In addition, in paintings and sculptures, the Buddha image appears serene and splendid. When practitioners and others see this, they are inclined to purify themselves, to emulate the Buddha, a being that possesses infinite merit and wisdom. In this way, too, the image of the Buddha helps people.

STUDENT:

It was said that Sakyamuni would alter the content of his Dharma talks to match the audience he was addressing. What you are saying about Buddha statues seems to parallel this aspect of the Buddha. Buddhism has many levels of entry and practice, and the Buddha image allows people to adjust and accommodate to their own level of practice. Is this correct?

SHIH-FU:

Exactly. For example, there was a Ch'an master, T'ien-jan (739-824), who burned a wooden statue of the Buddha in order to keep warm one day in the winter. People screamed, "You are burning the Buddha statue! You are a master! How could you, of all people, do that?"

T'ien-jan replied, "That which can be burned cannot be the Buddha." For T'ien-jan, the Buddha exists everywhere, but it is not something that can be grasped or attained, much less burned.

Pai-chang (720-814), a master who started the monastery system in China, did not build Buddha halls with statues and images, only Dharma halls, where people practiced and listened to lectures. According to Pai-chang, Buddhadharma is the representation of the Buddha. As long as Buddhadharma is present, Buddha statues are not necessary.