Buddhist Teaching June 23, 2008
“Water which is too pure, has no fish”
Tell me what you think of it, and what meaning you interpreted from it.
Dreaming of Buddha June 11, 2008
| Buddha |
| 1. If you were the Buddha, this is a dream of contrary. You may feel in possession of knowledge and wisdom that you don’t currently have, but that you can obtain through study and meditation. 2. Dreaming of being in the presence of the Buddha is a very powerful dream, possibly an actual experience of the Buddha or the wisdom he embodied, or a harbinger of such an experience. |
Found at: http://astrocenter.astrology.msn.com/msn/DreamDictionary.aspx?Af=-1000>1=21001
(They also have the meaning for other things in dreams)
In Depth Noble Eightfold Path May 22, 2008
NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
1. Right View/Understanding
(Understanding the Four Noble Truths) - See things as they truly are without delusions or distortions for all things change. Develop wisdom by knowing how things work, knowing oneself and others.2. Right ThinkingDecide to set a life on the correct path. Wholehearted resolution and dedication to overcoming the dislocation of self-centered craving through the development of loving kindness, empathy and compassion.3. Right Speech
Abstinence from lies and deceptions, backbiting, idle babble and abusive speech. Cultivate honesty and truthfulness; practice speech that is kind and benevolent. Let your words reflect your desire to help, not harm others.4.Right Conduct
(Following the Five Precepts) - Practice self-less conduct that reflects the highest statement of the life you want to live. Express conduct that is peaceful, honest and pure showing compassion for all beings.5. Right LivelihoodEarn a living that does not harm living things. Avoidance of work that causes suffering to others or that makes a decent, virtuous life impossible. Do not engage in any occupation that opposes or distracts one from the path. Love and serve our world through your work.6. Right EffortSeek to make the balance between the exertion of following the spiritual path and a moderate life that is not over-zealous. Work to develop more wholesome mind states, while gently striving to go deeper and live more fully.7. Right Mindfulness
Become intensely aware of all the states in body, feeling, and mind. Through constant vigilance in thought, speech and action seek to rid the mind of self-centered thoughts that separate and replace them with those that bind all beings together. Be aware of your thoughts, emotions, body and world as they exist in the present moment. Your thoughts create your reality.8. Right Concentration
Deep meditation to lead to a higher state of consciousness (enlightenment). Through the application of meditation and mental discipline seek to extinguish the last flame of grasping consciousness and develop an emptiness that has room to embrace and love all things.
Basic Buddhist Teachings May 22, 2008
BASIC TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA
1. Nothing is lost in the universe
2. Everything Changes
3. Law of Cause and Effect
1. Life is suffering;
2. Suffering is due to attachment;
3. Attachment can be overcome;
4. There is a path for accomplishing this.
1. Right View is the true understanding of the four noble truths.
2. Right Aspiration is the true desire to free oneself from attachment, ignorance, and hatefulness. These two are referred to as Prajña, or wisdom.
3. Right Speech involves abstaining from lying, gossiping, or hurtful talk.
4. Right Action involves abstaining from hurtful behaviors, such as killing, stealing, and careless sex.
5. Right Livelihood means making your living in such a way as to avoid dishonesty and hurting others, including animals. These three are refered to as Shila, or morality.
6. Right Effort is a matter of exerting oneself in regards to the content of one’s mind: Bad qualities should be abandoned and prevented from arising again; Good qualities should be enacted and nurtured.
7. Right Mindfulness is the focusing of one’s attention on one’s body, feelings, thoughts, and consciousness in such a way as to overcome craving, hatred, and ignorance.
8. Right Concentration is meditating in such a way as to progressively realize a true understanding of imperfection, impermanence, and non-separateness.
The last three are known as Samadhi or Meditation.
However, there are many sects of Buddhism and there are different kinds of Buddhist monks all over the world. The life and customs of Buddhist monks are not only different and unique but consists of a spiritual meaning and their daily life follows a strict schedule that revolves around meditation, study of scriptures, and taking apart in the ceremonies. There are Buddhist shrines, Buddhist monasteries, where monks live, Gompas and Buddhist Stupas all over the world. However, Tibet is perhaps the only Buddhist country which has Dalai Lama, the Buddhist monk and a spiritual leader, as its political leader too. All monks have special uniform called robes, the color of which can tell you about his status in the monastery such as the brownish orange robe is the color of wise, elderly monks.
