Introduction
Many people know that anyone who sincerely creates a Buddha image will get a lot of merit, but few people know how much of that merit, it is in this Sutta that makes a Buddha image that the Buddha clearly teaches that.
However, one must sincerely create a Buddha image, have enough good and dignified signs, if not perfect, at least have enough expressions of Great Wisdom, Great Compassion, Great Liberation, or as this sutra teaches: “Must have two signs: “White glory and humiliation, so that when you look at it, you know it’s a Buddha statue” to easily generate reverence and faith, then there will be merit. On the contrary, creating a Buddha image without showing any signs of the Buddha and even when looking at it does not know that it is a Buddha image, does not generate faith, and even despises it, then creating such an image is of course impossible. meritorious, sometimes even guilty.
Therefore, in order to assist in a correct and profound understanding of the merits of making Buddha statues, I would like to commend and gladly introduce this translation of the sutra “The merits of creating Buddha images” by Bhikkhu Thich Thien Thong to you Buddhists. .
Tu Dam Pagoda, May 5, 1993
HT. Like Thien Sieu
CHANGE THE FOREWORD
Creating a Buddha image or a Bodhisattva image is a job that has a noble meaning and causes great merit and virtue! So more than 2500 years, after the Buddha entered Nirvana, ordained, lay disciples of the Buddha, from India, China, Japan, Buddhist countries in the world to Vietnam, there was no how many people create images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to admire, prostrate, and make offerings to.
Before summarizing the merits and virtues of creating Buddha images, let’s go back in time, find out where the origin of Buddha image creation came from and who was the first to develop the Buddha image.
An incident brought to us was: In 1992 during the retreat season, after we finished translating the sutras of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Sutra of the Undead (the sutra about the merits of taking refuge in the Three Jewels), we read the Dai Dai Sutra. SUCCESSFUL GENERAL OF CREATION OF THE BUDDHA, is a two-volume sutra, bearing the number 694 in the Chinese Tripitaka Dai Chanh Tan Tu. After seeing the sutras, we were extremely happy, because we realized new things that I have never seen before in the translated Vietnamese Buddhist scriptures. But it can be said that in the book “Three Jewels of Touch”, Thich Thien Tam has translated a few details, related to the creation of the Buddha image of King Uu DIEN (this sutra translates as King Uu Da Dien).
According to the Mahayana sutras, when the Buddha was still in the world, King Uu Da Dien, ruler of the country of Gou Diem Di, was the first to use fragrant wood and red sandalwood to create the image of the Buddha. Sakyamuni.
So why did King Uu Da Dien create the image of Buddha? The motivation for King Uu Da Dien to create a Buddha image was for the following reasons:
After nearly 49 years of teaching the Dharma to save birth, in a 90-day retreat (perhaps the last season of retreat), the Buddha was absent from the world, he went to Dao Loi heaven to speak sutras and teach the gods. and when his mother, Ma Giap’s wife, obtained holy fruit, King Uu Da Dien could not find the Buddha anywhere, his thirst for and longing was so extreme that the king was sad and depressed for many days, neglecting all his work. government and not interested in royal pleasures. The king did not know how to meet the Buddha so that he would not miss him, so he thought of how to create a Buddha image.
The king summoned famous sculptors in the country to create Buddha statues, but everyone refused to accept, because they thought that: The body of the Buddha’s appearance is excellent, fearing that if there is something wrong with the Buddha image. mistakes, will cause them to offend and lose their reputation. At that time, there was the god Bhikshu Yet Ma, said to be the god of sculpture, transformed into a carpenter, he brought tools to accept the responsibility of creating the Buddha image to help the king. God Bhikkhu Thu Yet Ma showed all his talents, in just this one day, he finished the Buddha statue, seven feet tall, purple-yellow statue, full of good generals, making people know that it is a Buddha image.
After King Uu Da Dien created the Buddha image, the echo spread to neighboring countries, and the kings of great countries such as King Tu Nac, King A Xa The, and King Nghiem Xi all brought offerings to them to admire and praise the work. made by King Uu Da Dien.
