reason I have to. Plus there also is the same reason you don't have to either.

Since you have free will, you can choose to do so however.

Answer 8

No one worshiping Buddha in India, We just ignite candle only .
And so if we gonna experiencing just observe, you'll see Buddha's statue, his face there's lighted spirit, you'll not find with other gods, only Buddha's eyes are closed and peaceful spirit on face.
Peaceful atmosphere you'll feel.
Worshiping means bribe from devotee and want praise through chants; but we don't have to worship Buddha to achieve peace.
He just beyond concept of god and religion.
You can meditate next to Buddha's statue.

Answer 9

The Buddha never asked to be worshiped, he only asked that we use the Dhamma and Vinaya as a guide to cessation. Respect and veneration of the Buddha are wonderful, in that they engender a respect for their Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, but valuing the Buddha as anything more than a teacher will likely lead to attachment and stress/suffering.

The Buddha shined a lamp onto an individual path, one without an idol - where the cessation of stress/suffering is realisable in the here and now, generally with him as a guide.

In the Kalama Sutta he denies the absolute validity of all speculation, no matter what this speculation is grounded in, rather asking each one of us to search out and find out the knowledge found in the Dhamma for ourselves!

Answer 10

Good householder,

It depends on where one could find a useful perception of what is worthy for Veneration (pi apacāyana, apa + cāy root pūja = abound, scarify; verb apaciti; gārava, one of the meritious deeds, for a disciple, actually a matter of Sila, conduct . People, and training, usually starts outwardly, by body and speech. If starting unwardly, but not used outwardly, it's difficult when dependend on community, and leads to confusion and conflicts. Western, modern, have really a hard in doing basics, doing giving and obligations, and certain rationalisation are wonderfuul tools for defilement so that pride and greed would win. It's usuall in the good following Sanghas and Parisas to venerate the first Gem by body and speech as well and there is also a tradition chant, vandami (veneration), incl. "I will bow down to every Buddha-image".

On the other had, of course, the Buddha actually never allowed to make a Buddha-image to be reminded on the training, saying that people would be to much attached to form/body. He adviced to either use his rests, Chediya (to be reminded on impermanence), or the Bodhi-tree (to be reminded on his awakening).

See Q&A Buddha-images are allowed by the Buddha (at least by monks)?

On the other side, don't one forget that paying proper respect is a grave duty not only in the community but also toward ones teacher.

Here again also the reminder in the Dhp-story, wher all monks gathered to venerate the Master except one, who was the critisiced for not coming by the monks. The Buddha told that he wasn't guilty, since he prefered to eager practiced and payed so highest homage. Yet, think, what are you doing instead of veneration?

How ever, again, it's good to follow the measures of Sila of a community first, and the bow down, paying respect symbolical to the Buddha, is usual observed conduct in the Buddhas Sangha and Parisas. Not doing such will cut you off from the community, as suspected disrespectfull of which, if so, is also a grave, dispelling, transgression, actually (or at least seen as not of much faith and effort in basic trainings).

Remember the ascetic who practiced veneration all his life eager. Good prepared in needed devotion, on hearing just view words of Dhamma, he quickly gained Arahatship.

All you here, coming from total unskillful areas of daily conduct, not used to be grateful and respectfull all day long, not used to fall for more sublime, full of conceit and self-overestimation, would do good to take on what ever as "naive" perceived simple practice, if really wishing to progress instead of nourish defilement, and the matter of grave aversion should actually already be a sign that there would be the way to win over oneself.

See Veneration: Paying respect to teachers, monks - western/modern shamelessness

Only short time ago, devoted asked of what is right and better, to bow down the Buddha-image first, or the Sangha, the actual teacher. They where told that where ever they see more use in it (a Buddha image wouldn't teach, or give you anything in action), where ever you could perceive the Tathagata/Dhamma better, best, there it is good to start this good practice.

Respect, veneration, confidence and patient, are the basics, and especially, as many of you don't really progress, the base forms the path, and Saddhā (faith, from saddha=> sacrifice, falling (of the five kandhas at least), is the cause of the lokuttara paṭiccasamuppāda, the path.

Good generously given further read Respect, Confidence and Patient

Practice it, no problem to gain much understanding and insight, doing simply Vipassana in this way (look Bhante Yuttodhammos teachings on it: Chapter Five: Mindful Prostration, from "How to meditate-A Beginner's Guide To Peace", although he actually had mistreaded a lot of you here with his pseude-liberal approaches for inmature), for for now most of you here can neither except to be perceived as part of the Parisa in your conducts, nor do most actually have a valide/good refuge in the Gems and resisting outwardly of the Sāsana, doing a lot of harm for many and yours.

If you are not able of outwardly sacrifices and proper conducts, how do you seriously ecpect being honestly able to do such on much, much more refined level? Throw away you useless excuses as soon as seeing their cheating for the sake of Mara.

Incapable for Sila, incapable for Dana, no refuge... how do you expect to ever get right concentration, even Jhana, fruits or paths, caught in all kinds of macchariya, formost vaṇṇa-maccariya here.

Vandāmi bhante cetiyaṃ, sabbaṃ sabbattha ṭhāne, supatiṭṭhitaṃ sārīraṅka-dhātuṃ, mahā-bodhiṃ buddha-rūpaṃ, sakkāratthaṃ.

I revere every stupa established in every place, every Relic of the Buddha's body, every Great Bodhi tree, every Buddha image that is an object of veneration. (derived from a talk to Ananda in J479

[Note that this isn't given for stacks, exchange, what ever world-binding trade, but for release from this wheel]