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Who are the Buddhas of Three Times?

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For many people, Buddhas of Three Times is a vague concept. Because this set of statues usually only appear at temples and there are very few Buddhists worshiping at home.

But the truth is that the symbol of the Buddhas of Three Times is the source of many wise teachings in Buddhism. It represents the integrity of the buddhas of the ten directions from the past, present and future.

So what is Buddhas of the three times and who does it include? Lotus Buddhas would like to synthesize information related to this set of statues so that readers can better understand the meaning and layout when worshiping Buddhas of Three Times at home.


Who are Buddhas of Three Times?


Buddhas of Three Times means three Buddhas representing past, present and future times. In it, representing the past time is Amitabha Buddha, representing the present time is Shakyamuni Buddha and finally representing the future time is Maitreya Buddha. This also shows the boundless immeasurable of the Buddhas of the ten directions in the universe.


1. Amitabha Buddha represents the past


Amitabha Buddha (Sanskrit: AmitabhaAmitayus, Chinese: Amituofo) is a Buddha often described in Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, especially Pure Land Buddhism, a branch of predominantly practicing in the East Asia region.

According to the scriptures, Amitabha Buddha possessed infinite merit arising from good deeds countless previous lives. Therefore, he was mentioned by Shakyamuni Buddha as a prime example of the practice towards enlightenment in the past, before Shakyamuni Buddha was present in this era.


2. Shakyamuni Buddha represents the present


Shakyamuni Buddha was the founder of Buddhism as we know it today, a real historical figure. Born as Prince Siddhartha, son of King Tinh San and Queen Maya, of the Gotama family, the Shakyamuni royal family.

He is said to have been born on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month (April 15) in 624 BC (according to the explanation of Theravada Buddhism), the 8th day of the fourth lunar month (according to the explanation of Northern Buddhism) in Lumbini garden, which is located between Kapilavastu and Devadaha in Nepal.

During his life, Shakyamuni Buddha devoted most of his time to teaching the truth. Insight and truth into the nature of this life. With specific instructions handed down through the centuries, Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings have been and are a guide for many Buddhists around the world in this day and age.


3. Maitreya Buddha represents the future


According to the scriptures, Maitreya Buddha is the future Buddha, the successor of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Maitreya (Sanskrit: Maitreya, Pali: Metteyya) is a bodhisattva who appeared on earth, attained full enlightenment, and taught the Dharma to sentient beings when the Buddhist teachings were forgotten.

Maitreya Buddha is the absolute symbol of joy and happiness. Therefore, many Buddhists refer to him as “The Laughing Buddha”. His smile spreads to help neutralize all hatred, afflictions or stress in life.

Some people say that the word “Times” is also understood as the world or the Buddha realm in the Buddhist universe including:


The Orient is the Pure Land of the Medicine Buddha

The West is Amitabha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss

The center is the Saha world of Buddha Shakyamuni


However, as we see in the Buddhas of Three Times there is no Medicine Buddha, who reigns in the East in the Five Directions Buddhas. Therefore, the interpretation of Buddhas of Three Times as representing the world of Buddhas from East to West and from right to left, from top to bottom is completely wrong!


The meaning of worshiping Buddhas of Three Times


Buddhas of Three Times is also known as “Three The Eternal Eternal Dharma Body”. It means honoring the true, miraculous, and miraculous forms of the Buddhas that exist throughout space and time.

If you are a devout Buddhist, go to the temple a lot or have a little observation, you know that Buddhas of Three Times is rarely worshiped at home. Because most Buddhists follow the Pure Land school, and the symbolism of the Three Saint Buddhas including: Amitabha Buddha, Mahasthama-prapta Bodhisattva and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva will be more popular.

However, there are still a few Buddhists who worship Buddhas of Three Times at home with the meaning of drawing experience from the past, focusing on the present moment to move towards a better future.

