Buddhism in Five Minutes - Elizabeth J. Harris
14. How do Buddhists Show their Devotion to the Buddha?
Buddhism in Five Minutes - Elizabeth J. Harris
Paulina Kolata [+]
University of Chester
Description
Be it through receiving blessings, merit-making practices, prostrating, offerings, chanting, pilgrimage, and various incarnations of meditation practice, devotional expression is part of contemporary Buddhism and Buddhism in the past, with primary focus on the Three Jewels of the Buddha, the Dharma, and his community, the Sangha. The most important symbols of Buddhist devotion include the Buddha-image, the Wheel of the Dharma, the lotus flower, and the Bodhi tree, all symbolizing the path to enlightenment. Devotion to the Buddha and other holy beings is thus a common practice across the Buddhist world, through which Buddhists aim to accumulate good karmic fruits for themselves and others, including the living and the dead.