Buddhābhiseka (; ) refers to a broad range of Buddhist rituals used to

consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

s of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

and other Buddhist figures, such as

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

Terms

Buddhābhiseka is known by a number of different terms in various languages. The terms ''kaiyan'' (), ''kaiguang'' (), and ''dianyan'' () and their derivative forms are used in the Chinese,

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

(where it is known as ''jeom-an'' or 점안), Japanese (where it is known as ''kaigen'') and

Vietnamese language Vietnamese () is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language Speech, spoken primarily in Vietnam where it is the official language. It belongs to the Vietic languages, Vietic subgroup of the Austroasiatic language family. Vietnamese is s ...

s (where it is known as ''khai quang điểm nhãn''), while ''buddhābhiseka'' (; ; ) is used in predominantly Theravada Buddhist countries.

Chinese rituals

Kaiguang () is the Chinese term for

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

of a statue of a deity. In Chinese, the literal meaning of Kaiguang is "opening of light". While it is often performed in the Chinese Buddhist and

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

faiths, it is also well known as the ceremony of consecrating new lion costumes used for the traditional

lion dance Lion dance ( zh, s=舞狮, t=舞獅, p=wǔshī, c=, first=t) is a form of traditional dance in Culture of China, Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a Asiatic lion, lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good l ...

. 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 a calligraphy brush, traditionally coated with

cinnabar Cinnabar (; ), or cinnabarite (), also known as ''mercurblende'' is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and is t ...

powder. The ritual is performed by

daoshi A ''daoshi'' () or Taoshih, translated as Taoist priest, Taoist monk, or Taoist professional is a priest in Taoism. The courtesy title of a senior is ''daozhang'' (, meaning "Tao master"), and a highly accomplished and revered is often cal ...

(in Taoism),

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok� ...

s (in Buddhism) or by inviting a specific

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

through the appointed spirit 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

Burmese Buddhists Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (horse), a ...

perform 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 the buddhābhiseka maṅgala ritual. The

Burmese language Burmese (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Myanmar, where it is the official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Bamar people, Bamar, the country's largest ethnic group. Burmese dialects are a ...

verb for consecrating a Buddha image is ''anegaza tin'' (). This consecration ritual is led by a Buddhist monk, who recites ''aneka jāti saṃsāraṃ'' (translated as 'through the round of many births I roamed'), the 153rd verse of the

Dhammapada The ''Dhammapada'' (; ) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures.See, for instance, Buswell (2003): "rank among the best known Buddhist texts" (p. 11); and, "on ...

(found in the 11th chapter), which is believed to be the first words uttered by the Buddha upon attaining

Buddhahood In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indo-Aryan languages, Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are Enlightenment in Buddhism, spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the Buddhist paths to liberat ...

. The consecration rite, which can last a few hours, is held in the morning and consists of four primary parts: # Offerings (candles, flowers, incense, flags) made to the Buddha # Chanting of ''

paritta Paritta (Pali), generally translated as "protection" or "safeguard," refers to the specific Buddhist verses and discourses recited in order to ward off misfortune or danger, as well as to the practice of reciting the verses and discourses. T ...

'' (typically

Mangala Sutta Mangala (, IAST: ) is the personification, as well as the name for the planet Mars, in Hindu literature. Also known as Lohita (), he is the deity of anger, aggression, as well as war. According to Vaishnavism, he is the son of Bhumi, the eart ...

Metta Sutta The Mettā Sutta is the name used for two Buddhist discourses (Pali: '' sutta'') found in the Pali Canon. The one, more often chanted by Theravadin monks, is also referred to as ''Karaṇīyamettā Sutta'' after the opening word, ''Karaṇīyam' ...

, Ratana Sutta, Pubbhana Sutta) # Recitation of ''aneka jāti saṃsāraṃ'' # Recitation of the

Twelve Nidānas Twelve or 12 may refer to: * 12 (number) * December, the twelfth and final month of the year * Dozen, a group of twelve. Years * 12 BC * AD 12 * 1912 * 2012 Film * ''Twelve'' (2010 film), based on the 2002 novel * ''12'' (2007 film), by Russi ...

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.

References

{{Religion in Myanmar Buddhism in China Sanskrit words and phrases Buddhist rituals Traditional rituals of East Asia