After the three-month period ended, the Buddha returned to Jambudvipa, immeasurable gods in the six realms of desire and the 18 realms of form, made offerings to the Buddha and sent him back to earth. The ordained disciples, at home in at least four countries, including all elements, gathered in the city of Sangha to welcome the Buddha. An extremely great and unprecedented scene took place at that time, that is, the meeting between Gods and humans, unprecedented in humanity. All those who sincerely bring offerings to the Buddha, have achieved merit and virtue, and achieved the cause of salvation in the present and the next life, many non-Buddhist sects for that reason have abandoned their evil deeds and returned to the right, taking refuge in the Three Jewels. Thus, the Buddha fulfilled his vow to save his birth, when he appeared in this world. Therefore, in the Taoist scriptures, there is a place where it is written: “Those who are worthy of being saved I have already been saved, those who have not been saved, I have also created a predestined cause for them to be saved in the future…” This is clearly boundless compassion. , saving sentient beings of Buddha Shakyamuni, our World-Honored One.
In order for sentient beings in the future to understand the merits and virtues of creating Buddha images, Maitreya Bodhisattva, on behalf of all ordinary saints, asked the Buddha about the merits of making statues of King Udama, the Buddha talked about it in turn. The merits and merits of those who have pure faith and pure heart create Buddha statues. This sutra clearly records the blessings of such inconceivable merit. Here are a few passages to give you a rough idea:
“Di Lac! If someone uses threads to embroider Buddha images, either cast them with gold, silver, bronze, iron, lead, or zinc, or carve them out of fragrant wood, or they engrave them with pearls or shellfish, woven brocade, red earth, cement, plaster, clay, or wood… Using these objects according to their own strength to create Buddha statues, down to as small as a thumb, can make other people Knowing that it is a Buddha image, bless that person, now I will say:
“Di Lac! Such people are in samsara, even though they are still drifting, they are not born in a poor family, nor are they born in a lowly family home, isolated and isolated on the edge of the country, nor are they born in a house of wrong views. Butchers, butchers, until they are born in a lowly family, an unclean prostitute, or an ascetic with wrong views, unless, because of the strength of the vow of compassion, they are not born in those houses. .
“This person is often born into a family of a powerful family of the Holy Wheel King, or born into a pure Brahmin lineage, or from a wealthy family who does not commit serious sins. Born in any place, it is common to see the Buddha obeying and making offerings, or being a king who receives and upholds the Dharma, brings the Dharma to teach, and is not contrary to the religion, or becomes the mighty King of the Holy Wheel. Born anywhere is a man, not a woman. Again do not accept the body of Huynh Mon two images is a lowly thing, the body is born without being ugly. The eyes are not blind, the ears are not deaf, the nose is not bent or broken, the mouth is not distorted, the lips are neither protruding nor retracting, the teeth are not sparse, neither black nor yellow, the tongue is not shortened, the neck is not swollen, The body is not hunched, the skin is not patchy, the hands are not short, the legs are not crippled, they are not too thin, they are not too fat, they are not too long, they are not too short, they have no undesirable features…” .
Above are a few quotes about the blessings of the lineage of the person who created the Buddha image. In addition to the above blessings, there are other retributions that are: eradicating all kinds of karmic obstacles such as: Five great trespasses, ten unwholesome karmas, four serious crimes, etc., which are generally the heaviest evil karmas that a child can bear. People can receive it, but if they develop a sincere heart, create an image and repent and swear not to do it again, those evil karmas and retributions will all be annihilated.
Why is the merit of making such a great statue?
Because the Tathagatas, from the time they developed the mind to practice until they became Buddhas, have passed through boundless Asanga kalpas, accumulated an immeasurable group of merits and virtues, and accomplished boundless merit and wisdom, they often use the That kind of merit protects sentient beings with pure faith, so that the creation of Buddha images can eliminate all kinds of deep and heavy evil karma.
Besides, the mind of each living being, or of each of us, is inherently inconceivable, inherent enough
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