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The Simple Guide to Attending Buddhist Ceremonies
By Akasha Lonsdale Bravo Ltd
Copyright © 2011 Kuperard
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-85733-653-5
CHAPTER 1
WHAT BUDDHISTS BELIEVE
Buddhism is more of a philosophy and a way of life than a faith, as Buddhists do not believe in a creator God. Individuals take responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions so as to be more content with their own lives, to help others and generally to live more effectively. The goal of the Buddhist is the attainment of nibbana, or nirvana, a state beyond all confusion and suffering. Buddhist practice is said to create joy, happiness, spontaneity, loving-kindness (metta), generosity, compassion and wisdom.
Much emphasis is placed on various forms of meditation, the most basic of which use the breath to help focus the mind, with the belief that regular practice, combined with study of the Buddha's teachings, leads to the cessation of suffering and, ultimately, enlightenment.
Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha, was born in around 563 CE into a wealthy royal family of the Shakya clan in north-eastern India. Growing up, he lived a privileged, sheltered existence, protected from the harsh realities of life. In part this was the result of a deliberate decision by his father, the king. Soon after Siddhartha's birth a holy man saw the infant and prophesied that he would either become a great chakravartin ('wheel-turning king') or a great spiritual leader; being of the warrior caste, his father wanted him to be the former. To prevent his son from discovering suffering and the impermanence of life (anicca), the king arranged for him always to be cloistered in palaces, surrounded only by pleasure and beauty. However, having an enquiring mind and natural curiosity, Siddhartha felt imprisoned. With the help of a trusted servant he made four secret trips to the outside world, and for the first time encountered old age, sickness and death, which, his servant assured him, happened to everyone. He also encountered a poor but radiantly peaceful sadhu, or wandering holy man.
Shaken by his experiences, he left his wife and child and at the age of twenty-nine embarked upon a spiritual quest for the solution to the problem of suffering and mortality. He spent the next six years learning the ways of the holy men, fasting and living a life of such extreme asceticism that it took him to the brink of death. Only at that moment did he realise that this path would not give him the answers he sought, and he discovered the 'Middle Way', between the extremes of self-mortification and self-indulgence. Abandoning his austere life-style, he devoted himself to meditation. It is said that while immersed in contemplation under a fig tree – which came to be called the bodhi tree, or 'tree of enlightenment' – he attained the highest state of knowledge and became the Buddha ('one who has awakened to the truth').
The Buddha later gave his first discourse, the Dhamma-cakkappavattana-sutta ('Setting the wheel of dhamma [truth] in motion'), to his first five followers. This discourse expounded the Middle Way and contained the essence of the core beliefs of Buddhism now framed within the Four Noble Truths.
To be or to become a Buddhist is to 'take refuge' in the Three Treasures, or Three Jewels, and to repeat this vow in front of a monk in a formal setting: 'I take refuge in the Buddha', 'I take refuge in the dharma (truth)' and 'I take refuge in the sangha (spiritual community)'. At this time, a new name is often given to the person making the vow. This might be a Sanskrit name or, in the West, a translation. It is up to the individual whether they choose to use the name or not.
Karma, Kamma
Fundamental to Buddhism is the belief in reincarnation, and to understand this it is necessary first to know that samsara, our world of confusion, driven by greed, hatred and delusion, is endless, with all beings passing from one state to another. However, Buddhists believe that how life is lived has a powerful impact in creating good or bad outcomes for now and the future, and is determined by our karma (intentional actions). This effectively means that the more one follows the teachings of the Buddha, the further one will go on the path to awakening and freedom from suffering.
SACRED WRITINGS
In Buddhism there is no one holy book. The collection of Buddhist texts known as the Pali canon is sometimes called the Tripitaka, or the 'Three Baskets', reflecting three groups of teachings. The Vinaya Pitaka lays down the training and discipline for monastic life; the Sutta Pitaka is divided into five parts (the five Nikaya, which contain the Buddha's teachings and discourses); and the Abhidhamma Pitaka, which was written after the Buddha's death and is an extensive philosophical and psychological analysis of his teachings.
There are many other important Buddhist writings in Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese and other Asian languages. There is also a strong tradition of teaching through the use of stories, and many of these are contained in the Jataka tales, which recall the previous incarnations of the Buddha.
Pali was one of the languages that evolved from Sanskrit, the classic literary language of India. It is the scriptural language of Theravada Buddhisim, while Sanskrit is that of Mahayana Buddhism. Spellings differ according to the language of the text; for example, the Buddha's original name is Gotama in Pali, Gautama in Sanskrit. Dhamma in Pali is dharma in Sanskrit; kamma in Pali is karma in Sanskrit.
BRANCHES OF BUDDHISM
Buddhism is not a highly organized religion. Following the death of the Buddha there was a difference of opinion about the correct interpretation of certain aspects of his teachings. This gave rise to two main schools of thought.
