Page:The Praises of Amida, 1907.djvu/47

 religion that it teaches and sanctions the use of sacred images. That lad in the prison in Echizen, with his images of his parents which none of the others had, how greatly he must have been comforted and cheered by their presence with him! It is precisely in the same way that we, in this world of confusion, which, whether we view it from without or from within, is a world of pain and sorrow, are cheered and comforted by visible representations of the Tathāgata who is the True Father of us all. 10. We need not trouble ourselves about the material used in making these images. Half-an inch of decayed wood, a sheet of old paper, a lump of clay, a block of metal,—anything will do so long as it is a symbolical representation, and prevents our forgetful hearts from becoming oblivious of the Tathāgata. Before these symbols we bow down, and in doing so our hearts are lifted up in thought to the Great Heart of the Tathāgata. No sooner is this done than our hearts, confined though they are within the prison of the body, break through the strong