Dharma Q&A
By Ven. Yin Chi
QUESTION: I set up the image of a Bodhisattva in a place of honor at home, but the image has not been blessed. I heard that a blessing is essential if the Bodhisattva is to take residence inside the image; no blessing would mean no Bodhisattva. Is that true?
ANSWER: Your question is rooted in a superstitious belief among ordinary people. A Buddha image symbolizes the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. In the same way, a national flag represents the nation. To make reverences before a Buddha image signifies our acceptance of the Three Treasures and our respect for them.
The proper Buddhist view is that it is not essential for a Buddha image to be blessed. This is because the Buddha himself is abundantly blessed and luminous. A Buddha is a perfected being. How can we ordinary, imperfect beings give an appropriate blessing to a Buddha?
In monasteries, a ceremonial blessing is a ritual that marks the inauguration of the temple or a certain Buddha image. It serves as a public announcement that the monastery or image has been completed and is operational.
Honoring an image at home is a private matter. There is no need for an open announcement or a blessing ceremony. Still, people can be stubborn. If you feel uneasy, you can offer fruit, flowers and pure water, as well as recite the Great Compassion Mantra three times, when you install a Buddha image at home. Then you can make prostrations before the Buddha to signify an “inauguration.” So long as you perform your reverences sincerely in front of the image, you will naturally attract blessings from the Three Treasures and the Buddha’s light will shine on you.
If you still have doubts, you can bring the image to a familiar Dharma institution when it is holding services. With the agreement of the responsible monastics, you can place the image on the altar, then take it home for installation. However, you should know that this is to soothe your own heart. It is a requirement of yours, not of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.