Though originated in northern India, Emperor Ashoka helped to spread Buddhism into South East Asian counties such as Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Indo-China, from where it moved on to influence people in the Himalayan kingdoms of Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Central Asia along with China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Today, Thailand has 95% of Buddhist population, the highest in the world with Cambodia, Burma, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, Macau and Taiwan following soon behind.
Devotees reaffirm their faith in the five principles called Panchsheel:
1. Do not to take life
2. Do not to steal
3. Do not to lie
4. Do not to consume liquor or other intoxicants
5. Do not to commit adultery
In the field - Buddhist Temple in Nonthamburi, Thailand April 17, 2008
Buddhist (Theravada) Temple
During my stay in the Buddhist Temple, Wat Sanghathan, in Nonthanburi, Thailand, I was able to observe various prayers. Morning Prayer at 4:30 in the morning, mid Morning Prayer, evening prayer and night prayer at 7 at night. The prayers were all basically the same, except sometimes differentiating in length.
I will be describing the late evening prayer at 7pm specifically. Prayer was celebrated in a large meeting hall. It did not look like a temple or shrine from the outside. The walls were glass, although you could not see inside because inside they were covered by drapes. Inside the shrine was a large empty space. There was nothing on the walls, except the drapes that covered them. It almost seemed as if the shrine were under construction. In the middle back part of the shrine was a large gold-colored statue of “Present Buddha”. In front of this statue was a space in which a monk sat in prayer/meditation. He sat there without moving, it seemed as if he did not even blink. In front of him sat four monks, which were the leaders of the prayer. However, only one of these monks chanted for the rest of the congregation to follow. The grounds (which were a total of 36 acres), were divided by gender. Women stayed on one side, and men stayed on the other. In this shrine, only women prayed, except for a number of monks, which ranged from 10-20 monks, sat on the left side of the shrine during prayer.
During prayer, some women did not pray, but merely sat with their legs crossed and eyes closed, meditating. There were also children who stayed at the shrine. All of the people that were praying were those who were staying in the shrine. The three nights that I participated in evening prayer I only saw three people that were not wearing white robes. Only the monks and nuns were wearing mustard yellow robes. A nun never was the head of prayer.
Before prayer started all the women took mats that were provided at the shrine and placed them on the floor to sit on them. Some women brought their own mats on which to sit on, although this was usually not the case. Once we all sat on the mats, the women chatted in a low voice, while others bought these small yellow boxes with a red cross on them, which were intended to offer to the monks. These boxes contained items of first-aid and basic items like soap that the monks and nuns might need.
Most of the women had a small book with the prayers that were chanted at the shrine. Some had simple tattered books, with a soft cover, but others had more decorated books with a hard cover. Some women did not need a book to join in the prayer, they had them memorized.
Sometimes during the service women would walk in and take a place within the shrine and began to pray. It was not looked down upon to enter late at the shrine, everyone simply continued praying. Most people closed their eyes if they did not need to read from their prayer book. The prayer was chanted in a monotonous tone. The tone in which the monks and congregation did not change during the prayers. There were times during the prayer in which everyone would bow. At the beginning of prayer you are required to bow three times. First you place your palms together and place them in front of your forehead, then your heart, and then place both palms down and bow towards the front. This is repeated three times at the beginning of prayer and at the end when you are finished. It was also done at times during prayer.
At the end of the prayer, the women who had bought the yellow first-aid boxes would walk towards the statue of Buddha in the center of the shrine and placed it as an offering to the monks.
Other women stayed in the shrine, to wait for the later evening prayer which started at 9pm.
Comparative Paper Religion for Anthropology April 17, 2008
The topic of my field component papers were religious rituals in the countries of Vietnam and Thailand. One of the religious rituals I observed pertained to the Cao Dai religion in Vietnam, and the other was Theravada Buddhism in Thailand.