Theravada
The school found today in South-East Asia (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia) is Theravada, the 'Teaching of the Elders', also called Hinayana, the 'Small Vehicle', by its opponents. The focus here is on the individual's attainment of enlightenment through his or her own efforts, by leading a very simple and strictly disciplined life. For this reason the monastic life is generally recommended (monks and nuns learn the Vinaya, with its 227 monastic rules, by heart), but Theravada is also widely followed by lay practitioners, both male and female, with varying levels of discipline. The main meditation practices taught in Theravada are samatha (calm abiding) and vipassana (insight), but these are used in all branches of Buddhism.
Mahayana
The distinctive teaching of Mahayana Buddhism, the 'Great Vehicle' (found in Tibet, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam), is that of compassion for all sentient beings. At its centre is the bodhisattva, a person on the path to enlightenment who out of compassion takes a vow not to enter nirvana until all sentient beings are liberated.
The Buddhism of Tibet is essentially Mahayana, but with the addition of Vajrayana (the 'Diamond Vehicle'), which uses specific practices to attain enlightenment in a single lifetime. Many Tibetans regard the Dalai Lama as their spiritual leader and he is generally regarded as the living embodiment of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Zen
Part of the Mahayana tradition, Zen Buddhism came to Japan and Korea from China, where it was known as Ch'an. It is said to have originated when the Buddha held up a single flower to a student who smiled because he understood the meaning of the Buddha's teaching through this wordless transmission. Zen emphasises an intense teacher-to-student relationship, and requires great meditative discipline. Koans – short, stylised spiritual riddles – are often given to students to help them go beyond the conceptual mind and lead them closer to awakening.
Devotional Buddhism
Also very popular in China and Japan are various forms of devotional Buddhism, where the focus is either on wishing for rebirth in a transcendent realm or 'pure land', where negative karmic accumulations would evaporate and nirvana would be attained in the next lifetime, or on devotion to a particular Mahayana sutra (scriptural text) as embodying the truth. One example of this is Nichiren Shu, which was founded in Japan and which focuses on the Lotus Sutra as the essential teaching. The main practice involves chanting the title and one or two other portions of the text.
All the major traditions of Buddhism are practised in the Western world. Interestingly, Buddhism has all but vanished in the country of its origin, India, and is practised there only by a very small minority.
CHAPTER 2
PLACE OF WORSHIP
A place of gathering for the Buddhist sangha (community) is generally known as a temple or a centre in the West. In the East, names include vihara, wat and gompa, according to the country and the form of Buddhism. Worship in Buddhism is not the same as in many other religions, because, as we have seen, it is predominantly about following the teachings of the Buddha, through both study and meditation. However, in most Buddhist traditions there are ceremonies where devotional texts are chanted, though not on set days of the week.
The key people connected with temples and monasteries are known by different titles, depending on the tradition. For example, in the Theravada tradition, a senior leader or teacher might be known as an abbot or an Ajahn, with the female equivalent being a sister, while in Tibetan Buddhism you might encounter the titles of Lama (spiritual leader), Rinpoche ('precious teacher') or Khenpo. The term 'Venerable' is usually applied as a mark of respect to an ordained bhikkhu (monk). Ordained nuns in the Theravada tradition wear white, while monks wear ochre/orange robes. Mahayana robes are maroon and Zen robes black or grey. Monks and nuns have shaven heads, and lead strict lives dedicated to living and sharing the teachings of the Buddha. They have no personal possessions, and what they eat and wear is usually donated by the lay (non-monastic) community who support the temple or centre.
In most traditions, Buddhist monks and nuns may leave the monastic life at any time, although this would be frowned upon in certain cultures. In some instances, a lay person can become a monk or nun for a short period of time, perhaps three months or more, before returning to non-monastic life. Again, this depends very much on culture and tradition.
There are many sacred items associated with Buddhism, and in the Tibetan tradition you are likely to see prayer wheels. Sometimes called mani wheels, these contain thousands of prayers, and it is said that by rotating the wheel you distribute loving-kindness and compassion to yourself and others. They vary greatly, from hand size to enormous. Within the Vajrayana tradition, the ghanta (Tibetan bell) and dorje (accompanying striker) are profound representations of wisdom and compassion.
Prayer flags, or lung-ta, meaning 'wind horse', are a series of separate pieces of cloth in recurring colours (each colour representing the elements) that are sewn on to long cords. Traditionally these have Buddhist prayers printed on them, which are thought to spread throughout the surrounding landscape as the flags are moved by the wind, and it is said that the more frayed the flags, the more prayers have been answered. You are particularly likely to see these around the outside of a Buddhist temple or a stupa (a holy monument or shrine containing sacred images and holy relics, and a symbol of enlightenment). At city temples or centres, they are usually hung only on special festival days.
Other items now popular in Western mainstream culture, but actually not related to Buddhism, are Tibetan 'singing bowls', hand-made from seven different metals, in which the sound is created by rotating a wooden striker carefully around the outside of the bowl's rim, and tingshas – two circular metal cymbals attached one each end of a leather cord. Various uses are to do with personal preference rather than religiously connected.
