Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

How are Buddha statues not idols?..

What is your definition of an idol?
Here's one opinion on the matter...Are Buddhists Idol Worshippers?

Just my two cents:

For it to be an idol, a person would have to see it as, itself, having some sort of power (to act on a worshiper's behalf) or worthiness of reverence when, alternatively, one might only see it as a representation of that which is worthy of reverence.

In other words, whether a statue is an "idol" or not could only be inferred by the mental state of the person using/looking at it. I would not call it an "idol" as long as there is no confusion as to what the statue really is, a form made up of substance that will eventually be destroyed and reconstituted as something else.

Does that help any?

because we dont worship it, we honor it.

A statue of the Buddha is pretty much the same thing as a statue of a saint or virgin mary.

Wesley1982 wrote:A statue of the Buddha is pretty much the same thing as a statue of a saint or virgin mary.

or a photo of a loved one you carry in your wallet.

Buddha statues are sometimes idols, sometimes just statues.

Children in Buddhist countries will see their parents bow and pay great respect to statues and grow up to believe that The Buddha and statues of him have some sort of inherent magical sacredness. That's idolatry, and it's not commonly overcome. Most native Buddhists are indeed just idol-worshippers.

Viscid wrote:Buddha statues are sometimes idols, sometimes just statues.

Children in Buddhist countries will see their parents bow and pay great respect to statues and grow up to believe that The Buddha and statues of him have some sort of inherent magical sacredness. That's idolatry, and it's not commonly overcome. Most native Buddhists are indeed just idol-worshippers.

I've travelled a bit in Asia and that's not my perception. The closest one may get is that many Asians make merit by making offerings to the Buddha rupa, but that is not worhipping the image itself. But I really don't get this whole hang-up about idolatry. So what if people worship idols? This Abrahamaic instilled fear and superstition is so deeply ingrained in western culture.

pilgrim wrote: I've travelled a bit in Asia and that's not my perception. The closest one may get is that many Asians make merit by making offerings to the Buddha rupa, but that is not worhipping the image itself. But I really don't get this whole hang-up about idolatry. So what if people worship idols? This Abrahamaic instilled fear and superstition is so deeply ingrained in western culture.

Idols are not only physical objects. Some idols are mental. Praying and worshipping a mental idol is no different from doing so to physical ones.

Wesley1982 wrote:How are Buddha statues not idols?..

because it's just an object, made out of materials like stone or bronze or gold. One does not take refuge in stone, bronze or gold.
The statue is just that. The perception linked to the form of a buddha statue is another matter.

That's why people can destroy Buddha Statues, but they can't destroy the Buddha you take refuge in.

pilgrim wrote:So what if people worship idols? This Abrahamaic instilled fear and superstition is so deeply ingrained in western culture.

You're right. Westerners aversion to idolatry comes from the commandment: 'You shall not make for yourself an idol.' This aversion was probably reinforced with protestantism, the enlightenment, empiricism and all that other nonsense.

It's difficult to really know what's going on in Asian Buddhists heads when they're giving puja-- you can't generalize that they're either idol-worshippers, 'ideal' worshippers or merely doing what their culture pressures them into.

There might be a difference between the Historical Buddha and the modern one. W

Hello alll,

This might be of interest:

Dharma Data: Buddha Statues

No representations of the Buddha were made for about four or five centuries. It is sometimes said that prior to this time it was 'forbidden' to make statues or pictures of the Buddha, but this is unlikely and there is no evidence of such a prohibition. A more likely explanation is that until then symbols of the Buddha (stupas, footprints, an empty throne etc.) and written descriptions of him were deemed sufficient. Whatever the reasons, the first Buddha statues were produced in about the 1st or 2nd century AD in Bactria (Afghanistan and northern Pakistan) perhaps as a result of Greek influence, and in Mathura. There is no standard way of representing the Buddha which may differ according to the artistic inspiration, the tastes or the iconographical canons of the different cultures in which they are produced. Some features however are common to most statues. The Buddha is depicted in one of several postures- standing, sitting in meditation or lying down. Statues sitting in the so - called 'Western fashion' are usually not of the Buddha but of Maitreya. Statues lying down are not of the Buddha sleeping, as is commonly supposed, but of him dying. The hands of the Buddha statues are shown in different gestures (mudra), each indicative of important things the Buddha did and which we should do also.

The hands nestled in the lap suggest meditation, held in front of the chest suggest teaching the Dhamma, one hand held up with the palm facing outwards suggests the giving of confidence or fearlessness. The ear lobes of the Buddha statues are nearly always shown elongated, this is indicative of renunciation in that while a layman, the Buddha wore large ear plugs which he stopped wearing when he became a monk, but which left his ear lobes stretched.

It is often said that Buddhists worship statues, in the sense that they believe that Buddha statues actually are the Buddha or that they have some inherent power. But such ideas are quite incorrect. Buddhists do not 'worship' Buddha statues any more than Christians worship the cross or Muslims the Kabba, which they face when they pray. Like the cross etc. the Buddha statue is seen as a symbol that can be seen as helpful in creating devotion, uplifting the mind and focusing attention.

D.L. Snellgrove, The Image of the Buddha. UNESCO/ Kadansha, 1978.
B. Rowland, The Evolution of the Buddha Image (np) 1963http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dha ... /fdd35.htm

with metta
Chris

Wesley1982 wrote:How are Buddha statues not idols?..

How can a piece of wood or stone be an idol? A piece of wood or stone can however be the focal point of your imagination if it appeals to pre-conditioned ideas by means of colors and forms.

Kind regards