Four-Faced Buddha
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Anybody knows about the facts and history of the four-faced buddha?
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The four-faced Buddha is actually from the Thai tradition.
I have read that it is actually not Buddha, but the Hindu God Brahma (creator).
So the origins could very well not be from Buddhism, but from Brahmanism.
Please correct me if I'm wrong in this. -
Talk about 4 face buddha,Originally posted by [G]oggles:Anybody knows about the facts and history of the four-faced buddha?
anyone knows where the 4 face buddha at Singapore Bird Park moved to?
I cant find it anymore after it shift some time earlier this year.
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I also heard from people that the Four-Faced buddha is not a buddha but a god, but why do hindu gods ends up in a heavily populated buddhism country, thailand? btw pardon my ignorance, does the hindu god Brahma has four-faced?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:The four-faced Buddha is actually from the Thai tradition.
I have read that it is actually not Buddha, but the Hindu God Brahma (creator).
So the origins could very well not be from Buddhism, but from Brahmanism.
Please correct me if I'm wrong in this.
any info on God Brahma? -
A country highly populated by Buddhists is one matter. The fact is, before Buddhism becomes the dominant religion in Thailand, Brahmanism is the dominant religion (I think). Brahmanism in fact, has highly influenced Thai Buddhism (e.g Thai Amulets derived from Brahmanism). Some practices by certain monks that are considered superstitious other non-thai buddhists. However, this is not to say that Thai Buddhism is not as good as other types of Buddhism, in fact most Buddhist sects are more or less influenced by their local culture and traditions. Most important is that their Dharma remains intact and doesn't lose purity.Originally posted by [G]oggles:I also heard from people that the Four-Faced buddha is not a buddha but a god, but why do hindu gods ends up in a heavily populated buddhism country, thailand? btw pardon my ignorance, does the hindu god Brahma has four-faced?
any info on God Brahma?
I'm not very good at Hinduism, so I'll quote from a website:Looking at the four directions, the four faces of Brahma symbolize the four Vedas as well as the cardinal points of the compass.
The scriptures of Vedas (and many other hindu texts) are rejected by Lord Buddha Shakyamuni. Buddha Shakyamuni had many instances of meeting the Brahma, in fact, it was Brahma who begged Buddha Shakyamuni to teach the dharma. However, this Brahma is also under the illusion that he was the Creator of all. Buddha had dealt with Brahma and his ideology several times in his scriptures. There are also many interesting stories revolving the Brahma.The stories of a Buddha going to teach a brahma take place on the plane of Maha Brahma, the third of the fine-material planes (No. 14). Many people worship Maha Brahma as the supreme and eternal creator God, but for the Buddha he is merely a powerful deity still caught within the cycle of repeated existence. In point of fact, "Maha Brahma" is a role or office filled by different individuals at different periods.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/devas.html#ch2
The Buddha has directly seen the origins of Maha Brahma and understands what it requires to be reborn in his world. In the Brahmajala Sutta (DN 1) the Buddha describes how a supposed Creator God came to believe himself omnipotent and how others came to rely on his sovereignty. -
The four face represents Metta, Karuna, Mudita and Upekka.
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You mean four-face buddha is not the brahma?
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It is a brahma, in the history, he invited Buddha to preach.
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What does Metta, Karuna, Mudita and Upekka mean?
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Metta = Loving Kindness
Karuna = Compassion
Mudita = Joy Appreciation
Upekka = Equanimity -
Just wondering, when pp are praying to the 4 faced buddha, is there a certain direction to go about (clockwise or anticlockwise) or there's no fixed rule to it?
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It is suppose to be clockwise diection for most prayers in Buddhism.
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haha . mr goggles ,for ur info , the history of thailand not short lor , within ur lifetimeOriginally posted by [G]oggles:I also heard from people that the Four-Faced buddha is not a buddha but a god, but why do hindu gods ends up in a heavily populated buddhism country, thailand? btw pardon my ignorance, does the hindu god Brahma has four-faced?
any info on God Brahma?
it is already thriving in the 400BC liao
okie ,four-faced Buddha was a pagan religion before Buddha was turn the wheel of the truth
yes the stories of four-faced Buddha is according to the fact he is a reincarnation of maha Brahma
In THailand not just the four-faced Buddha is a pagan religion , there are also thai who pray to snakegirl lor
so what is the issue with Buddhism or not .
Native religion still around . in Japan some ppl still pray to the
shinto god . -
Instead of worshipping the Brahma, it will be better if you can take refuge in the Triple Jems (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha). True blessings come from Dharma practise and this path starts from taking refuge.
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Merry Meet [G]oggles & bohiruci,Originally posted by bohiruci:haha . mr goggles ,for ur info , the history of thailand not short lor , within ur lifetime
it is already thriving in the 400BC liao
okie ,four-faced Buddha was a pagan religion before Buddha was turn the wheel of the truth
yes the stories of four-faced Buddha is according to the fact he is a reincarnation of maha Brahma
In THailand not just the four-faced Buddha is a pagan religion , there are also thai who pray to snakegirl lor
so what is the issue with Buddhism or not .