INSIDE A TEMPLE
When visiting a Buddhist temple or centre, one of the first things you will notice is the smell of the incense that is regularly burned. The atmosphere is devotional, with an air of stillness. There is likely to be an outer lobby and, in some centres, a refreshment room.
The lobby leads into the Shrine Room, which is peaceful and colourful, with cushions on the floor and probably some chairs towards the back. There might be thangkas (elaborate wall hangings). The central focus at the front of the room on a raised platform will be a rupa (statue of the Buddha), which is likely to be surrounded by candles, flowers and sometimes seven small brass bowls offering different items of water (symbolic of drinking and purification), flowers, incense, candle, fragrance and food (usually rice). As the first images of the Buddha were made some three hundred years or so after his death, no one knows what he looked like, but the common features usually depicted, with varying cultural differences, are robes (the sign of monkhood); the hair topknot (varying stories abound of what it symbolises, from previous royal status to connection with the heavens); long ear lobes (listening and a wealth of wisdom) and a range of mudras (symbolic hand gestures, each with a different meaning, such as compassion, awakening, and so on). Some statues might also be surrounded by a halo to symbolise the sacred nature of the Buddha. It is important to remember that a statue of the Buddha is a symbol of enlightenment, which is revered rather than worshipped.
SERVICES
Although there are no set days for this, Buddhists do gather together to meditate and perform puja (act of devotion, or offering) ceremonies, especially on full moon days, certain festivals and holy days, when monks will also offer teachings. However, practising Buddhists spend some time in daily home-based meditation, and may also perform puja before a shrine, which might be a simple shelf holding a statue of the Buddha as a focus for devotion, with some flowers, incense and candles as offerings, or might be something more elaborate in a room reserved purely for that purpose. Alternatively, they might visit the Shrine Room of a Buddhist temple or centre for reflection, meditation and reading the Buddha's teachings. There is also a tradition of taking periods of time on retreat to study Buddhist teachings in greater depth, and to deepen meditation practice.
Some monks and lay people use mala beads (prayer beads) to count mantras (repetitive Sanskrit prayers), which are repeated in sets of twenty-seven, fifty-six or 108. A large meru ('mountain' bead) provides a starting and ending point. Originally the beads were seeds from a bodhi tree, but nowadays many different materials are used, from wood to gemstones. Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Orthodox Christians and Baha'i also use prayer beads. In a non-religious context these are often called 'worry beads' – something to focus on and take your mind off your worries!
The most commonly chanted mantra of Tibetan Buddhism is 'Om Mani Padme Hum' ('Praise to the Jewel in the Lotus'), which through repetition and attention on Chenrezig (the Buddha of Compassion) is said to awaken or enhance that quality within a devotee.
Frequently classes of Buddhist teachings and meditation are offered on a donation (dana, practice of generosity) basis, in which students give what they can afford, which might even be nothing. This is part of the Buddhist philosophy of making the teachings of the Buddha available to everyone. A donation could be of flowers, candles or incense for the temple, food for the sangha, or in Western cultures it is most likely to be money. The key to giving is that it is done freely and wisely. A small amount of anything given from the heart is worth more than a large amount given by a rich man without much thought. This is why, in Buddhist countries, monasteries are supported by the local communities, and people often feed monks before they feed themselves.
CHAPTER 3
FESTIVALS AND HOLY DAYS
THE BUDDHIST CALENDAR
The Buddhist calendar is lunar based, and therefore the months when festivals and holy days occur will vary from country to country and according to local traditions, so accurate dates and times in any year are best obtained from Buddhist internet sites of the relevant traditions. The only festival that is celebrated worldwide by Buddhists is Wesak.
LOSAR (TIBETAN BUDDHIST NEW YEAR)
This is a three-day festival during which friends and family visit each other and exchange gifts. Traditionally it is a fifteen-day celebration, but the major focus is on the first three days. As a new year, it is considered a new beginning, and Buddhists attend ceremonies at beautifully decorated monasteries where various rituals are performed with incense to drive away evil spirits, and there is plentiful food and dancing, which mirrors the celebrations of Tibet's earlier indigenous Bon religion. At the Namgyal Monastery of Dharamsala in India, the home of the exiled Dalai Lama, his Holiness leads a long procession of monastic and lay dignitaries to the top of the mountain to offer a 'sacrificial cake' to the great protector goddess Palden Lhamo.
In Western cultures this is likely to be only a one-day celebration, and your Buddhist friends might spontaneously invite you to a special puja at the temple, followed by a feast.
PARINIBBANA (NIRVANA DAY)
(February)
The word parinibbana means 'passing away', and is a Mahayana Buddhist festival that marks the Buddha's death at the age of eighty after the forty-five years of teaching that followed his enlightenment. Buddhists celebrate by visiting temples, monasteries or centres to spend time in meditation and reflection on the Buddha's teachings about the impermanence of life. It is seen as a time to consider personal mortality, and remember the recently deceased.
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Excerpted from The Simple Guide to Attending Buddhist Ceremonies by Akasha Lonsdale. Copyright © 2011 Kuperard. Excerpted by permission of Bravo Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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