did the monks paipotentiant pictures of the Buddha or monks

life was pain. The best way to attain salvation (Nirvana) was to suppress all for happiness.
Why then did the monks paint pictures of the Buddha or monks images of him and potential Buddha's?
After the death of the Buddha, many aboriginal and suppressed people accepted the faith of the 'Enlightened one'. It is well known that, with illiterate people, images come before ideas, these converts wanted to worship images of the Buddha and his incarnations, as the Hindus worshipped their gods. The Buddhist monks made up many stories of Gautama's previous incarnations. For instance, he was supposed to have been a lotus at one time in another birth, he was an elephant. In still another birth, he was prince; the monks painted these human stories. Also they were carved in reliefs near the symbolic Stupa or mound grave, over the Buddha's relics like his tooth or hair Neil. The pilgrims began to worship the symbolic painting and images. And then the monks raised this kind or worship into a holy ritual. The Hinayana or the phase of Buddhist denial of pleasure, thus slowly become Mahayana, the Buddhism of acceptance of desire - so long as men and women may remember the pain of existence.
To sum up the difference the Hinayana and the Mahayana phases of Buddhism, we may say:
The Hinayana Buddhism asked the people to rely on themselves and practice the eightfold path of right behavior. The Buddha was not like Hindu God, Whom the worshipper could ask for help.