verified
Overview
When the lay disciples asked how they should maintain devotion when the Buddha was away preaching, the tradition categorized the valid objects of veneration. The classical Mahāvihāra commentary outlines four distinct types of shrines or memorials (cetiya). These serve to anchor the mind in faith, allowing practitioners to generate merit by honoring the teacher even after his Parinibbāna.
The List
- Paribhogacetiya - Shrines of Use: Material objects used personally by the Buddha during his lifetime. The absolute supreme example is the sacred Bodhi tree (Mahābodhi), followed by his alms bowl, robes, and seat.
- Dhātucetiya - Shrines of the Corporeal Relics: Also known as Sārīrika-cetiya. These are the physical bone, tooth, hair, and footprint relics left behind after the cremation of the Buddha’s physical body, typically enshrined inside solid stupas.
- Uddissacetiya - Shrines of Indication / Memorial Shrines: Visual representations created intentionally by the wise to honor the Buddha. This includes Buddha statues, carvings, and representations of the Wheel of Dhamma (Dhammacakka).
Quote
Kalinga Bodhi Jataka Atthakatha
tīṇi ānandā’’ti.
“Three, Ānanda,” (he replied).
katamāni, bhante, tīṇī’’ti?
“Which three, Bhante?”
sārīrikaṃ pāribhogikaṃ uddissaka’’nti.
“Relic-cetiya, Usage-cetiya, and Commemorative-cetiya.”
sakkā pana, bhante, tumhesu dharantesuyeva cetiyaṃ kātu’’nti.
“Is it possible, Bhante, to establish a cetiya while you are still alive?”
ānanda, sārīrikaṃ na sakkā kātuṃ.
“Ānanda, a Relic-cetiya cannot be established.
tañhi buddhānaṃ parinibbānakāle hoti, uddissakaṃ avatthukaṃ mamāyanamattameva hoti, buddhehi paribhutto mahābodhirukkho buddhesu dharantesupi cetiyamevā’’ti.
“For that occurs at the time of the Buddhas’ Parinibbāna. A Commemorative-cetiya is merely an object of remembrance without substance. But the Great Bodhi Tree, used by the Buddhas, is a cetiya even while the Buddhas are alive.”
bhante, tumhesu pakkantesu jetavanavihāro appaṭisaraṇo hoti, mahājano pūjanīyaṭṭhānaṃ na labhati, mahābodhito bījaṃ āharitvā jetavanadvāre ropessāmi, bhante’’ti.
“Bhante, when you are absent, the Jetavana monastery becomes without refuge, and the great populace does not obtain a place of veneration. I will bring a seed from the Great Bodhi Tree and plant it at the gate of Jetavana, Bhante.”
sādhu, ānanda, ropehi, evaṃ sante jetavane mama nibaddhavāso viya bhavissatī’’ti.
“Good, Ānanda, plant it. In that way, it will be as if I have a permanent residence in Jetavana.”
Textual References
- Commentary: Kāliṅga Bodhi Jātaka Aṭṭhakathā 479 – Explicitly establishes this fourfold taxonomy of cetiyas when explaining why a Bodhi tree was planted at the entrance of the Jetavana monastery.