BUDDHA IMAGES | Zen Wisdom

QUESTION:
Would Shih-fu elaborate on the use of Buddha statues and images in Buddhism?

SHIH-FU:
Let us begin with the historical Buddha. Of course, when Sakyamuni was still alive, there were no such things as Buddha statues or images. It was not until one hundred years or so after the Buddha entered nirvana that people started to use things to symbolize the Buddha, such as the Dharma Wheel, a symbol which represents the turning of the Dharma, an image of two trees, which represents the spot Sakyamuni lay when he entered nirvana, and an image of the bodhi tree, under which Sakyamuni attained complete enlightenment. At this time, also, there began a worship of the Buddha’s relics. These symbols and relics probably represent the origin of all later Buddhist images, such as Buddha statues.

During the earlier periods after Sakyamuni’s departure, people used places and things that helped them to remember the Buddha. Eventually, people built stupas, shrines of a sort, which contained relics of the Buddha. Soon, however, shrines outnumbered relics, so Buddha statues were placed in stupas instead. This is the origin and general history of the emergence of Buddha statues in Buddhism.

STUDENT:
The idea of worship is a key issue. In the minds of some people, the images and statues of the Buddha can take on supernatural powers. It seems that many people view the statues as an extension of a deity. Would Shih-fu expound further on this point?

SHIH-FU:
This belief does exist among people who do not have a deep understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. They view the statues as an extension of a deity, and they worship these statues in order to get responses and gain benefit from the Buddhas. In this sense, the Buddha statues do function as deities for many people.

From the standpoint of Buddhism, it is acceptable for people to worship statues and Buddhas as if they were deities, because Buddhas exist everywhere, and their purpose is to help sentient beings. So, if there are requests from sentient beings, then Buddhas will respond. However, this is only one viewpoint.

Sentient beings who ask Buddhas for responses receive benefit not only from Buddhas, but from the making of the requests themselves. If people have a desire to fulfill or attain something, they can accomplish it because of their own desire, just as your own voice, because it projects inward as well as outward, can cause you yourself to respond. It is a product of your own effort.

For serious practitioners, who have a deep understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, Buddha statues are just a tool of practice. When they want to express gratitude, or practice concentration, the Buddha statue serves as a focus for their attention.

In addition, in paintings and sculptures, the Buddha image appears serene and splendid. When practitioners and others see this, they are inclined to purify themselves, to emulate the Buddha, a being that possesses infinite merit and wisdom. In this way, too, the image of the Buddha helps people.

STUDENT:
It was said that Sakyamuni would alter the content of his Dharma talks to match the audience he was addressing. What you are saying about Buddha statues seems to parallel this aspect of the Buddha. Buddhism has many levels of entry and practice, and the Buddha image allows people to adjust and accommodate to their own level of practice. Is this correct?

SHIH-FU:
Exactly. For example, there was a Ch’an master, T’ien-jan (739-824), who burned a wooden statue of the Buddha in order to keep warm one day in the winter. People screamed, “You are burning the Buddha statue! You are a master! How could you, of all people, do that?”

T’ien-jan replied, “That which can be burned cannot be the Buddha.” For T’ien-jan, the Buddha exists everywhere, but it is not something that can be grasped or attained, much less burned.
Pai-chang (720-814), a master who started the monastery system in China, did not build Buddha halls with statues and images, only Dharma halls, where people practiced and listened to lectures. According to Pai-chang, Buddhadharma is the representation of the Buddha. As long as Buddhadharma is present, Buddha statues are not necessary.

Even before the T’ang dynasty, Ch’an monasteries had Buddha statues. We can see how important Buddha statues are from the Yun-kang and the Lung-men, two famous Buddhist sites which have many Buddha images carved in the walls. These sites were built in the third and fourth centuries. Statues were important for general practitioners after the T’ang dynasty as well.

STUDENT:
I assume that T’ien-jan burned the wooden Buddha statue in order to teach a lesson to his disciples. But, if I burned a Buddha statue in order to demonstrate my understanding of Buddhism, would it make a great deal of difference? In other words, would burning a Buddha statue be an act of desecration if the right understanding were not there?

SHIH-FU:
You must understand that the story of T’ien-jan is a kung-an. Every kung-an that is described can only happen once. They cannot be repeated. If someone repeats or imitates a kung-an later on, it is false. It cannot be a sign of enlightenment. If anybody hears a kung-an and then tries to recreate the scene, it will definitely be an act of creating bad karma, not a sign of enlightenment.

STUDENT:
But what if an individual truly believes that something which can be burned cannot be the Buddha? What if the person truly believes that he or she is burning this wooden statue to get warmth? It is not showing disrespect. Why would this be creating bad karma?

SHIH-FU:
If you were in a situation where you had to burn a Buddha statue in order to survive, would your actions be justifiable, knowing that you acted not with the idea of true realization, but with the intellectual understanding that this is not the real Buddha, this is only a piece of wood? No, you cannot do this. T’ien-jan did this to help his disciples cut off their attachments. He did it for the sake of others. He did not do it because he was freezing. If you were to follow his example and repeat the scene, it would be for your own sake, not for others. You are not justified in doing such a thing. In other words, some karma will result, since your action is self-motivated.

To an enlightened person, the Buddha statue is still a Buddha statue. An ordinary piece of wood is still just a piece of wood. The two are different in his or her mind. Another person may think that the two objects are the same, but actually that person is confused; that person is not enlightened. It is not wise to recreate a kung-an. They cannot be imitated. If you purposely imitate them, you may end up doing bad things.

STUDENT:
I still do not understand. If all things have Buddha-nature, then why would an enlightened person see a Buddha statue and an ordinary piece of wood as being different?

SHIH-FU:
In terms of Buddha-nature, there is no difference between a block of wood, a Buddha statue, or anything else for that matter. But, there is a difference in terms of phenomena in the world. In terms of phenomena, everything is different, but in the enlightened person’s mind, there is no discrimination. If Ch’an masters do not even have the common sense to see ordinary phenomena as being different, they would be considered lunatics.

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