THE DHARMA DISCOURSES OF CARDINAL MASTER CHŎNGSAN(CHŎNGSAN CHONGSA PŎBŎ)
Part Two: Dharma Discourses
Chapter Six: Exposition of Scriptures
50
50. A student asked, “Is worshipping a Buddha image merely an empty formality?” The Master replied, “Depending on the attitude of the worshipper, worshipping a Buddha image can also be efficacious. When a worshipper bows sincerely in front of a Buddha image, one’s mind will become pure and clear. If one creates wholesome causes with such a mind, one will also receive wholesome retributions. Thus, image worship can also be a useful expedient.” The student asked again, “But isn’t making a food offering to an image a pointless ritual?” The Master replied, “It can be a means of expressing one’s state of mind through a material object. However, the sincerity of one’s mind, as expressed through purifying one’s mind and engaging in substantive enterprises, can have an even greater effect.”
THE DHARMA DISCOURSES OF CARDINAL MASTER CHŎNGSAN(CHŎNGSAN CHONGSA PŎBŎ)
Part Two: Dharma Discourses
Chapter Six: Exposition of Scriptures
50
50. A student asked, “Is worshipping a Buddha image merely an empty formality?” The Master replied, “Depending on the attitude of the worshipper, worshipping a Buddha image can also be efficacious. When a worshipper bows sincerely in front of a Buddha image, one’s mind will become pure and clear. If one creates wholesome causes with such a mind, one will also receive wholesome retributions. Thus, image worship can also be a useful expedient.” The student asked again, “But isn’t making a food offering to an image a pointless ritual?” The Master replied, “It can be a means of expressing one’s state of mind through a material object. However, the sincerity of one’s mind, as expressed through purifying one’s mind and engaging in substantive enterprises, can have an even greater effect.”
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