Can one truly appreciate the Buddha’s excellent qualities?

Do we understand what it means to be without clinging to the self? Do we understand what the qualities of alobha, non-attachment, adosa, non- aversion or kindness, and amoha or panna really are? The development of satipatthana will condition such qualities, it will lead to the eradication of all unwholesomeness. The Buddha himself was endowed with wisdom and virtue of the highest degree. When we pay respect to the Buddha we recite the words: “vijja carana-sampanno”, endowed with wisdom and virtue. Do we know the meaning of these words? Why do we show reverence in front of a Buddha statue, at the places where his relics have been enshrined or at the Bodhi-tree? We pay respect to all his excellent qualities: to his wisdom, his compassion and his purity. If we do not recollect his excellent qualities while showing reverence, our action is not very beneficial.

If one hardly knows whether the citta at this moment is kusala citta or akusala citta can one truly appreciate the Buddha’s excellent qualities? When we begin to understand the difference between kusala and akusala, not in a theoretical way, but in daily life, we appreciate more the value of right understanding of nama and rupa. Right understanding of visible object or of seeing which occurs now, of all realities that appear now, leads to the end of defilements. The Buddha taught the development of right understanding for fortyfive years, out of compassion, he taught for our welfare and happiness. The words we use to honour the Buddha: vijja-carana-sampanno, can become more meaningful when we begin to understand what these qualities are.

Paying respect to the Buddha’s relics is only meaningful if we recollect his excellent qualities. The relics can remind us directly of his excellent qualities because they are what remained of his body, the body of a Buddha endowed with thirtytwo bodily characteristics each one of which was conditioned by kamma. In the “Lakkhanasutta” (Dígha Nikaya, Dialogues of the Buddha III, no. 30) it is explained that the Buddha, during his lives as a Bodhisatta, accumulated manifold virtues and that these conditioned the special bodily features that are the characteristics of a Buddha. We read about his immeasurable generosity, his perfect sila and his boundless loving kindness and compassion towards all living beings. He had no selfish purposes in mind, he always thought of the welfare of others.