I noticed many more similarities rather than differences. One of the similarities I was able to observe was the color used to dress the congregation. In both religions, the laymen wore white clothing. Also, those who were in higher positions such as the priests in the Cao Dai temple and the Buddhist monks wore different colored robes. The monks wore mustard yellow robes and the priests at the Cao Dai temple wore red, yellow and blue, representing their beliefs in different religions.
Another similarity that I found was that both congregations removed their shoes before prayer (because the temples are holy places), and both sat on the floor. However, they sat in different ways. In the Cao Dai Temple all the participants in the prayer sat with their legs under their body and their feet facing the back. In the Buddhist Temple, people could sit in this manner, but also crossed their legs, or placed their legs to the side: it did not matter as long as your toes did not point towards the statue of Buddha. Another similarity that I observed is that the congregation would repeat certain phrases and chant together. The only difference is that in the Buddhist Temple the monks would chant certain phrases, and then the laymen would follow. In the Cao Dai temple, the laymen followed the choir.
A big difference between my stay at the Buddhist Temple and the Cao Dai Temple, is that in the Buddhist temple there are six prayers that occur during the day, although you are not obligated to attend all of them, it is expected of you when you read the Precepts before staying at the temple. I was not able to stay during the total duration of the prayer at the Cao Dai Temple, but our tour guide told us that it is usually an hour long (same as in the Buddhist temple), and that they have three prayers during the day.
In both temples the congregation was divided by gender. The only difference being that in the Buddhist temple, men and women do not pray together. The only men present at the prayer in the shrine were the monks that lead the prayer.
During both prayer rituals there were moments during the prayer in which the laymen had to bow, and both had their own way of beginning and ending the prayer that included bowing. The ways in which each religion began and ended their prayers was almost identical. In the Cao Dai Temple the people rested on both their knees and placed their palms together and over their forehead and then bowed forward. In Buddhism the same is done, except that the laymen place their hands in front of their forehead, heart and then bowed.
I am not surprised to have found so many similarities and few differences between the Cao Dai and Buddhist religions, because Cao Dai included Buddhism in part of their beliefs and rituals. However, one big difference I found between the rituals is that “outsiders” were allowed to sit amongst the laymen and pray, they did not need to wear the white robes if they were not staying at the temple. In the Cao Dai temple, is seemed as if you had to be a member to join in the prayer, because there were no people that were no dressed in their typical clothing (white for laymen, and red, yellow and blue for the priests). People could come into the temple and observe from a second level, but could not stand in the first level and pray with the rest of the congregation. Also, I did not see any Vietnamese entering the temple to make any offering to either their shrine or their priests.
Philosophy and Buddhism April 14, 2008
Buddhism is an empirical philosophy. Buddha was very clear that we should judge the truth of any philosophy by its consequences. In the Kalama Sutra, he makes this particularly clear:
It is proper for you… to doubt, to be uncertain…. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher….’
What do you think…? Does greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm? Does hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm? Does delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm?… being given to greed, hate, and delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, hate, and delusion, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?” …
…when you yourselves know: ‘These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,’ abandon them.
Buddhism is also a philosophy that is detached from theological considerations. Buddha, in fact, refused to answer questions concerning eternity and the afterlife. In the Kalama Sutra again, he notes how his philosophy helps whatever your beliefs about the afterlife may be:
The disciple… who has a hate-free mind, a malice-free mind, an undefiled mind, and a purified mind, is one by whom four solaces are found here and now.
Suppose there is a hereafter and there is a fruit, result, of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss. This is the first solace…
Suppose there is no hereafter and there is no fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself. This is the second solace…
Suppose evil results befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to no one. Then, how can ill results affect me who do no evil deed? This is the third solace…
Suppose evil results do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case. This is the fourth solace…
The structure of the mind
Buddhists describe the person as composed of five skandhas (”aggregates”):
1. The body (rupa), including the sense organs.
2. Sensations and feelings (vedana), coming out of contact between sense organs and objects.
3. Perceptions and ideas (samjña), especially manifest in our ability to recognize things and ideas.
4. Mental acts (samskara), especially will power and attention.
5. Basic consciousness (vijñana).
The last four are called naman, name, meaning the psyche. Namarupa (name-form) is therefore the Buddhist term for the person, mental and physical, which is nevertheless anatman, without soul or essence.
