Buddhist Travelers

Vesak 2554 Edition 衛塞2554系列
The Significance of the Bathing the Buddha Image 浴佛的意義


Around two thousand and five hundred years ago, located on wide plains on the north bank of the Rapti river in the southwest of what is now Nepal, there was an ancient kingdom called Kapilavatthu. At that time this area was part of India. The ruler, King Shuddhodana of the Shakya clan, and his wife, Queen Mahamaya, were the parents of Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.


In the Spring of 623 BCE, while enjoying the beautiful scenery and walking under flowering sara trees at Lumbini Garden, Queen Mahamaya felt her birth pangs. As she held on to a branch of a sara tree, she soon gave birth to a Prince out of the right side of her torso as depicted in the bas relief on the left. During that time, celestial beings offered flowers, celestial kings offered clothes, the heavens played wonderful music, and nine dragons emitted water to bathe the Prince. After His birth, the Prince immediately walked and spoke. He took seven steps. Seven lotus blossoms sprung forth under each place where he stepped. With His right hand pointing towards the sky and the left hand pointing towards the ground as in the photo of the statue on the right, He said, "I am the only Honored one in the heavens and on earth." He was known as Prince Siddhartha. The Prince became troubled by the scenes of birth, aging, sickness, death, and the sufferings of ordinary people. He decided to leave home and become a practitioner at the age of twenty-nine. After becoming a buddha, He continued expounding dharma for forty-five years. At the age of eighty, lying between two sala trees, He entered Nirvana.


On the holy birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha, followers who participate in the Dharma Assembly of Bathing the Buddha make offerings to establish their karmic conditions with the buddhas and also to wholeheartedly beseech the empowerment of the buddhas and to pray for peace and well being. While bathing the image of the Buddha with auspicious water, they vow to cultivate themselves in attaining the purity of their three karmas (body, speech, and mind) in the past, present, and future. They should receive the great and remarkable teachings and guidance of the buddhas and uphold the correct belief. They must do this without holding to any superstitious beliefs. In this way, they can correspond to the great and compassionate vows of the buddhas and attain accomplishment with the Bodhi state without regression. They should carry out the cultivation of a bodhisattva life after life until they attain the supreme enlightenment of a buddha.


Before we are labelled idol worshippers by some non-buddhist religionists, We may have to ask why we bathe the image of baby Buddha during Vesak? But, the question was wrongly asked- it is not a must to do so. Significance of the ritual aside, it is us who "need" and want to bathe the Buddha; the Buddha does not need to be bathed it is rather an expression and reminder to cleanse our inner Buddha-nature- purify.


So as you or your friends visit any Buddhist temples during this Vesak Season, do explain to them the real meaning behind this symbolic and meaningful gesture buddhists do, we out to keep this in mind "As we bathe the statue of Prince Siddhartha with this scoop of holy water in our hands, we shall pray sincerely to be rid of the defilements of greed, hatred and ignorance, so that our body, speech and mind may remain pure. Furthermore, we shall wish for a peaceful and harmonious society that is free from violence, dishonesty or evil. With the merit gained from bathing of the Buddha, may we rid our minds of defilements, and at the same time cleanse and beautify our society and country, transform this land of suffering into one of bliss, and guide the stray and evil minds onto the path of virtue.


Only by truly understanding the true meaning of "Bathing of the Buddha" only will we, our family and friends benefit from the Blessings of our Lord Buddha.


You may wish to recite the verse as you bathe the Buddha statue:


我 今 灌 沐 諸 如 來
We are now coming up to bath Tathagatas


凈 智 莊 嚴 功 德 海
For the accumulating purity, wisdom, dignity, merit and virtue.


五 濁 眾 生 離 塵 垢
May all sentient beings be rid of impurity


同 證 如 來 凈 法 身
And all realize the pure entity of Tathagatas



[ Chinese Version ]
浴佛的意義 The Significance of the Bathing the Buddha Image


二千六百多年前，印度迦毘羅衛國的王后摩耶夫人，在藍毗尼花園的無憂樹下，生下了悉達多太子，也就是後來出家成道的佛陀。太子誕生後，一手指天，一手指地，說道：「天上天下，唯我獨尊」，意思是說：「我乃是宇宙最尊貴的覺者，我將廣度一切沉淪生死的眾生。」，隨即有兩股水從天瀉下，沐浴在王子的身上。佛陀在誕生時，大地震動，天雨濱紛，九龍吐水，足行七步。古代印度佛教徒對佛陀興起崇高的敬仰，便塑造佛太子像，以淨水灌之，為慶祝佛陀降生。後來，佛教徒每年為慶祝佛陀誕辰就沿用此例舉行浴佛儀式。


佛陀是我們的導師，他的智慧和福德圓滿，為我們開啟了解脫之道，留給後世寶貴的心靈財富。為了紀念佛陀偉大濟世度生的精神，苦口婆心說無量法門，大眾在佛誕當日，恭敬供養，以上好香湯灌沐佛身，燃香散花浴佛以表報答佛恩。浴佛偈說：「我今灌沐諸如來，淨智莊嚴功德聚；」我們要向佛陀學習，提醒自己應以佛陀的教誨作甘露法水，洗滌自身塵垢，以使外離身垢，內離心染，身心光潔，啟發悲智，涵養德行，同證眾生本有的清淨本性。。所謂：「五濁眾生離塵垢，同證如來淨法身。」


以浴佛功德，人人便能去除心中垢污、我執、煩惱、不如意事等，打破胡思亂想的執著，把內在的塵埃，垢污清除，自性光明自然啟發，令身心清涼自在。破一份無明，顯一份法身，無明煩惱破盡，法身遍滿一切處，所謂：「一點靈光通天徹地，」是要開啟自己心地之光。


浴佛就是要把佛陀偉大的精神落實在行動上，使人人都有反思的機會，覺悟懺悔，「諸惡莫作，眾善眾行」，然後「自淨其意」，這樣便能淨化自心，淨化社會，這是浴佛的真正意義。凡佛弟子，值遇這浴佛勝緣，一同發菩提心，同沾佛光，令自己及眾生種下善根，証入佛智。


願一切眾生以浴佛的殊勝功用來啟迪智慧，莊嚴人性、淨化心靈，以自己內心的光明，與佛陀智慧之光打成一片，普化圓融，自在無礙，放大光明，促進社會祥和安定。


淨化個人的身口意，我們手持淨水向悉達多太子像沐浴時，內心應當誠懇祝禱，唱頌“我今灌浴諸如來，淨智莊嚴功德聚，五濁眾生令離垢，願證如來淨法身”，願袪除貪欲、瞋恨、愚痴的污垢，讓自行身行、語言、心意都能保持潔淨，希望社會清淨安寧，沒有暴力、詐欺、邪惡等事件，環境能夠優美清淨，並且藉著浴佛的功德，淨化自己的煩惱塵垢，美化我們的社會國土，轉五濁惡世為清淨的淨土，導邪曲人心為善良菩提，這就是浴佛的真正意義。



浴佛時可誦此浴佛偈以提醒自己浴佛的真意﹕


我今灌沐諸如來，
wo jin guan mu zhu ru lai


淨智莊嚴功德海。
jing zhi zhuang yan gong de hai


五濁眾生離塵垢，
wu zhuo zhong sheng li chen gou


同證如來淨法身。
tong zheng ru lai jing fa shen