Native religion still around . in Japan some ppl still pray to the
shinto god .
The Four-Faced Buddha or "Phra Phom" is highly revered in term of Thai Buddhism, there are numerous versions of his Legends. A large numbers of his believers are Buddhist without denial. "Phra Phom" is full of kindness, mercy, sympathy, and impartiality. These four precepts comprise the "Conscientious Behaviour" corresponding to Buddhist teaching which instructs Buddhists of the four Dharma.
Firstly i would like to clarify that "Phra Phom" is not of a Pagan Religion although a small minority of Pagans do worshipped him. Likewise with all Patheons of all religions there are always believers of them not necessary of the Religion of his/her origin.
Well in almost all cultures & beliefs, peoples prayed to various patheons & do included Animal God/Goddess like Egyptian Goddess Bast, Taoist Fox Deity or "Hui Xian", Shinto Deity Inari & so on. Snake are not only worshipped by Thai neither limited to only one religion, its evidental in almost all Religions, Hindu Snake Goddess Nagalata Devi, Buddhism Naga & so on. In thailand, there are also worshippers of "River God/Goddess", "Crocodile God" & so on. Patheons can take on different forms & enamations of any creatures & living being on this Earthly Plane. Native Religions are always around & most Major Religions these days started from minor native religions. Shinto is one of the most prominent Japan Religion & as old as Japan herself. Shinto are deeply rooted in the heart Japanese people & tradition with quite mystical origins with Beliefs of " Sacred Spirits " which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, fertility & animals. Accordling to Legends, some Shinto Priests happened to be Descendants of Humans & Spirits blessed with Spiritual Powers, Believe it or not is up to your own perspective...ha ha ha
Hope all these answer your queries & doubts, Have a nice week ahead...
Blessed Be,
Oceanos -
Worshipping these deities can invoke attention from gods or deities or spirits, these beings may have spiritual powers, however, Buddhists should not be too superstitious over such beings. These gods and deities are not freed from Samsara, the 6 realms. They have yet been liberated, and therefore not able to bring you liberation. Those who are overly superstitious over spirits may fall into the Ghost realm. The ones "worthy of offerings" in Buddhism are Arhats, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, Tathagathas...
There is nothing wrong paying reverence to these deities and gods, there is also nothing wrong paying reverence to anyone you know, but hope people are not superstitious over them. Buddhists should focus on our Dharma practise and Liberation from Samsara. -
Sorry, bohiruci, I removed some unnecessary parts of your post to benefit the forum... hopefully you'll understand. Your post is informative. Thank you.
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I gotta a question.
Why Four-Faced Buddha needs to be worshipped outdoor?
Can I worship Four-Faced Buddha indoor? -
I've seen very very huge 4 face buddha statue situated under shelter (building).
I think location is not too important. The statues are placed outside probably for convinience so that passerbys can pay reverence.
Maybe in Thailand they like to put the statues outdoor instead of being placed inside the buildings. I've seen other Shakyamuni Buddha statues that are placed outside. There are also many ultra huge statues of Buddha, Guan Yin, situated outdoors. (e.g there's one at Afghanistan which has been destroyed by the Taliban). -
yah... my fren told me it's ok to worship indoor but everywhere i see are worshipped outdoor... dunno why??
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Personally I don't have too much knowledge about the Four-Faced Buddha, but usually the four-faced buddha is placed under a shrine. I think maybe people don't feel too good to put the Four-Faced Buddha at an altar because one or more of the sides will face the wall. Or you can say in another way, since the Four-Faced Buddha has 4 faces, must as well put it in an open area so can face people at all directions. Maybe if you have space and put a shrine in the middle of your living room it may seem better. (but who has the space?)
I would also like to hear from others who knows more about this. This is only my guess.
For me, at my altar is just a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, one-sided, the original form which he manifests to preach the dharma to sentient beings like you and me. It is much more common to see the common statue of Shakyamuni Buddha situated at a Buddhist altar inside a monastery.
I don't think they are any rules as to whether the Four-Faced Buddha should be pay reverence indoor or outdoor. The act of bowing for Buddhists is an act of reverence. We pay reverence to people because we respect them, irregardless of where he appears at, not because of where they appear. But it would be disrespectful and unappropriate if for example, the buddha statue is placed in the toilet. Of course we should not do this. -
any photo of ur statue to let me see??
cuz usu i see ppl have statue of guan yin n pray... -
Sorry I don't have any pictures in my computer, but it's quite easy to find a Buddhist altar in the internet like this:
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For me, my Buddha statue is wooden, and standing. It symbolize that Buddha has walked throughout India in his 49 years of expounding the Buddhadharma.
Beside it on the left is Guan Yin's image. On the right is my master's image.
At the front of the altar are two meditation seats which I use to bow down to the Buddha, to chant sutras, dharanis & mantras, and to meditate. -
ok... ur master's image? sorry, may i know who is ur master?
btw my parents are buddhist and they plays those CDs chants or mantra and i find it hard to understand as the language is v unfamiliar...
and it is so diff to remember a single chant or mantra....