Significance of Water in Buddhism



Something written for an inter-religious exhibition:

The offering of water at Buddhist shrines symbolises the aspiration to cultivate the virtues of calmness, clarity and purity with our body, speech and mind. It reminds us to diligently cleanse ourselves of our spiritual defilements of attachment, aversion and delusion through the generating of generosity, compassion and wisdom. Upon perfection of these qualities, enlightenment (synonymous with True Happiness) will be realised.

When Buddhists participate in the bathing of images of Prince Siddhartha (the Buddha-to-be) with ladles of water on Vesak Day, it reminds us to purify ourselves, to reveal our innate Buddha-nature, which is not unlike that of the Buddha. Water also represents the sweet ‘nectar’ of the Buddha’s teachings, which quenches our spiritual thirst and nourishes us spiritually. Water is also sprinkled in consecration ceremonies during chanting services in temples and homes for blessing purposes.

While the Buddhas and Bodhisttvas, being enlightened and thus liberated do not require our offerings, we nevertheless make offerings regularly in the presence of their images for the accumulation of merits, and to constantly remind us to be steadfast in walking the spiritual path towards the same enlightenment they attained.

In the Vajrayana tradition, instead of offering only a single cup of water, there is the custom of offering seven bowls of water, which represent the seven limbs of prayer. These seven components include the (1) Paying of homage, (2) Giving of offerings, (3) Repentance of misgivings, (4) Rejoicing in goodness, (5) Requesting the Buddhas to remain, ( 6) Inviting them to teach, and (7) Dedicating of merits. The Seven Limb Prayer, which in essence summarises all Buddhist prayers is as follows:

Reverently I prostrate with my body, speech and mind,
And present clouds of every type of offering, actual and imagined.
I repent all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time,
And rejoice in the virtues of all holy and ordinary beings.
Please remain until cyclic existence ends,
And turn the wheel of Dharma (spread the Buddha’s teachings) for sentient beings.
I dedicate all the merits of myself and others to the great enlightenment (Buddhahood).

As the Buddha taught, the existence and welfare of sentient beings (humans, animals and others) is interdependent upon and intertwined with the quality of flora and the various elements, including water. As such, Buddhists strive to practise mindful respect and care of the environment in all its aspects – the land, the air and the sea. The current climate crisis is seen as a natural reflection of our collective negative karma created via abuse and neglect of the environment. As we are altogether responsible for the state of the planet, we too should collectively work together to protect and save the environment.

12 thoughts on “Significance of Water in Buddhism

    1. true.humans can change the water quality than it’s natural condition. do you know how? our human body contains approx 70% water. what happens when you change your thoughts for good as per lord buddha’s teachings. nibbana. it becomes pure than natural occuring water. try & test it. you will be supprised. further,
      buddhists chant (pirith-sutra) to natural pure water. powerfull energy songs. quality improves and give it to a sick human, have early recovery.vibbrant body cells startes smiling. thanks.kumara (sri lanka)my web http://www.truth harmony.blogspot.com

  1. The most efficient water power in the world is women’ tear.
    Tear dried up quickly when it is shed for the trouble of others and vice verser.

    1. The simplest way is to simply offer respectfully a cup or bowl of water while mindful of its meaning. It can be consumed later.

  2. Offering seven Bowls of water actually shows the tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism.
    Are you referring that other traditions of Buddhism offers only single cup of water?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.