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.

"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.

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.