| Buddha
said, "My four followers, there is not one single difference
between making offerings to me now and in the future, with devotion,
making offerings to my reflections. The merit is equal and the
result is equal."
The "four
followers" refers specifically to the disciples closest to Buddha,
but generally it includes all of us sentient beings who do not have
the karma to see the actual living Buddha. We have only the karma to
see Buddha's reflections: the symbolic representations of Buddha,
such as statues, paintings and so forth.
Buddha is saying that
even though we cannot see the actual Buddha, if we make offerings to
these holy objects symbolic of Buddha, the merit is equal to that of
actually seeing Buddha and making offerings. The result is exactly
the same. This is very important to understand and very important to
remember in our daily life. When we offer our food and drink, when
we make offerings on the altar, whenever we do the practice of
offering in our everyday life, we should feel great happiness.
Then
Buddha said, "This is due to the blessings of Buddha. This is
the reality but ordinary beings whose minds are undeveloped cannot
see these benefits."
"This is due to the
blessings of Buddha" means that making offerings to statues has the
same result due to the power of the holy object. Further reasons as
to how the benefits of making offerings to Buddha and the statues of
Buddha are the same are mentioned in the Guhyasamaja root text.
A
stupa is a palace where all the Buddhas are abiding." So this is the
same with a monastery. The benefits exist as long as the monastery
exists. And also the benefits you receive equal the number of atoms
of the stupa or monastery. You do not necessarily have to build a
monastery. Building even one shrine room - a place where Buddha
abides, where holy objects of Buddha abide - has many benefits. It's
important to understand these benefits of the holy objects, the
various opportunities we have to create the cause of happiness by
accumulating extensive merit with these holy objects.
The text
says, "Those sentient beings who do not have the fortune
actually to meet the Buddha need the holy objects of body, speech
and mind as the field in which to accumulate merit. These holy
objects are necessary."
The existence of
Buddha's teachings for a long time depends on the existence of the
holy objects of Buddha. The teachings exist in the mind so how can
they depend for their existence on the existence of these external
holy objects? You have to think about this, you have to understand
this. It is not easy to have the teachings in the mind. To have the
scriptural understanding and the realizations of the teachings is
not easy. For these, you need to have a lot of merit. The most
powerful merit one can accumulate, and accumulate so easily, is in
relation to holy objects of Buddha.
By making statues of
Buddha and making offerings to statues of Buddha, one accumulates
infinite, inconceivable merit that immediately becomes a cause of
enlightenment. Every merit accumulated by making statues and by
making offerings to statues immediately becomes the cause of
enlightenment. Without doubt, every single one becomes a cause of
enlightenment.
By accumulating such
infinite merit in this way, one is able to develop the mind, one is
able to understand the teachings, one is able not only to attempt
the practices of listening to, reflecting and meditating on the
teachings, but to complete them. All this has to come from merit. So
you can see how the existence of the teachings for a long time
depends on the existence of the holy objects.
Buddhism has started in
the West only recently. Because one sees the problems of life, there
is much desire for mind-peace, and this longing leads to much
interest in meditation. This is common among Westerners. But because
Buddhism has just started in the West there is not so much regard
for holy objects. In countries where Buddhism is established,
especially Mahayana Buddhist countries such as Tibet and Nepal, much
effort is put into creating many conditions for oneself and others
to accumulate merit actualizing holy objects.
In those countries
everybody, whether great yogis, Sangha or lay practitioners, puts
effort into this way of accumulating merit for the self and so many
other sentient beings. Other sentient beings also accumulate merit
by making offerings to or circumambulating these holy
objects.
This is why these
countries have so many holy objects: so many monasteries, so many
stupas, so many statues. For example, sightseeing in Tibet is
only a cause to purify and to accumulate merit because wherever you
go you sees only holy objects: statues, scriptures, yogis' caves.
Gradually, as you
understand lam-rim and especially the practice of Jorcho more and
more, the more you see the importance of holy objects, not only for
your own happiness but for the many benefits they bring to so many
other sentient beings. With these holy objects, they create the
cause of success and happiness. Because these holy objects exist,
sentient beings make offerings to them, pray to them. This helps
them to create the cause of happiness, and this is how they
experience happiness up to the highest happiness of enlightenment.
Because the temporary and ultimate happiness of yourself and others
depends on the existence of holy objects, there is a purpose in
making
them. | 
