Buddhism...
Buddism originated 2500 years ago. It was born in ancient India. It then spread from India to China and Japan.
Eventually, statues of Buddha modelled on the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni, came to be enshrined as objects of worship. Over the years, the appearance of the Buddha statues changed. This was because it was thought that in order to save as many people as possible, it was necessary to express the spirit of Shakyamuni in various forms.
Ancient Indian gods were also integrated into Buddhism, and the number of statues increased. In this way, numerous Buddhas such as Tathagata, Bodhisattva and Myo-o were born.
Hierarchy in Buddhist society:
names indicate ranks, and ranks reveal history.
Everything about a Buddha statue, from the shape of its hands to its ornaments, has some kind of meaning.
There are four types of Buddha statues. The Buddhas depicted in statues are divided into four major groups: Nyorai(Buddha,Tathagata), Bodhisattva, Myo-o, and Ten.
Tathagata is the highest rank.Next in rank are Bodhisattvas, who are Tathagata's assistants. Next come Myo-o, who were pagan gods worshipped before the birth of Buddhism but who converted to become the guardian deities of Buddhism.
➀ Nyorai : An enlightened Buddha. He descended from the Buddhist realm and, as the embodiment of the psyche, leads people to the state of enlightenment. Modeled after the enlightened Shakyamuni Buddha. He is dressed simply in a single robe.
➁ Bodhisattva : A Buddha who has not yet attained enlightenment. (He saves people through his own training.) Modeled after Shakyamuni Buddha when he was a prince. That is why he wears glittering ornaments.
➂ Myo-o : An incarnation of Dainichi Nyorai. (He scolds people with an angry expression and teaches them the teachings.)
➃ Ten : An entity that protects Nyorai, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhists as a guardian deity to keep evil people away from the world where the Buddha lives. He has the appearance of a warrior.
➄ Others: Originally demons or evil spirits of paganism. Those who have converted and joined the guardian deities of Buddhism.
Originally, Buddha was an abbreviation of Shakyamuni.
Nowadays, it is common to call all other classes Buddha. The word originates from the Sanskrit word Buddha. Buddha is an honorific title for those who have attained enlightenment.
Of the five groups, only Nyorai(Tathagata) is connected to the state of enlightenment.
In early Buddhism, it was believed that Shaka was the only human who could become a Nyorai(Tathagata). Therefore, when people said Tathagata, they meant Shaka.
However, around the 1st century AD, about 500 years after Shaka's death, the theory that there was actually someone who had become a Tathagata before Shaka spread. And the number of Tathagata increased dramatically.
Therefore, in order to distinguish it from the new Tathagata, it came to be called Shaka Tathagata.
As the number of these Buddhas began to increase, people began to make statues of them and worship them.
Early Buddhists also respected Shakyamuni as a great pioneer, but only as a human being with flesh and blood.
However, after he began to be worshipped as a Buddha statue, Shakyamuni was deified and transformed into a superhuman being who would save people from all suffering.
When people say Shakyamuni Buddha, they are usually referring to this deified Buddha in particular.
