Worshiping the buddha to bring peace prosperity and emancipation

anataman

I was looking at some Thangka images online and came across a thousand buddha thangka on a site called 'exotic india' (http://www.exoticindiaart.com), and have taken this extract of the description of it. Of course I am bearing in mind that it's selling some beautiful imagery:

'This exquisitely painted thangka depicts Thousand-Buddhas with Shakyamuni Buddha, seated on six-ornament throne of enlightenment, in the center. It shows the power of Thousand Buddhas, their love for suffering beings, and their worship will bring peace, prosperity and emancipation.'

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/tu93.jpg

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

Do you worship the buddha(s)? Or have you killed that one dead?

genkaku

I think worship is common ... right up to the moment when life goes "boo!"

vinlyn

I pay respect to the memory of Buddha, but no, I don't worship him.

Jeffrey

I doubt it is the same thing as meditation. Apples and oranges.

David

To worship the Buddha is to put him out of reach... Isn't the opposite true about meditation?

Bunks

I don't personally but I don't begrudge anyone who does in order to help their practice.

I used to go to an NKT meditation class of a lunch time and they used to sing this song to thank Buddha for his help etc. I thought it was corny and it made me cringe but maybe it worked for the other people there?

how

While it is not my way, a devotional practice is listed as one of the three traditional entrances onto the path towards sufferings cessation. They are different entrances but all work towards the same end game.

lobster

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

Speaking from experience . . .
Worship is too weak a word. You need to aim for adoration and love as a minimum. It is really a question of shifting the self cherishing into a form. It is a Yidam or guru worship tactic. Identify with, lose self in. You are sane enough to be a surgeon, you should do fine . . . combine it with meditation? Yowzah! (whatever that means - could be a mantra)

zsc

anataman said:

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

Well, yes actually. @lobster explained it better than I can, though.

It does bring "peace, prosperity, and emancipation" too. Who says "prosperity" is just about money?

anataman

Thanks for taking the time to ponder this with me. I wasn't sure what to make of such a statement but there were some good perspectives to consider...

Mettha

anando

Hi,
the right way to worship Gotamo Buddho,is to apply his teaching of the 8fold path.

anando

Jainarayan

anataman said:

...
'This exquisitely painted thangka depicts Thousand-Buddhas with Shakyamuni Buddha, seated on six-ornament throne of enlightenment, in the center. It shows the power of Thousand Buddhas, their love for suffering beings, and their worship will bring peace, prosperity and emancipation.'

...

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

Do you worship the buddha(s)? Or have you killed that one dead?

I don't like the word 'worship' because it connotes a subservience to a deity, and kowtowing; that's just me. Devotional worship-cum-meditation is a Hindu concept, bhakti. "Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend." - Bhagavad Gita 18.65 In that case worship and meditation are pretty much the same thing. But that's Hinduism. I think images of, and respect/reverence for the buddhas and bodhisattvas keep one mindful of their help and our goals.

I have an altar with a few deities, buddhas and bodhisattvas, and some offering cups, but I don't really do much with it except light the candles and incense, fill the cups, and say some prayers. But of course I have deities, candles and incense all over the house anyway.

hermitwin

Buddha was aksed what is the best way to worship him.
"The highest reverence you can show me is by practising what I have taught you"

anataman said:

I was looking at some Thangka images online and came across a thousand buddha thangka on a site called 'exotic india' (http://www.exoticindiaart.com), and have taken this extract of the description of it. Of course I am bearing in mind that it's selling some beautiful imagery:

'This exquisitely painted thangka depicts Thousand-Buddhas with Shakyamuni Buddha, seated on six-ornament throne of enlightenment, in the center. It shows the power of Thousand Buddhas, their love for suffering beings, and their worship will bring peace, prosperity and emancipation.'

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/tu93.jpg

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

Do you worship the buddha(s)? Or have you killed that one dead?

footiam

anataman said:

I was looking at some Thangka images online and came across a thousand buddha thangka on a site called 'exotic india' (http://www.exoticindiaart.com), and have taken this extract of the description of it. Of course I am bearing in mind that it's selling some beautiful imagery:

'This exquisitely painted thangka depicts Thousand-Buddhas with Shakyamuni Buddha, seated on six-ornament throne of enlightenment, in the center. It shows the power of Thousand Buddhas, their love for suffering beings, and their worship will bring peace, prosperity and emancipation.'

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/tu93.jpg

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

Do you worship the buddha(s)? Or have you killed that one dead?

Most probably, worshiping works for some and it does not have to be Buddha we are worshiping. Justin Bieber would do well even especially when he sucks.

FoibleFull

Ah well ... those not trained in Buddhism want to worship, want to find solutions outside of themselves, and want to fix things instead of fixing themselves. This is the usual way for humans.

My teacher, an older Tibetan monk and a geshe from the Dalai Lama's monastery (Namgyal) keeps on reminding us that we are the only ones who can bring enlightenment. We do not worship the deities so much as we call them to mind so we can consider their qualities and absorb those qualities (compassion, wisdom, etc) into ourselves.
As a Westerner, I initially had trouble with this .. until I realized that this is like the athletes who visualize their performances before they get out onto the field to compete. Visualization is a powerful tool for self-change. And Buddhism is all about changing ourselves.

I do not worship the Buddha, nor the deities. But I hold the dharma (the teachings and the techniques) most precious, and respect and value the teachers (Buddha included). I remember life before starting to practice Buddhism and would not go there again for any reason.

DairyLama

anataman said:

I suppose the thing that got me was, it seems to be selling the idea that if 'I worship the buddha' I can by devotional worship achieve the same thing as meditation?

There are many approaches in the different traditions, but broadly I think what is being "worshipped" is the ideal of enlightenment.
Obviously some people will have a lot of baggage associated with the word "worship".

poptart

Worship is a heavily loaded word.
Seems a bit too close to idolatry to me.

lobster

Worship is a heavily loaded word.
Seems a bit too close to idolatry to me.

Indeed. Understood. Not required.

I had a Jewish dharma Buddy who would attend the evening Tara practice every day BUT would never bow to the Buddha dolls/idols/statues. Even though he was not a practicing Jew it someone felt disrespectful to the hard won Judaic tradition of non bowing to anything but Allah/Jehovah or . . . who is that JHVH? Not required, there are other practices/gates.
Fair enough, no one was concerned.

However some of us for example Catholics are quite used to religious dolls and pictorial reminders. We loan them credentials, invest them with our powers of concrete idolization. Yantra, mantra, thangka are sort of Dharmic film or pop stars.
Does building such a relationship work? Of course. You are generating a mind and emotional projection. The abstraction for example compassion, takes the powerful form of Avolokiteshvara
http://www.souledout.org/healing/healingdeities/avolokiteshvara.html

Makes it 'real'. Changes lives.

OM MANI PEME HUM

DairyLama

poptart said:

Worship is a heavily loaded word.

I worship ice-cream but haven't created a religion out of it...

anataman

So do I the mantra is nice and short: om Haagen Dazs.

zsc

Really, when you actually try practicing devotion to the Buddha(s), you answer the question "does it bring peace, prosperity, and emancipation?" for yourself.