ARE THE BUDDHA PAINTINGS IN ANY WAY RELIGIOUS?
They are religious in the sense that they have religious subject matter. Whether they have any devotional purpose more or less depends on the attitude that the viewer brings to them. There are some Buddhist traditions where repeating the Buddha’s name over and over is said to bring liberation. Perhaps the painting of a buddha image over and over can have a similar effect but I’m not sure. In any case, the Buddha image is commonplace now in the west and in a way desacrilized. One can buy Buddha garden ornaments and people display these without embarassment whereas the same people would probably feel that it would be gauche to put a Virgin Mary or a Jesus on the lawn. But I think that regardless of religious significance, the Buddha image projects serenity and equanimity two states much sought after but very elusive in our culture.
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