Every day Buddhists often chant sutras and vow to live according to the teachings of the Three Buddhas. Wishing to have boundless compassion like Amitabha’s vows, transcendental wisdom and practicality like Shakyamuni Buddha, and thereby aim to live a full, happy life in the future like Maitreya Buddha’s smile.

In addition to the purpose of reminding us to live according to the Buddha’s teachings, worshiping the Buddhas of Three Times statue at home also brings health and peace to the family. Recently, feng shui stores have put the Buddhas of Three Times set on the list of feng shui items that bring luck and peace to the owner. This is an ancient Asian worship custom that needs to be preserved.



How to arrange Buddhas of Three Times on the altar at home


Today, to meet the worshiping needs of so many Buddhists, spiritual workshops have created a variety of products on the market. However, worship is not a simple matter, especially the Buddhas of Three Times statue is usually worshiped only at temples, rarely at home. Therefore, if you want to invite Buddhas of Three Times home to worship, you must note a few things in the layout:

The altar should be placed towards the main door, avoid placing it towards the toilet, kitchen or bedroom, bathroom. Also avoid places like the bottom of stairs.

The saints should not be placed together with the Buddha altar. Because saints are considered to be still in the six paths of reincarnation, they have not yet been fully enlightened. Devoted Buddhists will understand this taboo as a natural thing to do when worshiping the Buddha.


Should use good wood to make Buddhas of Three Times statue.


The Buddha altar should be placed in the highest place, on the ancestral altar. But should not be too high so that when burning incense or cleaning it is also easy.

On the occasion of the full moon or festival, the homeowner should only display flowers or fruits and avoid offering votive papers or offerings of salty food on the Buddha altar. The bowls and bowls should also only be used for worship, not shared with everyday utensils.

Do not combine the Buddha altar with the ancestors altar. According to the concept, Buddha is the teacher of all sentient beings throughout the ten directions and three realms. Even the deceased need the Buddha’s blessing, so they should not be placed on the same level as the ancestorsaltar.

Worshiping the Buddha is to wholeheartedly turn to the Buddha and vow to practice according to the Buddha’s teachings. Before being invited back, the Buddhas of Three Times statue must be chanted by the monk and performed the opening ceremony. After that, the homeowner should choose an auspicious day and month to worship the Buddha. During this time the householder should fast and pure vegetarianism, chant and meditate on the teachings of the Buddhas of Three Times.


Where can we buy Buddhas of Three Times?


As mentioned above, on the market today there are many Buddhas of Three Times statues with diverse origins. Some spiritual shops import statues from Taiwan, China to sell with sophisticated designs and extremely charismatic. In addition, the religious product factories in Vietnam have also made very beautiful statues imbued with Vietnamese culture and people.

If you live at Viet Nam, one of them is Phuc Minh, a prestigious Buddha statue production facility in Hanoi. Here you can find Buddhas of Three Times statues made of many different materials such as stone, bronze, porcelain, plastic composite or wood or stone powder from Taiwan.

Often the Buddhas of Three Times statue is custom-made to obtain meticulous detail and high quality, showing respect for the three Buddhas. Compared to bronze, sculpture or relief, stone powder and composite have a slightly lower price. To avoid confusion when buying to worship, Buddhists should know that the set of Buddhas of Three Times statues has the shape of 3 Buddhas sitting cross-legged in meditation with different hand postures.

The difference between the Buddhas of Three Times and the Three Saints Buddhas If you are new to Buddhism, you may be confused between Buddhas of Three Times and the Three Saints Buddhas. Or maybe you think it’s one.

However, as Lotus Buddhas described above, Buddhas of Three Times is a symbol representing the buddhas of three different spatial dimensions. The Three Saints Buddhas represent the three Buddhas and Bodhisattvas residing in the Western Pure Land, in which Amitabha Buddha is the cardinal.

The worship of Buddhas of Three Times is considered to honor the merits of the Buddhas who have brought peace and prosperity to sentient beings from the past, present to the future.


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