If you had only....

[plwk]

ONE statue for your altar, what would it be? And why?

[plwk]

Me? Sakyamuni Buddha...Why?
1. The Samyak Sambuddha of our Bhadra Kalpa
2. The One who turned the Dharmacakra where no one else could, who showed us the path and fruit of the Deathless
3. From Him, the fountain of all 84,000 teachings and attributed source of all today's Buddhist practices and traditions
4. A constant reminder of our own Buddha potential, both on the causal and fruition grounds

[Ayu]

This is a hard decision, because Buddha Shakiamuni and Green Tara are indispensable for me.
But if there's no other way than deciding - i would take Tara because
- to her i have the deepest relation
- she's the mother of all Buddha's & Bodhisattvas
- she's the best protector.

Imho

[JKhedrup]

Buddha Shakyamuni

[catmoon]

I do have only one statue on the shrine. It's Amitabha Buddha, modelled after the Kamakura Buddha in Japan. To me, all Buddhas are Buddha, and I just happen to like the Japanese sense of esthetics.

[Yudron]

Guru Rinpoche, because he is the essence of all teachings and teachers of the Buddhadharma.

[gregkavarnos]

It's a neck in neck race between Guru Rinpoche and Shakyamuni Buddha. Both, for me, personify our very real capacity to pull our asses out of the sh*th*l* of samsara.

[David N. Snyder]

Gotama Buddha (Shakyamni)

There have been many buddhas, but this is the buddha of our time. No need to live in the past (Kassapa) or the future (Maitreya).

[futerko]

Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri in union (Yab Yum).

[gregkavarnos]

Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri in union (Yab Yum).

You devil, you!

[Caz]

Defiantly Buddha Shakyamuni my teachers are in essence the same as him. This would be my only statue...But I would certainly have accompanying Images Je Tsongkhapa for example !

[futerko]

Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri in union (Yab Yum).

You devil, you!

mwahahaha!

[JKhedrup]

Oh Sorry I'm supposed to say why!

Buddha Shakyamuni- Because he is the founder of the Satsana in this world and the figure who unites all the various traditions of Buddhism.

[Red Faced Buddha]

Probably either Avalokiteshvara, Shakyamuni, or Manjushri.

[Konchog1]

My Yidam since it's nature is the same as all other Buddhas.

[Red Faced Buddha]

My Yidam since it's nature is the same as all other Buddhas.

What's your yidam?

[conebeckham]

Ha Ha HA! Who's your yidam?
I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.



For me, I'd keep my Vajradhara statue. Buddha is not a person (or a statue), but that particular statue reminds me most strongly of the basic Ground or State of all Buddhas, and, in fact, of the potential for all sentient beings to grasp the fruition.

[Konchog1]

My Yidam since it's nature is the same as all other Buddhas.

What's your yidam?

All Buddhas have the same nature. So the Buddha you practice the most or like the most can stand in for the rest.

[Red Faced Buddha]

My Yidam since it's nature is the same as all other Buddhas.

What's your yidam?

All Buddhas have the same nature. So the Buddha you practice the most or like the most can stand in for the rest.

I have no idea what you just said.

Ha Ha HA! Who's your yidam?
I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Come on, we're all friends here. I'll make you my chief disciple after I become a Buddha.

[Konchog1]

All Buddhas have the same nature. So the Buddha you practice the most or like the most can stand in for the rest.

I have no idea what you just said.

Sometimes people ask, "Are we 'one' or 'the same'?" Well, we are neither. Is there "one" space, or are different spaces "the same"? Space is neither "one" nor "the same," and so is the nature of mind. Trying to figure it out by labeling it "one" or "the same" is just another mental fixation. Likewise, there are neither one nor many Buddhas. You can't say there is only one, as there are limitless Buddhas, yet you can't say there are many, as their essence is a single ground--emptiness and compassion abiding like space. Thus, do not grasp at singularity or multiplicity.

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