Buddhābhiṣeka
Buddhābhiseka(Pali:buddhābhiseka;Sanskrit:buddhābhiṣeka) refers to a broad range of Buddhist rituals used toconsecrateimagesof theBuddhaand other Buddhist figures, such asbodhisattvas.[1]
Terms[edit]
Buddhābhiseka is known a number of different terms in various languages.[1]The termskaiyan(Khai nhãn;'opening the eyes'),kaiguang(Khai quang;'opening the light'), anddianyan(Điểm nhãn;'dotting the eyes') and their derivative forms are used in the Chinese,Korean(where is it known asjeom-anor 점안),Japanese(where it is known askaigen) andVietnamese languages(where it is known askhai quang điểm nhãn),[1]whilebuddhābhiseka(Burmese:ဗုဒ္ဓါဘိသေက;Khmer:ពុទ្ធាភិសេក;Thai:พุทธาภิเษก) is used in predominantly Theravada Buddhist countries.
Chinese rituals[edit]
Kaiguang(simplified Chinese:Khai quang;traditional Chinese:Khai quang;pinyin:kāiguāng) is the Chinese term forconsecrationof a statue of a deity. In Chinese, the literal meaning of Kaiguang is "opening of light". While it is often performed in theChinese BuddhistandTaoistfaiths, it is also well known as the ceremony of consecrating new lion costumes used for the traditionallion dance.
A Kaiguang ritual varies among Chinese religious traditions, but it is essentially the act of formal consecration for proper usage by dotting the eyes of a statue of the deity using acalligraphy brushcoated withcinnabarpowder. The ritual is performed bydaoshi(in Taoism),bhikkhus(in Buddhism) or by inviting a specificdeitythrough the appointedspirit medium(folk religion). For a lion costume, a senior secular dignitary may also be invited to perform the task. The general purpose is to invite the divinity to consecrate an "empty" effigy of themselves and to fill it with divine power. The usage of a mirror (to reflect the sunlight) and a dry towel (to symbolically purify the statue from any filth) is also employed.
It is believed that if a statue or lion costume has not been consecrated, it cannot be worshiped or used for performance, as the eyes are still "closed".
Burmese rituals[edit]
Burmese Buddhistsperform consecration rituals for images of the Buddha used for veneration both at home and at public places of worship, such as monasteries and pagodas. Before a Buddha statue is used for veneration, it must be formally consecrated in thebuddhābhiseka maṅgalaritual. TheBurmese languageverb for consecrating a Buddha image isanegaza tin(အနေကဇာတင်ခြင်း).[2]This consecration ritual is led by a Buddhist monk, who recitesaneka jāti saṃsāraṃ(translated as 'through the round of many births I roamed'), the 153rd verse of theDhammapada(found in the 11th chapter),[3][4]which are believed to be the first words uttered by the Buddha upon attainingBuddhahood.[5]The consecration rite, which can last a few hours, is held in the morning and consists of four primary parts:[6]
- Offerings (candles, flowers, incense, flags) made to the Buddha
- Chanting ofparitta(typicallyMangala Sutta,Metta Sutta,Ratana Sutta,Pubbhana Sutta)
- Recitation ofaneka jāti saṃsāraṃ
- Recitation of theTwelve Nidānas
The consecration rituals are believed to imbue the Buddha image with a sacred quality that can protect the home and surroundings from misfortune and symbolically embody the powers of the Buddha.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcBuswell, Robert E. Jr.; Lopez, Donald S. Jr. (2013-11-24).The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.Princeton University Press.ISBN9781400848058.
- ^Paw, Maung H."Preparation for A Place of Worship At Home"(PDF).p. 4. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 January 2018.Retrieved28 February2012.
- ^Ashin Kundalabhivamsa; Nibbana.com."Words spoken by Lord Buddha on the day of Supreme Enlightenment-".Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2010.Retrieved28 February2012.
- ^Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1997)."Jaravagga: Aging".Access to Insight.Retrieved28 February2012.
- ^"CONSECRATION - ဗုဒ္ဓါဘိသေက".Retrieved2018-01-02.
- ^Swearer, Donald K. (2004).Becoming the Buddha: the ritual of image consecration in Thailand.Princeton University Press. pp. 218–219.ISBN978-0-691-11435-4.
- ^Schober, Juliane (2002).Sacred biography in the Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia.Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 275–276.ISBN978-81-208-1812-5.
