Make Statues from Crystals!

May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!

Greetings to all of you who are exploring the spiritual life. In a previous teaching, we discussed a practical lesson on using crystals, or paliňgu as they are known here, to transform your own home into a universal center of spiritual energy. We explored how to use these crystals, where to place them in your home, such as hanging them, placing them before your Buddha statue, or keeping one in your room or meditation space.

We also touched upon the role these crystals play and the function they serve. For those who may have missed that discussion, we encourage you to explore it to gain a foundational understanding. Any of these crystals can be used to aid your spiritual progress.

It’s important to understand, however, that this support comes from the path of Samatha, which is the cultivation of tranquility and concentration, rather than the path of Vipassanā, or insight meditation.

Unlocking Your Hidden Spiritual Potential

You might wonder why such emphasis is placed on crystals. Historically, they have been used in powerful spiritual monuments. For instance, the pinnacle of the great Ruwanwelisaya stupa in Sri Lanka is adorned with a massive crystal. These objects are often used in the construction of stupas and for meditation because they act like a spiritual storage device.

Crystals have a unique role in developing your spiritual life. When you cultivate your spirituality through meditation, a crystal can amplify your efforts. Imagine you have an innate connection to crystals from past lives, or even if you don’t, imagine you have practiced meditation in previous existences. We often speak of saṃsāra kusala, which is the wholesome merit accumulated over countless lifetimes.

Even if you haven’t started meditating in this life, you may notice something profound when you visit a place with powerful spiritual energy, like the Ruwanwelisaya stupa or another sacred site, whether it uses crystals or not. Because of your past habit patterns, you might find your mind becoming light and calm. You might feel as though your body is floating or turning to stone. For some, there is a sense of the body disappearing altogether.

You may notice your thoughts slowing down to the point where you can count them, or unwholesome thoughts simply vanishing. It can feel like the mind has spontaneously entered a state of deep concentration or a meditative absorption, known as Jhāna. These feelings, and many others not mentioned here, arise because your past merit is surfacing.

The Energetic Exchange Between You and the Crystal

When these experiences arise, a wise and discerning person understands it as a sign. They realize, ‘I am suited for meditation; I should cultivate this practice.’ They recognize they possess a foundation of saṃsāra kusala and have the capacity to develop their meditation further. This realization motivates them to earnestly pursue spiritual development, whether through the path of tranquility (Samatha) or insight (Vipassanā). This is the most important step.

However, a person with less wisdom might simply enjoy the pleasant feeling in the moment and then return to their ordinary life without taking up the practice. They miss the opportunity. This is why these powerful places are so significant.

When someone with this latent potential meditates at a site like Ruwanwelisaya, which is crowned with a crystal pinnacle, their mental energy, their citta shakti, and the energy of their aura, which could be their mental body (manokāya) or astral body, grows stronger. As their concentration deepens, this spiritual energy is directed towards the crystal.

Sharing Blessings: How Your Practice Can Awaken Others

It is important to clarify that crystals are not relevant to insight meditation (Vipassanā) or the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satippaṭṭhāna). For one walking the direct path to liberation, or Nibbāna, such supports are not necessary. Crystals are primarily useful for those practicing concentration meditation (Samatha), and mainly during the initial stages to build a foundation. They provide the initial signals, the feelings of calm and concentration, that encourage you to direct your mind toward meditation.

When a person meditates regularly in front of a crystal, their spiritual energy flows into it and becomes stored. In turn, the stored energy in the crystal transforms and flows back to you, helping your mind to achieve concentration more easily. This process is clearly visible to those whose ‘third eye’ is awakened; they can perceive this energetic activity.

We invite those with such an ability to observe what happens at a sacred place like Ruwanwelisaya, to focus their third eye on the crystal pinnacle, even from home, and share their experiences to deepen the understanding of others.

Beyond Experiences: The True Heart of Meditation

This stored spiritual energy can also benefit others. If someone new, who hasn’t meditated in this lifetime but has past-life merit, visits your home, they can be influenced by the energy your crystal has accumulated. Your friend or relative might find that your concentrated mental energy, stored in the crystal, connects directly with their energy centers, or chakras. It can travel through all their chakras, but it most strongly activates the Ājñā chakra (third eye) and the Mūlādhāra chakra (root).

This connection can sometimes trigger an awakening of their third eye or bring them to a state of perceiving luminous signs, known as āloka saññā. At such times, they might see a ray of light coming from the crystal toward their forehead, between the eyebrows. This ray often appears golden, blue, yellow, or white. It can be a large, thick beam of light or as fine as a thread. This experience might be perceived by the person themselves or be visible to someone whose third eye is already open.

Guidance for Those Who Venerate Deities and Kings

It is crucial to understand that simply acquiring a crystal does not guarantee these experiences for everyone. It is a relative process, always influenced by the wholesome merit we have accumulated from practicing meditation in past lives. However, if we do not feel or perceive these things, we should not use it as an excuse to avoid or abandon our practice.

To do so would be foolish and unwise. Please do not engage in such childish thinking. Whether you feel these subtle energies or not, the most important thing is to begin your meditation practice and continue with it diligently.

Now, we turn to a new aspect of this teaching: the creation of statues from crystals. In the modern world, many Buddhists take refuge in the Triple Gem, the Buddha, the Dhamma (His teachings), and the Sangha (the community of noble disciples). While following the teachings, some people also venerate deities and righteous ancient kings.

This is a common cultural practice. People may keep statues of these figures in their homes and pay respects to them after their Buddhist devotional practices, often because they feel they have received help from these beings during times of trouble.

A Powerful Suggestion: Commissioning Statues in a Meditative Pose

How can we receive help for our spiritual path from the deities represented by these statues? And how can these statues be of benefit to anyone who visits our home, regardless of their background, religion, or age? The principle is the same as explained before with the stored spiritual energy.

Let me be very clear: this teaching is not meant to turn anyone away from their refuge in the Buddha and the Triple Gem toward refuge in deities. This guidance is offered specifically for those who already engage in the practice of venerating gods and kings. I am not encouraging those who solely take refuge in the Buddha and pay respects only to Buddha images to start venerating other figures. This clarification is for those who already follow this cultural tradition.

Within Sri Lanka, and indeed the human realm, certain deities are well-known: Vishnu, Kataragama, Ganesha, Shiva, and the goddess Kali. From among the ancient kings, figures like Ravana, Dutugemunu, Parakramabahu, Mahasena, and Valagamba are venerated. Female deities like Saraswati and Pattini, as well as the Four Guardian Deities and even King Sakka, are also revered. People often create or buy statues of these beings, usually in a seated posture, for their homes.

Aligning Devotion with a Meditative Purpose

Here is my suggestion for those who follow this tradition: if you can, have your statues made in a meditation posture. Again, I must emphasize this is only for those who already venerate these figures. I am not encouraging anyone to turn from the refuge of the Triple Gem.

But for those who do this, commissioning a statue of a deity or king in a meditative pose aligns your devotional practice with the development of inner calm. It transforms a simple act of veneration into a powerful support for your spiritual energy and your journey toward tranquility. This helps focus the purpose of the statue on the ultimate goal of mental cultivation and inner peace.

We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.

Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.

May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!