Buddhism also differentiates among six “fields” (ayatana) for the five skandhas: sight, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and mind, as well as the objects of these six senses.
Mahayana Buddhism adds alaya-vijñana, “storehouse” consciousness, to the skandhas. This is similar to Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious. What is stored there are called bijas or seeds, which are inborn tendencies to perceive the world in a certain way and result from our karmic history. They combine with manas or ego to form the illusion that is ordinary existence. By quieting this ego and becoming less self-centered, your mind realizes the “emptiness” (sunyata) of all things. Then you have peace.
Mandala April 14, 2008
Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, polygon, community, connection.
The Mandala is a symbol of man or woman in the world, a support for the meditating person.
The mandala is often illustrated as a palace with four gates, facing the four corners of the Earth.
The Mandala shown here is connected with the Buddha Vajrasattva, who symbolises the original crystalline purity.
In the centre is a lotus blossom with eight petals, resting on a bed of jewels.
In the next place are the walls of the palace with gates towards the four corners of the earth.
The gates are guarded by four angry doorkeepers.
Before the meditating person arrives at the gates, she must, however, pass the four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom, the vajra circle, the circle with the eight tombs, the lotus circle.
For more, visit: http://www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm#Buddhas%20for%20meditation
The life of Buddha April 14, 2008
Early Life
Siddhartha Gautama was born about 583 BCE, in or near what is now Nepal. His father, King Suddhodana, was leader of a large clan called the Shakya. His mother, Queen Maya, died shortly after his birth.
When Prince Siddhartha was a few days old, a holy man prophesied the Prince would be either a great military conqueror or a great spiritual teacher. King Suddhodana preferred the first outcome and prepared his son accordingly. He raised the boy in great luxury and shielded him from knowledge of religion and human suffering. The Prince reached the age of 29 with little experience of the world outside the walls of his opulent palaces.
The Four Passing Sights
One day, overcome with curiosity, Prince Siddhartha asked a charioteer to take him on a series of rides through the countryside.
On these journeys he was shocked by the sight of an aged man, then a sick man, and then a corpse. The stark realities of old age, disease, and death seized and sickened the Prince.
Finally, he saw a wandering ascetic. The charioteer explained that the ascetic was one who had renounced the world and sought release from fear of death and suffering.
The Renunciation
For a time the Prince returned to palace life, but he took no pleasure in it. Even the news that his wife Yasodhara had given birth to a son did not please him. The child was called Rahula, which means “fetter.”
One night he wandered the palace alone. The luxuries that had once pleased him now seemed grotesque. Musicians and dancing girls had fallen asleep and were sprawled about, snoring and sputtering. Prince Siddhartha reflected on the old age, disease, and death that would overtake them all and turn their bodies to dust.
He realized then that he could no longer be content living the life of a prince. That very night he left the palace, shaved his head, and changed his prince’s clothes for a beggar’s robe. Then he began his quest for enlightenment.
The Search
Siddhartha began by seeking out renowned teachers, who taught him about the many religious philosophies of his day as well as how to meditate. But after he had learned all they had to teach, his doubts and questions remained. so he and five disciples left to find enlightenment by themselves.
The six companions attempted to find release from suffering through physical discipline–enduring pain, holding their breath, fasting nearly to starvation. Yet Siddhartha was still unsatisfied. It occurred to him that in renouncing pleasure he had grasped pleasure’s opposite–pain and self-mortification. Now Siddhartha considered a Middle Way between those two extremes.
He remembered an experience from his childhood, when his mind had settled into a state of deep peace. The path of liberation was through discipline of mind. He realized that instead of starvation, he needed nourishment to build up his strength for the effort. But when he accepted a bowl of rice milk from a young girl, his companions assumed he had given up the quest and abandoned him.
The Enlightenment
Siddhartha sat beneath a sacred fig (Ficus religiosa), known ever after as the Bodhi Tree, and settled into meditation.
The work of Siddhartha’s mind came to be mythologized as a great battle with Mara, a demon whose name means “destruction’ and who represents the passions that snare and delude us. Mara brought vast armies of monsters to attack Siddhartha, who sat still and untouched. Mara’s most beautiful daughter tried to seduce Siddhartha, but this effort also failed.
