Ritual and Devotion
Sometimes it is not enough to understand Buddhism intellectually. It is a path of transformation, and following the path means that we must engage the emotions and the imagination. Ritual is a way of directly engaging the emotions - to have that emotional engagement means having devotion or faith.
The three main elements of recitation, chanting and the making of offerings make up Buddhist rituals. The verses recited are usually associated with the principal tenets and ideals of Buddhism; and they give expression to the spiritual aspiration which makes someone a Buddhist. Buddhists usually chant in two ancient Indian languages of either Pali or Sanskrit. Chanting is a way of forging an emotional connection with emotional Buddhist ideals. Sometimes mantras are chanted, which are Sanskrit phrases which are believed to be the verbal expressions of Enlightenment. Offerings consist mainly of flowers, symbolizing both beauty and impermanence; candles, symbolising the radiance of Enlightenment; and incense which pervades the air in the same way that the truth as experienced by the Buddha pervades the universe.
The Threefold Puja
1. Opening Reverence
We reverence the Buddha,
The Perfectly Enlightened One,
The Shower of the Way.
We reverence the Dharma,
The Teaching of the Buddha,
Which leads from darkness to light.
We reverence the Sangha,
The fellowship of the Buddha's disiples,
That inspires and guides.
2. Offerings to the Buddha
Reverencing the Buddha, we offer flowers:
Flowers that today are fresh and sweetly blooming,
Flowers that tomorrow are faded and fallen.
Our bodies too, like flowers, will pass away.
Reverencing the Buddha, we offer candles:
To him who is the light, we offer light.
From his greater lamp a lesser lamp we light within us:
The lamp of Bodhi shining within our hearts.
Reverencing the Buddha, we offer incense:
Incense whose fragrance pervades the air.
The fragrance of the perfect life, sweeter than incense
Spreads in all directions throughout the world
3. Reverence to the Three Jewels
We reverence the Buddha, and aspire to follow him.
The Buddha was born as we are born.
What the Buddha attained we too can attain
What the Buddha overcame we too can overcome.
We reverence the Dharma, and aspire to follow it.
With body, speech and mind, until the end.
The truth in all its aspects, the path in all its stages,
We aspire to study, practice, realise.
We reverence the Sangha, and aspire to follow it;
The fellowship of those who tread the way.
As, one by one, we make our own commitment,
An ever-widening circle, the Sangha grows.
The five precepts are the core ethical code. These are not rules or commandments, but ‘principles of training’, which are undertaken freely and put into practice with intelligence and sensitivity. Life is complex and throws up many difficulties and the Buddhist tradition acknowledges this – it does not suggest that there is a single course of action that will be right in all circumstances. Buddhism speaks of the being skilful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala), rather than speaking of actions being right or wrong. The Five Precepts are as follows:
- Not killing or causing harm to other living beings. This is the fundamental ethical principle for Buddhism, and all the other precepts are elaborations of this. The precept implies acting non-violently wherever possible, and many Buddhists are vegetarian for this reason. The positive counterpart of this precept is love.
- Not taking the not-given. Stealing is an obvious way in which one can harm others. One can also take advantage of people, exploit them or manipulate them – all these can be seen as ways of taking the not-given. The positive counterpart of this precept is generosity.
- Avoiding sexual misconduct. This essentially means not causing harm to oneself or others in the area of sexual activity. The positive counterpart of this precept is contentment.
- Avoiding false speech. Speech is the crucial element in our relations with others, and yet language is a slippery medium, and we often deceive ourselves or others without even realizing that this is what we are doing. The positive counterpart of this precept is truthfulness, and it is therefore essential in an ethical life. But truthfulness is not enough, and in another list of precepts (the ten precepts or the ten kusala dharmas) no fewer than four speech precepts are mentioned, the others mentioning that our speech should be kindly, helpful and harmonious.
- Abstaining from drink and drugs that cloud the mind. The positive counterpart of this precept is mindfulness, or awareness. Mindfulness is a fundamental quality to be developed for the Buddha’s path, and experience shows that taking intoxicating drink or drugs tends to run directly counter to this.
The five precepts are recited by many Buddhists around the world, and they try to put them into practice in their lives.
