Buddha Has No Image: Whom Are They Worshipping?

There was a time when my mother and two of her friends were meditating, and two of them saw the deity Chaturbhuja Lokeshvara step out of the painting. On another occasion, an angry deity, Vajrakilaya, appeared to a friend and invited her to dance. Looking back, we’re unsure whether these were deities or something else.

This highlights the significant difference between Chan and traditional Buddhism. While both share similar metaphysical concepts, Buddhism possibly gains insights through meditation and spiritual experiences but remains confined within the realm of metaphysical knowledge.

The universe, and the reality we perceive, is simply a projection and inherently empty. As Diamond Sutra stated, “All appearances are illusory.”

The universe appears real, yet ultimately, it is merely an illusory projection, a dreamstate, a hologram. However, within the dream state, these illusions are real and follow certain laws of cause and effect. We can’t dismiss its realness within the dreamstate or deny the actuality of our feelings or physical sensations. If someone pinches you, you’ll feel the pain.

Bodhidharma, a 5th-6th century Indian monk, traveled to China and laid the foundation for Chán (禪), earning him the title of the First Patriarch of Chan. His teachings were simple and direct, cutting straight to the core of awakening. Chan gained widespread recognition after the teachings of the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng, were recorded in the Platform Sutra.

Chan later spread to Japan and was often referred to as “Zen Buddhism.” The Chinese character for 禪 is pronounced as "Zen" in Japanese. From there, Zen made its way to the West, gaining global recognition.

"Thousands of rivers reflect thousands of moons; miles of cloudless sky, miles of pristine clarity." and “Thousands of rivers all reflect the same moon.”

Self-nature or pure consciousness is like a projector casting all the shapes and forms and bringing forth everything. 

“self-nature” in Chan, the “Buddha-nature" in Buddhism, “Brahman” in Hinduism, and the “Dao” or Wuji (ultimate reality) in Taoism—all indicate the same pure essence.

Physicists hypothesize as "quantum foam"—formless yet present. “Even if you took an empty container devoid of all matter and cooled it to absolute zero, there is still “something” in the container. That something is called quantum foam, and it represents particles blinking into and out of existence.” 

In other words, this physical world comes from “nothing” or “emptiness,” which resonates with the very idea mentioned in the I Ching, Buddhism, or Tao a thousand years ago. 

Chan has nothing to do with religion. It broke all doctrine and threw away the talks about reincarnation and karma. It set all rules, beliefs, and doctrines on fire, reducing them to ashes. Chan only has a single query: Are you awake or not? It is about seeing one's true nature.

Mainstream mindfulness and Buddhist meditation aim to help us be mindful of our thoughts and emotions. These practices build awareness, which is an important step in healing. Yet, it does not lead to awakening. Otherwise, Japan and China would have mass-produced enlightened beings every year.

The first book of Jed McKenna's trilogy. Though Jed is a fictional character, his teachings offer a vivid perspective on Enlightenment. Several key points from the book profoundly influenced me when I first read it years ago.