It Began with Enlightenment and Ended with Chants

Early Buddhism Had No Statues and No Worship

From practice for enlightenment to popular religion
Buddhism began with enlightenment. What the Buddha taught was meditation, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. There were no Buddha statues and no worship. But meditation is really hard. Cutting off stray thoughts and emptying the mind was possible for only a handful of people. The masses wanted an instant religion.

The Buddha's Teaching vs. Today

The gap between the teaching of non-possession and ritual-centered, blessing-seeking Buddhism
So worship and chanting were introduced. Statues were set up, mantras were recited, and merit-making became the method. Korean Buddhism, too, as it developed through the Seon (Zen) school, saw temples grow wealthy, with statue veneration and rituals at the center. It began with enlightenment and ended as a religion of worship. If the Buddha saw Korean Buddhism today, he might say: "I told you to let go of attachment — why do you cling to stone statues? I taught non-possession — why do temples pile up wealth? I told you to be free of desire — why do you cling to seeking blessings?"