why do buddhists...?

Question

why do buddhists worship and bow down to man-made statues and revere them?

why do buddhists change their statues if they are not "answering prayers"?

why do buddhists sell their statues to 2nd-hand shops and then buy newer and MORE"POWERFUL" ones?

please answer all 3 questions, buddhists. (dun tell me buddhists don't do these, because buddhists do these all around the world.)

buddhists from hongkong, singapore, china, america do these. australia too. i know cos i have friends from these countries, who r buddhists! :) explain please! and why do buddhists follow buddha and pray to him or worship him when buddha became "nothing"?

ya. i equate buddhism to chinese mythology, because LOTS of buddhists equate mythology to buddhism in the way they practise buddhism! haha!

to mgnava....

i have one million buddhists in my country. they talk to buddha. or the statue. they want answered prayers. and they claim buddha ANSWERS! how can buddha answer if he became nothing?

remind themselves of buddha? but why do i see so many faces of buddha? the fat one, the smiling one, the angry one, the thousand hand one, the lying down one. oh man... so i think buddhists need a lot of reminders to know how buddha looks like.

Answer 1

Real Buddhists - NO to all three

Non-Buddhists/ Buddha worshippers - maybe to all three

Answer 2

Nice article about it here: http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/hwadu/faq/view.asp?article_seq=94&page=1&search_key=&search_value=

>>>Whenever anyone goes to a Buddhist temple he bows to the Buddha in the Main Hall. Visitors who do not know much about Buddhism think that the people are worshiping idols, that they are bowing to a statue of metal, wood or stone. This is wrong!

Buddhists make and keep statues as reminders. They do not worship the material that the statue is made of. They do not bow to the substance used by the artist to create that inspiring object. They bow in remembrance of the Buddha's qualities and teachings. They bow out of gratitude for the Buddha's great kindness in teaching us. They bow to themselves and to all living beings for each and every one has Buddha Nature ‑‑ the potential for enlightenment ‑‑ within: each one is a Buddha. <<<

Answer 3

You are really ignorant .......

You have just equate buddhist with ancient chinese mythology.

Please do your research before you make such claims, would you? It is like asking why do Christians worship and bow down to man-made statues like Zeus ...... LOL.....

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I am from Singapore, I had travelled around H.K., China, USA and other places. The only time they bow to Buddha's statues is when they are chanting the scriptures. It is in gratitude to buddha who pass down his knowledge and to teach the monks humility.

Buddha does not answers to prayers, it is taught by buddha that each person is responsible for their own action. One cannot shift their own fault to another.

The "Buddhists" you said are actually praying to ancient chinese mythology gods like the Monkey God, the Earth God, the 3rd Prince of Heaven ... so on and so fore .... and they are not buddhist, at best they are "Sheng Jiao (神教）" or "Godist" (If there is every such a word).

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From your equation, you are equating Christians as Muslim too. So Christians are Muslim? Since all Christians and Muslim stems from Judaism, you are second class citizen to the Jews too..... Since Christian's bible have alot in common with Greek Mythology, can I safely say You pray to Zeus and his merry bands of Gods too? Hence, all Christians are believers of Greek Mythology, ..... Sounds stupid, correct? This is precisely what you are doing.

Buddhist follows buddha's teaching, they study buddha's teaching. From buddha's teaching you know he does not answer prayers. Those who says Buddha answers prayers are similar to Christians who claims Jesus Christs answers prayers, totally psychological factors without substance.

Buddha did not become nothing ..... he has reached enlightenment and hop out of the rebirth cycle. He had understand life, suffering and the method to end suffering and illusion and delusion of life.

If You are trying to tune Christian's thinking into Buddhism, try harder, please. You felt like a half bake christian trying to promote your religion by belittling others. If you really want to bash Buddhism, at least make an effort to read up on buddhism rather then listening to rumors.

Ignorance isn't an excuse to be a bigot.

