good

1.7 QUESTION: If the Buddha is not a god, then why do people worship him?

ANSWER: There are different types of worship. When soeone worship a god, they ptaise and honour him or her, make offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will hear their praise, receive their offering answer their prayers. Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship. The other kind of worship is when we show respect to someone or something we admire. When a theacher wlks into the room we stand up, when we meet a dignitary we shake hands, when the national anthem is played we salute. These are all gestures of respext and worship and indicate our admiration for persons or things. This is the type of worship Buddhists practise. A statue of the Buddha with its hands rested gently in its lap and its compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peaxe and love within ourselves. The perfume of incense reminds us of the light of knowledge and the flowers which soon fade anddie, remind us of impermanence. when we bow , we express our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.

1.8 QUESTION: But I have heard people say that Buddhists worship idols.

ANSWER: Such statements only reflect the misunderstanding of the persons who make them. The dictionary defines an idol as-“an image or statue worshipped as a god”. As we have seen, Buddhists do not believe that the Buddha was a god, so how could they possibly believe that a piece of wood or metal is a god? All religions use symbols to express various concepts. In Taoism, The ying-yang is used to symbolize spiritual struggle. In Christianity, the fish is used to symbolize his sacrifice. And in Buddhism, the statue of the Buddha also reminds us of the human dimension in Buddhist teaching, the fact that Buddhism is man-centered, not god-centered, that we must look within not without to find perfection and understanding. So to say that Buddhists worship idols is not correct.

1.9 QUESTION: Why do people burn paper money and do all kinds of strange things in Buddhist temples?

ANSWER: Many things seem strange to us when we don't understand them. rather than dismiss such things as strange, we should strive to find out their meaning. However, it is true that Buddhist practice sometimes has its origin in popular superstition and misunderstanding rather than the teachings of the Buddism alone, but srise in all religions from time to time. The Buddha taught with clarity and in detail and if some fail to understand fully, the buddha cannot be blamed. There is a saying;

If a man suffering from a disease does not seek treatment even when there is a physician at hand, it is not the fault of that physician.

In the same way, if a man is oppressed and tormented by the disease of the defilements but does not seek the help of the Buddha, that is not the Buddha's fault.
JN28-9

1.10 QUESTION: If Buddhism is so good why are some Buddhist countries poor?

ANSWER: If by poor you mean economically poor, then it is true that some Buddhist countries are poor. But if by pooryoumean a poor quality of life, then perhaps some Buddhist countries are quite rice. America, for example, is an economically rice and poweful country but the crime rate is one of the highest in the world, millions of old people are neglected by their children and die of loneliness in old people's homes, domestic violence and child abuse are major problems. One in three marriages end in divorce, pornography is easily avalilable. Rich in terms of money but perhaps poor in terms of the quality of life. Now, take Burma, a country that is economically backward. Parents are honoured and respected by their children, the crime rate is relatively low, divorce and suicide are almost unheard of, as are domestic violence and child abuse, pornography and sexual licence are non-existent. Economically backward, but perhaps a higher quality of life than in a country like America. But even if we judge Buddhist countries in terms of economics alone, one of the wealthiest and most economically dynamic countries in the world today is Japan where 93% of the population call themselves Buddhists. continue Page 1.5
Back Homepage.
Back Page 1.3