Buddhābhiseka (Pali:buddhābhiseka;Sanskrit:buddhābhiṣeka) refers to a broad range of Buddhist rituals used toconsecrateimages of theBuddha and other Buddhist figures, such asbodhisattvas.[1]
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Buddhābhiseka is known by a number of different terms in various languages.[1] The termskaiyan (開眼; 'opening the eyes'),kaiguang (開光; 'opening the light'), anddianyan (點眼; 'dotting the eyes') and their derivative forms are used in the Chinese,Korean (where it is known asjeom-an or 점안),Japanese (where it is known askaigen) andVietnamese languages (where it is known askhai quang điểm nhãn),[1] whilebuddhābhiseka (Burmese:ဗုဒ္ဓါဘိသေက;Khmer:ពុទ្ធាភិសេក;Thai:พุทธาภิเษก) is used in predominantly Theravada Buddhist countries.
Burmese Buddhists perform consecration rituals for images of the Buddha used for veneration both at home and at public places of worship, such as monasteries and pagodas. Before a Buddha statue is used for veneration, it must be formally consecrated in thebuddhābhiseka maṅgala ritual. TheBurmese language verb for consecrating a Buddha image isanegaza tin (အနေကဇာတင်ခြင်း).[2] This consecration ritual is led by a Buddhist monk, who recitesaneka jāti saṃsāraṃ (translated as 'through the round of many births I roamed'), the 153rd verse of theDhammapada (found in the 11th chapter),[3][4] which is believed to be the first words uttered by the Buddha upon attainingBuddhahood.[5] The consecration rite, which can last a few hours, is held in the morning and consists of four primary parts:[6]
The consecration rituals are believed to imbue the Buddha image with a sacred quality that can protect the home and surroundings from misfortune and symbolically embody the powers of the Buddha.[7]
Kaiguang (simplified Chinese:开光;traditional Chinese:開光;pinyin:kāiguāng) is the Chinese term forconsecration of a statue of a deity. In Chinese, the literal meaning of Kaiguang is "opening of light". While it is often performed in theChinese Buddhist andTaoist faiths, it is also well known as the ceremony of consecrating new lion costumes used for the traditionallion dance.
A Kaiguang ritual varies among Chinese religious traditions, but it is essentially the act of formal consecration for proper usage by dotting the eyes of a statue of the deity using acalligraphy brush, traditionally coated withcinnabar powder. The ritual is performed bydaoshi (in Taoism),bhikkhus (in Buddhism) or by inviting a specificdeity through the appointedspirit medium (folk religion). For a lion costume, a senior secular dignitary may also be invited to perform the task. The general purpose is to invite the divinity to consecrate an "empty" effigy of themselves and to fill it with divine power. The usage of a mirror (to reflect the sunlight) and a dry towel (to symbolically purify the statue from any filth) is also employed.
It is believed that if a statue or lion costume has not been consecrated, it cannot be worshiped or used for performance, as the eyes are still "closed".
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