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And Jesus Christs looks like a Caucasian when he is from middle east and supposed to look like Osman Bin Laden?

Each individual Culture tune a figure to look like themselves. You can claim that statue is buddha, you can claim it is a piece of stone, no true buddhist will actually be bothered with that. You can even think of buddha as a person that looks like a ugly troll. However, if that troll can teach you how to end suffering, so be it, he is buddha.

Remember the time when the Afghanistan blew up the giant buddha statues, one person told a monk that. The Monk replied, oh? Is it, I do hope they make some steps on the remains, that hill is too steep and dangerous, some steps will be good for old people. When the person ask the monk why he does not seems to care when buddha's statues was blew up. The monk just smile and said, why should you care? It is just a piece of rock, you should care about the people living there and not be too overly concerned with a piece of rock.

Answer 4

(1) maybe (to explain reverence) they believe they've learned a lesson and are grateful (the Buddha is a teacher, right?)

(2) I don't know any who do, but obviously expecting an inanimate object to grant a wish is not covered by warranty - maybe that's the reason people return them.

(3) never seen it but I think it's the same as #2. Hoteis, Buddha statues, are just there to remind us of the Buddha's teachings.

Answer 5

Buddhists don't bow down to statues unless they see Christians looking and then they only do it to f**k with them. (It's funny.) Buddhists know that statues don't answer prayers but they LIKE statues, especially in their outdoor areas like decks and gardens, it gives the space an air of whimsy, mystery and reverence all at once. They like to get new ones now and then too but if they got new ones and never got rid of the old ones then they would have too many and their gardens and decks would just look cluttered.

Answer 6

I were a operating in the route of Buddhist for decades and that i need to assert that i appreciate the quantity of attempt that you positioned into this, besides because the smart solutions you've positioned the following. frequently at the same time as my faith is criticized, that's by utilising uneducated those who basically opt to attack for the objective of attacking so I get excitement out of your attitude. as well to that, i will say that I trust various your factors - although, this does no longer rattle my faith in any respect. i might want to write for hours on how I agree consisting of your factors and upload my own faith into that yet i will attempt to maintain it basic for the objective of this posting. inspite of the actual shown actuality that, i will really no longer disagree to a destiny communication about this once you have an interest. Buddha reported: "believe no longer something, even if you listen it from Me or everyone else except you recognize it to be real." My conception of this actuality is what keeps my faith inspite of each and every of the flaws and human mistakes which have encircled the religion. i recognize that various issues contradict one yet another and the reason being glaring - in case you're taking a faith and spread it round to diverse cultures it is going to develop into something that heavily resembles the life-style that has taken it. Even i'm in charge of this yet i think that that's major for my effortless expertise. you may not change what we are and what we are is human. Human's look to have an innate choose for a "god" discern and inspite of the actual shown actuality that that's adversarial to the Buddha's beliefs, he has develop right into a "god" in a sense. nevertheless, I refute this conception as an suggested individual does the astounding they could to do what's nice and that is the needed vital of religion as a rule. If we chop up straws on what people have done, the sturdy in Buddha's words would by no ability inspire people. idea is the foremost yet nevertheless human mistakes has warped various issues. it truly is real in each and every faith, Judaism, Taoism, Hindu, Christianity and Islam. i imagine the excellent Messiah's, income, and "gods" are more beneficial attracted to creating our hearts organic and being sturdy yet I understand the flaws of blind faith and ideas of Nihilism. So, i will end my debate with a quote from the Dali Lama, he reported that the religion is sturdy although this is not for anybody. you have to be real to you and if meaning being except Buddhism, please do this because the point is to locate your happiness.

Answer 7

You have a grudge against Buddhists. They must be bothering you a lot.

Answer 8

Ignorance is bliss isn't it??


Study the religion you are bashing before you bash it.



My 2 cents from an Atheist

Answer 9

I suggest that you find out who those people are, and ask them.

Answer 10

I was going to tell you that they don't do that, but you won't accept that for an answer.