The Significance of Contributing Buddha Statues : หน้า 203/207

Those who are not born during the life of a Buddha must seek refuge in the Lord Buddha's teachings, unaware of His appearance. Our country's ancestors, who experienced and attained high levels of meditation, had both vision and wisdom. They decided to recreate the image of the Lord Buddha from within (the Body of the Enlightenment) as a Buddha statue. The heritage they passed on to us enriches our knowledge of the Lord Buddha's excellent appearance, increasing our faith in Him. This act of contributing to cast a Buddha statue is favorable to many Buddhists around the world. Because our ancestors were able to see unwavering Dhamma within, their ability to duplicate the flawless Buddha image caused those who saw the image to become joyful and have faith in Him. It inspired them to perform virtuous deeds and practice meditation in order to attain Nibbana like He did. Thus, the Buddha image a person contributes helps to rid people of their impurities, lust and desire, as well as motivating them to improve the world in which we live. A contributor of a Buddha image earns the following types of merit: 1) The contributor develops increased morality and virtue. 2) Because the contribution empowers other individuals to perform good deeds, the contributor will be revered by both humans and celestial beings in every area he visits. 3) Even if the contributor is no longer living and people still seek refuge in the contributed Buddha image, the merit will continue to flow causing others to revere him in his future lifetimes. 4) Regardless of the number of rebirths, if the contributor unintentionally has evil thoughts, speech or actions, or experiences problems in life, with the simple recollection of the Buddha image he donated, all non- virtue will be avoided. 5) Regardless of the number of rebirths, he will always be born in a land where Buddhism flourishes and will effortlessly attain the Dhammakaya - the Body of Enlightenment. 6) While still in samsara (the cycle of death and of birth), he will gain wealth easily. Whatever livelihood he has, as a merchant or a government official, the merit from contributing a Buddha image will support and bless him to be prosperous. In his final life in samsara, he will effortlessly attain enlightenment. This just a summary of all the benefits the contributor will gain. These are just the fruits of merits that are easily understood. If the reader practices meditation and studies the biography of the Lord Buddha, you will see the innumerable The Warm Hearted Family 404 The Body of Enlightment The Warm Hearted Family 405 Contributing Buddhage The Body of Enlightenment