The Focus of Devotion is not to be worshiped as an idol. Rather it is an expression of awakening, presented in such a way that it allows us to perceive warmly and intimately the living reality of Buddhahood.

It is very important to keep in mind that the statues or mandalas are not idols or fetishes to be treated with superstitious reverence. They are expressions of the reality of Ichinen Sanzen, which transcends the duality between the animate and inanimate. Therefore, they have the potential to express Buddhahood, just as anything and anyone else. Because they are specifically depicting the Focus of Devotion, the life of the Buddha, we should treat them respectfully, though not as an idol.