Burning Quest - Part 31

    "Buddhists are not idol worshipers; they are ideal worshipers"       (Page 274).  

Thus declares Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda author of What Buddhists Believe, in said book.

Anyone of this persuasion, whether they keep a picture or an actual replica statue in the home or whether they go to a Buddhist temple with Buddha's images, are only "giving respect" to Buddha.  They are only remembering him and his life of good and his teachings.  He is their role model.

Sri Dhammananda goes on to say, 

"The worship of Buddha really means paying homage, veneration and devotion to him and what he represents, and not to the stone or metal figure." (Page 275)

This sounds like a god to worship, to me.

But Sri Dhammananda gives the argument that we may have a picture of our grandparents, and we look at it to remember what they were like and the happy times we had with them.  It does not mean we are worshiping them.

The author uses the term "paying homage" which is declaring "formal public acknowledgement " [Google] of someone greater than oneself.  For example, a slave to his master would show homage.

Continuing on, Sri Dhammananda writes, 

"In their minds, devout Buddhists feel the living presence of the Master" (Yes, the author capitalizes that word 'master' in his book).

"This feeling makes their acts of worship [emphasis mine] vivid and significant".

So there is something spiritual going on here.  "Acts of worship" sounds like a deference to a god.  Sri Dhammananda finishes that bit off by saying,

"The serenity of the Buddha image influences and inspires them to observe the right path of conduct and thought" (Page 275).

He says that since Buddhists don't ask the Buddha image for personal "worldly favors" nor "request forgiveness" for their wrong doings that this is not idol worship.  They are only "remembering and respecting him".

Sri Dhammananda asks, 

"Without the image of Buddha, where can we find a serene, radiant and spiritually emancipated personality?" (Page 277)

I say, "In Jesus Christ!"  He is the Prince of Peace.  Jesus is,

"...the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).  

When Jesus' followers, truly follow Him, they too will have this peace and calmness and they can freely worship Jesus because he is God; not a god, but God.

In Jesus Christ is lasting peace.  

"The peace of God will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Because we have salvation in Jesus Christ--He earned it for us and salvation is 100% sure for those who accept this gift--we can have this peace when "we put our hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee" as a song with those words sings.

This man Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, is the perfect One who came into this world to buy our pardon and salvation; liberating us from the wages of sin.  He is the truly compassionate One Who knows we can never achieve our own salvation all by ourselves.  

This Middle Path way of Buddha is in some ways close to the The Way of Jesus Christ.  There is much that is good.  Yet Jesus Christ always was, always is, and always will be the perfect  one through Whom we have salvation and everlasting peace and joy.  May each one reading this accept Jesus's offer of salvation and may all your striving to, "do it yourself," cease.  Jesus is the path to life everlasting not the path to everlasting ceasing to exist.  We are everything in Jesus.  Do you want to become "an everything" or  "a nothing"?

Truly research and compare in all honesty.  I strongly suggest choosing Jesus; choosing Life; choosing true peace through Jesus the Prince of Peace; the one true God.  He is definitely the One we can respect, pay homage to, and worship here and now, and for all eternity to come.   

This is the best ideal of all time and eternity. 

                                                    ~ERC  August 2018~