Finally, Mara claimed the seat of enlightenment rightfully belonged to him. Mara’s spiritual accomplishments were greater than Siddhartha’s, the demon said. Mara’s monstrous soldiers cried out together, “I am his witness!” Mara challenged Siddhartha–who will speak for you?
Then Siddhartha reached out his right hand to touch the earth, and the earth itself roared, “I bear you witness!” Mara disappeared. And as the morning star rose in the sky, Siddhartha Gautama realized enlightenment and became a Buddha.
The Teacher
At first, the Buddha was reluctant to teach, because what he had realized could not be communicated in words. Only through discipline and clarity of mind would delusions fall away and the Great Reality could be directly experienced. Listeners without that direct experience would be stuck in conceptualizations and would surely misunderstand everything he said. But compassion persuaded him to make the attempt.
After his enlightenment, he went to the Deer Park in Isipatana, located in what is now the province of Uttar Pradesh, India. There he found the five companions who had abandoned him, and to them he preached his first sermon. This sermon has been preserved as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta and centers on the Four Noble Truths. Instead of teaching doctrines about enlightenment, the Buddha chose to prescribe a path of practice through which people can realize enlightenment for themselves.
The Buddha devoted himself to teaching, attracting hundreds of followers. Eventually he became reconciled with his father, King Suddhodana. His wife, the devoted Yasodhara, became a nun and disciple. Rahula, his son, became a novice monk at the age of 7 and spent the rest of his life with his father.
Last WordsThe Buddha tirelessly traveled and taught until his death at age 80. His last words to his followers:
“Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.”
Psychology and Religion: Why do we believe? April 14, 2008
There are many different religions all throughout the world. All of these religions have different beliefs, rituals deities and philosophies. And although each of these may differ greatly, they all have one very important factor in common: they all believe in a higher power. However, why do we believe in this higher power? What are the ideas and reasoning behind our beliefs?
When we are young, we are told there is a God so that we have a guide. A ‘god’ is often used to strike a type of fear in our lives. ‘God” is someone who is watching over us and knows when we misbehave, cheat, lie or steal. This idea of someone watching over us (not only to take care of us, but to know when we do wrong) follows us into adulthood. It is unfortunate to think that many people only do certain things whether it be praying 5 times a day, or going to church every Sunday or going to confession once a month, simply because of fear of punishment in an afterlife that we are not sure even exists. In the case of Buddhism, there is some fear of punishment in the next life due to the law of karma.
So, when we ask ourselves why do we believe? It is often difficult for us to give a straight answer. Often times, we do not even know why we believe in something, until we are questioned. We are so used to a certain belief because it has been imposed on us by society. Our belief becomes a great part of us, something so normal that we spout it off without any thought, like the way we say ‘hello’ or tell someone our name.
But in reality, religion is a great part of our lives, and at times it not given enough thought as to why it is so. Religion is a great part of our lives because it helps us form our identity. Religion provides us with a mold, a guideline for us to go through our lives. How do we know what is right and wrong? There is no direct measure of this: religion provides this measure. And although there are many different religions with different rules and ways of living life the ‘right’ way, there are some rules and guidelines that are universal like: do not kill, steal, lie, and to love your God. So, one of the reasons we can say that we believe in a higher power is because we need guidelines for how to live our lives. Secondly, we can come to the conclusion that these guidelines help form part of our identities.
However, there are some people that might argue that religion is not a part of their identity, that religion, or a god does not influence their actions. Some people simply argue that they have a belief in a higher power because something had to create the world, and that there is something out there bigger than all of us. So, one might infer that belief in a god is simply a way of creating a sense of comfort and security in our lives. Religion is often used as a way of finding order and meaning in a world full of chaos and uncertainty. God is seen as protector, creator, father, brother, guardian.
In the end, religion serves many different purposes. All unique to each person with the certain ideas and beliefs. But in the end, the reason why we all believe, is because we need a reason. We need a reason for why the sun rises every morning and why flowers bloom in the spring. We want to think that there is a cosmic order and that there is meaning in our lives and that we are brought into this earth for a reason. Religion provides us with an explanation for the unknown. Religion is the answer to all the unanswered questions that science cannot provide, and that we may never know.
