Life of Brian

The Meaning of Objects (Buddhist temple)

Religions are replete with the use of physical objects. Sometimes the point of the objects is that they are to serve as symbols. Below you can see very standard items from a Buddhist altar, specifically candles, fruit and flowers. The candle is to symbolize the goal of Buddhism, namely enlightenment or the banishing of ignorance. Religions frequently use light for the symbolism of seeing and because anthropologically, we evolved to fear the dark. The fruit and flowers are a bit trickier. Partly they symbolize the reward of enlightenment - its beauty, its fruitfulness. But partly they emphasize the point that while they look appealing now, they will not in a few shot weeks. This is to remind