🧘 Meditation mudra
Both hands rest in the lap, one on top of the other. It shows deep concentration and calm.
Buddhism: Worship and Practice » Buddharupas, Mandalas and Prayer Wheels: Objects of Devotion
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Buddhism (4RS1/2A), 3.2
- How and why buddharupas, shrines and the bodhi tree are used in Buddhist worship
- The meaning of offerings of light, flowers and incense
- The meaning of chanting, the Wheel of Life, the mandala and prayer wheels
- Why some Buddhists value devotional objects and others see them as unnecessary
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Unlock This CourseObjects that point to the path
In the last lesson you met puja, the Buddhist way of showing respect and gratitude. Buddhists do this with the help of objects. These are called devotional objects. They are not magic and they are not gods. Each one is a reminder of the Buddha's life or teaching, and a focus that helps the mind settle.
Key terms:
- Devotional object: a thing used in worship to remind Buddhists of the Buddha and his teaching.
- Mudra: a hand position. On a buddharupa, each mudra shows a moment or quality from the Buddha's life.
- Mantra: a short sacred phrase that is repeated aloud or silently.
- Yama: in Tibetan Buddhist art, the figure who holds the Wheel of Life in his grasp. He stands for death and change.
- Mandala: a circular, symbolic map used in meditation. The word means "circle".
- Prayer wheel: a spinning cylinder with mantras inside it.
The buddharupa
A buddharupa is a statue or image of the Buddha. Buddhists do not see it as an idol, meaning something worshipped as if it were the Buddha himself or a god. They bow to the qualities it stands for: calm, wisdom and compassion. It is a focus for meditation and a reminder of the path. For several centuries after the Buddha's death, he was not shown as a person at all. Artists used symbols such as footprints, an empty seat or the bodhi tree.
The face and hands carry meaning. The eyes are half closed and the face is peaceful. The long earlobes are often explained as a reminder that the prince Siddhartha gave up heavy jewellery. The hand positions, or mudras, tell a story:
🌍 Earth-touching mudra
The right hand reaches down to touch the ground. It recalls the night of enlightenment, when the Buddha called the earth to witness his victory over Mara.
📖 Teaching mudra
The hands are held in front of the chest, turning an unseen wheel. It recalls the first sermon and the turning of the wheel of the Dhamma.
✋ Fearlessness mudra
The right hand is raised with the palm facing outwards. It shows protection and freedom from fear.
Shrines and offerings
A shrine is a special place where a buddharupa is kept and offerings are made. There is one in the shrine room of a vihara, and many Buddhist families keep a smaller one at home. Buddhists bow, make offerings and sit in front of it to meditate. Three offerings are very common, and each has a meaning:
- Light (a candle or lamp) stands for wisdom. It drives out the darkness of ignorance, as the Buddha's teaching does.
- Flowers stand for impermanence. They are beautiful, but they wither, so they remind Buddhists that everything changes.
- Incense stands for good conduct. Its scent spreads far, just as the effects of kind and wise behaviour spread.
Offerings are not gifts to win favours. They show gratitude and practise generosity, and they teach lessons every time they are made.
The bodhi tree
The bodhi tree is the tree at Bodh Gaya under which the Buddha became enlightened. For Buddhists it stands for enlightenment itself. In some countries, cuttings and saplings grown from it have been planted at viharas. People may sit beneath such a tree to meditate, walk round it, hang lights on it or place offerings by it. It reminds them that the Buddha found the truth by looking within, and that they can follow the same path.
Chanting, the Wheel of Life, mandalas and prayer wheels
🎵 Chanting
Buddhists chant scriptures, such as the Three Refuges, and mantras. Tibetan Buddhists often chant "Om mani padme hum", linked with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Chanting focuses the mind, helps people remember the teaching and creates a shared mood of calm in a group.
🔄 The Wheel of Life
This Tibetan picture of samsara is held by Yama, a reminder that death comes to all. At the hub are a cockerel, a snake and a pig, the three poisons you have already met. It shows why beings stay trapped in the cycle, and it is found painted on the walls of many Tibetan viharas.
🌀 The mandala
A mandala is a symbolic map, often of the palace of a Buddha. Meditators picture it in the mind to develop wisdom and compassion. Tibetan monks may spend days making a sand mandala from coloured grains, then sweep it away. This teaches impermanence: even something beautiful does not last.
🎡 Prayer wheels
A prayer wheel is a cylinder filled with mantras written on scrolls. Turning it clockwise is believed to send the mantra out, so it counts as chanting by hand. Prayer wheels are used by many Tibetan Buddhists and are often placed beside paths and at viharas.
How important are devotional objects today?
Buddhists understand these objects in different ways.
- Helpful supports. Many Buddhists, especially in Tibetan, Pure Land and other Mahayana groups, find that objects and pictures make teaching easier to remember and meditation easier to begin. For them the objects are skilful means: tools that help people towards the path.
- Not needed. Other Buddhists, including many Western Buddhists and some teachers who stress sitting meditation, as in Zen, say the path is a training of the mind and objects are not essential. Early teachings warn that clinging to rites and rituals does not bring freedom. If someone becomes attached to an object, it could work against the Buddha's teaching about letting go of craving.
Many Buddhists take a middle view: objects are useful, but only if they are used to understand the Dhamma and not treated as the goal.
Common mistakes
- Saying Buddhists worship the statue as a god. They respect what it stands for.
- Listing an object without saying what it means or why it matters.
- Mixing up the three offerings: light is wisdom, flowers are impermanence, incense is good conduct.
- Saying mandalas and prayer wheels are used by all Buddhists. They are mostly Tibetan.
- Forgetting the other view: some Buddhists think devotional objects are not needed.
Exam-style question
Paper 2 (a) [AO1] Outline two ways in which offerings are used at a Buddhist shrine. [4 marks]
Paper 2 (b) [AO1, AO2] Explain why the buddharupa is important for Buddhists. [6 marks]
Paper 2 (c) [AO1, AO2] "Devotional objects are not needed to be a good Buddhist."
Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other (divergent) points of view, and your own opinion using reasoned arguments. [10 marks]
Model answer
(a) One way is offering a candle or lamp (1), which stands for wisdom driving out ignorance (1). Another is offering flowers (1), which remind Buddhists that everything is impermanent because the flowers wither (1).
(b) The buddharupa is important because it is a focus for meditation and worship, helping Buddhists to concentrate (1). It reminds them of the Buddha's qualities of calm, wisdom and compassion (1). Its mudras recall events in his life, such as the earth-touching mudra for the night of enlightenment (1). Bowing before it shows respect and gratitude, not worship of a creator God (1). It stands at the centre of the shrine in the vihara, which makes the place suitable for meditation and puja (1). A home buddharupa lets a Buddhist keep up daily practice in private (1).
(c) Plan. For: the Buddha taught that the path is a training of the mind; early teachings warn against clinging to rites and rituals; a person who is kind, honest and mindful follows the Eightfold Path without any object; attachment to an object could go against letting go of craving. Against: a buddharupa and a shrine help many people to concentrate and remember the teaching; offerings practise generosity and show impermanence; mandalas and chanting are skilful means in Tibetan Buddhism that help to develop wisdom and compassion. Divergent view: Tibetan Buddhists use many devotional objects, while Zen Buddhists stress sitting meditation with simpler surroundings. Conclusion: objects are not essential for a good Buddhist, because the path is about the mind, but they are valuable supports for many people, so the fairest view is that they help rather than being a requirement.
Exam tip
For a 6-mark "explain" question, give the object, then say what it stands for and why that matters to the person. "The flower shows impermanence, so it helps Buddhists let go" earns more than "they put flowers there".