Here’s a common question: If the Buddha was not a god, why do people worship him?
The classic answer to this question is that Buddhists are not necessarily “worshiping” the Buddha when they show respect to a Buddha image, but that depends on what you mean by “worship.”
English language dictionaries usually define worship as an expression of reverence or adoration for a deity.
That’s what worship generally means in the Abrahamic religions.
A great many Buddhist priests and teachers will tell you that Buddhists do not worship, by that definition. Buddhists offer flowers and incense and bow to Buddha statues out of gratitude and respect, not adoration, they say.
Other Buddhist teachers do use the word worship to describe their ritualistic displays of respect to the Buddha. The word worship evolved from an Old English word that meant “worthy” or “honorable,” but not necessarily “divine,” so it could be argued that worship doesn’t necessarily involve a deity.
What’s in a Word?
In short, we may be looking at a translation glitch here. The English language evolved in the context of Christianity, so English words used in religion reflect Christian concepts and doctrines that don’t precisely fit Buddhism and other non-Abrahamic religions.
But if we’re speaking English, those are the only words available.
Douglas Burns, a psychiatrist who studied and practiced Buddhism in Thailand, said,
In the West we are accustomed to thinking of theology in terms of God, revelation, obedience, punishment, and redemption.
The themes of creation, worship, judgment, and immortality have been major concerns in the Christian heritage and are virtually inseparable from our concept of religion.
Against such a cultural background Western man views Buddhism and in so doing unconsciously projects his own concepts, values and expectations.
Erroneously he perceives ceremonies and bowing as examples of worship or even idolatry.
What a Buddha Image Represents
It’s important to remember that the image of the Buddha doesn’t necessarily represent the historical figure who founded Buddhism. The image may also represent enlightenment or the dharma. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha image may represent Buddha Nature, which is the fundamental nature of all beings. (If that’s the case, when you bow to the Buddha, you are bowing to yourself.)
It’s also important to remember that the central function of Buddhist practice is not to appease a god, but to perceive the true nature of reality, and of ourselves. A big part of that practice is to liberate ourselves from the bonds of self-clinging.
Devotional practices that include chanting, bowing and making offerings at an altar are useful to that end.
The purpose of bowing, for example, is bowing. It is a practice that affects the mind and heart of the person who bows. What it does for the statue isn’t the point.
Read More: Bowing as a Buddhist Practice
What the Buddha Said About Worship
In the Sigalovada Sutta of the Pali Sutta-pitaka (Digha Nikaya 31), the Buddha came upon a young man worshiping the six directions (north, south, east, west, up and down). He said his father had told him to do this. The Buddha told him that rather than bowing to the directions, he could better worship them by leading a virtuous life and cleaning himself of defilements.
He also said that the young man should regard his mother and father as the east, his teachers as the south, his spouse and family as the west, his friends and colleagues as the north, workers and servants as down, and ascetics and Brahmins as up. By treating these “directions” with compassion and respect, the directions are made peaceful and secure.
In other words, worshiping something “out there” because we think it’s something we’re supposed to do is not proper worship. Further, mere emotion — working oneself into a sense of awe over the Great Whatever — doesn’t serve any real purpose.The Buddha also discouraged excessive veneration to himself.
However, according to the Theravada scholar Nyanaponika Thera, the Buddha encouraged devotional practices. “It would be a mistake,” he wrote, “to conclude that the Buddha disparaged a reverential and devotional attitude of mind when it is the natural outflow of a true understanding and a deep admiration of what is great and noble.”
Read More: Ritual and Buddhism