Interesting debate on topic “Are Buddhist Idol worshiper?”. It makes me search for online the English meaning of the word “Idol”, a quick search on Dictionary.com resulted the following:
1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
2. Bible.
a. an image of a deity other than God.
b. the deity itself.
3. any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration or devotion:
Madame Curie had been her childhood idol.
4. a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom.
5. a figment of the mind; fantasy.
6. a false conception or notion; fallacy.
Since in many prayers we do daily on invocation we requested the Dharmakaya being to enter into the statue or image on thangka and become inseparable. We must view the statue or image as the rupakaya of and enlighten being which we must emulate to become one our-self. The image serve as a road map with various way points indicating the activities or needs he performed to result in all these marks and signs which all beings could achieve by following the instruction laid down by all Buddha of the past. It fit the first criteria and meaning #1, hence we Buddhist will fall into the category of being an idol worshippers !