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Hi, all
While studying Buddhism in Korea, I have heard the following sentence from many people.
“Lord Buddha said not to make his own statue.”
But, I haven’t heard from them which part of Tipitaka this sentence is based on.
First of all, I was wondering if the above is true. And if anyone knows if the above sentence is inside the Tipitaka, please comment.
With metta _()_
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Hava a look on this topic “Rethinking my over use of Buddhist statues” at Discourse@SuttaCentral.
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1. There were no Buddha statues for many years after the Parinibbana of the Buddha. Soon after Buddha’s Parinibbana, stupas with Buddha’s remains (dhatu) were built.
- Statues of the Buddha were built hundreds of years after the Parinibbana of the Buddha. There were Buddhist Greek Kings in India after Alexander, for example, King Milinda. That is when the tradition of building Buddha statues started (Greeks are famous for making statues of their deities).
2. I asked Grok (Musk’s AI) about that, and the following is the answer:
“King Menander, also known as Milinda in Indian sources, was a Greco-Bactrian and later Indo-Greek King who ruled a large territory in the Northwestern regions of the Indian Subcontinent. While there are no direct historical records stating that King Menander started the practice of making Buddha statues, there is evidence that Greco-Buddhism flourished during his reign. Greco-Buddhist art, which began to appear around the 1st century BCE, combined Hellenistic artistic styles with Buddhist themes, resulting in statues of the Buddha that incorporated Greek artistic elements, such as realistic human forms and drapery.The earliest surviving Buddha statues discovered at the site of Jamal Garhi in ancient Gandhara date to the 1st or 2nd century CE, which is after the reign of King Menander. However, it is plausible that the Greco-Buddhist artistic tradition that led to the creation of these statues might have been influenced by the patronage of Buddhism by Indo-Greek kings like Menander. King Menander is noted for having become a patron and convert to Greco-Buddhism, and his reign is remembered for its connection to the spread of Buddhism in the region.”3. In the following video, a child describes her life as a Deva during the time of the Buddha (in Sinhala.) She says the Buddha was different than depicted in the current Buddha statues (@21 minutes).- As a Deva, she was able to “go inside” stupas and see dhatu (remains of the Buddha) enclosed in golden containers.
- She also says the Buddha statues we have today do not match the Buddha’s features. That makes sense. Statues of the Buddha were built hundreds of years after the Buddha’s Parinibbana.
4. Furthermore, worshipping symbols REPRESENTING the Buddha were there at the time of the Buddha. There is the following account in the Tipitaka (I forget the name of the sutta):
- People brought many things to offer to the Buddha at Jetavanarama. If the Buddha was not there, they went back disappointed. When Ven. Ananda mentioned this to the Buddha; the Buddha asked for a Bodhi tree to be planted there and instructed people to make offerings to that Bodhi tree. It was called “Ananda Bodhi. ” It was just a symbol representing the Buddha. One’s feelings are based on one’s reverence for the Buddha, not for the symbol.
5. Looking at a Buddha statue gives me peace of mind. If it is conducive to meditation, one could use it for that purpose.
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No. I don’t think that is true. There was no such custom at that time to ban it.
- But he clearly advised using the Bodhi tree and stupas with dhatus embedded in them.
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Kalingabodhi-Jataka (Kāliṅgabodhijātakaṃ) …”This monastery, Sir, is left unprovided while the Tathāgata goes on pilgrimage, and there is no place for the people to do reverence by offering fragrant wreaths and garlands. Will you be so kind, Sir, as to tell the Tathāgata of this matter, and learn from him whether or no it is possible to find a place for this purpose.” The other, nothing loth, did so, asking, “How many shrines are there?” —”Three, Ānanda.” —”Which are they?” —”Shrines for a relic of the body, a relic of use or wear, a relic of memorial [202]” —”Can a shrine be made, Sir, during your life?” —”No, Ānanda, not a body-shrine; that kind is made when a Buddha enters Nirvāna. A shrine of memorial is improper because the connection depends on the imagination only.(?) But the great bo-tree used by the Buddhas is fit for a shrine, be they alive or be they dead.” —”Sir, while you are away on pilgrimage the great monastery of Jetavana °° is unprotected, and the people have no place where they can show their reverence. Shall I plant a seed of the great bo-tree before the gateway of Jetavana?” —”By all means so do, Ānanda, and that shall be as it were an abiding place for me.”… 202: See Hardy, Eastern Monachism, 216 f. The last class is said to be images of the Buddha. (similar in German translations)
(Samana Johann)
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Yes, you are correct. Contrary to what I wrote above, it was customary to build statues in East Asia well before the Buddha, as is obvious from the many old statues of deities in India. However, it became a “Buddhist custom” well after the Buddha’s Parinibbana.
Thank you for the reference. The following is the link:
- However, as I mentioned above, it is not a “Jataka story.” It happened during Buddha Gotama’s life.
- There is a sutta in Samyutta Nikaya providing the same account. If someone has that reference, please post it.
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Atma wouldn’t share either thieves nor direct others to thieves, yet Nyom’s editor seems to have burden with links.
https://sangham.net/en/tipitaka/sut/kn/j/j10/j479
(Samana Johann)
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