Should Buddhist wear amulets?

Some Buddhists wear amulets. Do Buddhist believe in their powers?

Some Buddhists wear amulets. Do Buddhist believe in their powers?

Maybe. I think there's a wider spectrum of "Buddhist" than many of us think! I saw an episode of Criminal Minds where they had a Buddhist family. One family member had been killed and her eyes removed. The grandmother of the family admitted to having seen her ghost with empty eyes, and saying that she would be cursed and tormented, unable to rest, unless they were able to get her eyes back to her body.

Now that's not a real-life situation, but wouldn't they have done research into cultural/traditional beliefs of some Buddhist country for that? They wouldn't have just thrown that together with nothing to back it up. I remember being amazed.

Its just superstition. However it might make people feel that they're protected/blessed or whatever.

The best way of benefiting self and others is to practice the Dhamma.

.

Some Buddhists can be superstitious others may not be. So it's more about individual culture, rather than clumping it into a Buddhist stereotype. I wear amulets sometimes. Two of the amulets I wear are said to have powers, but that's not why I wear them. I wear them just as an accessory to compliment my outfit
;) .

When people ask about them I do have plenty of background to explain them though, so that's something else that is nice. To have a story about the amulet you wear. It gives it more substance, and might make you come across as more interesting lol.
So yes I feel amulets are cool, but I only wear them if I think they look good.

The question is where do these amulets come from.
Buddha said prescribing charms are the lowest kind of activity.
Buddha forbade his monks from these activities.
In many Asian countries, the amulet business is very lucrative.
Some sell for $50,000 bcos they have superpowers.

Maybe I should move to Asia and sell enchanted amulets for hundreds/thousands of dollars. I will enchant them with real spells and make some bank ;) . Actually maybe I should do ebay with that lol.

Buddhists "should" follow the eightfold path. That's about the only "should" or "shall" in Buddhism...

I wouldn't dismiss them as mere superstition. Belief can work miracles. For example, if someone gave me a bunch of certain special papers saying "one hundred dollar" on each of them, I would certainly believe in their special powers. :D

In thailand all of the thai ppl do, well most, not even buddhists. Most see it as fashion or good luck, but each one is of a great monk that has passed normally. I wear one daily, it is not the object itself, it is what it emulates, what it reminds/teaches you IMO

I wear a column of gold with a mantra on it. It was blessed by a monk in Thailand. Does that count?

Cloud said:

Maybe. I think there's a wider spectrum of "Buddhist" than many of us think! I saw an episode of Criminal Minds where they had a Buddhist family. One family member had been killed and her eyes removed. The grandmother of the family admitted to having seen her ghost with empty eyes, and saying that she would be cursed and tormented, unable to rest, unless they were able to get her eyes back to her body.

Now that's not a real-life situation, but wouldn't they have done research into cultural/traditional beliefs of some Buddhist country for that? They wouldn't have just thrown that together with nothing to back it up. I remember being amazed.

Interesting story but this would happen in non-buddhist family too if you believe stories cooked up in ' The Exorcist ' or Omen. etc.

Amulets aren't magic or anything, but to the individual they may act a prompt, a focus or reminder of spiritual values. For instance, I have various bits of Buddhist jewellery which I like to wear (nothing I paid more than a fiver for). I have a lapis lazuli necklace, made out of gem chippings, which apparently will make me live forever or something ;) It's a pretty blue and because lapis is the colour of Medicine Buddha, whenever I look at my necklace, it reminds me.

But the meaning is what you give it, and like everything, it can be good or bad depending on how you use it.

It may command the effect of respect on ghosts who were human then that fond of amulets because of it presumed super-power. Well! it may also creates curiosity for demons etc psychologically, as they do worry of death prematurely like human and animals. :p

Dazzle said:

Its just superstition. However it might make people feel that they're protected/blessed or whatever.

The best way of benefiting self and others is to practice the Dhamma.

.

I think I have read somewhere that one is to use Dhamma as a guide after Buddha has gone .

Mr_Serenity said:

Some Buddhists can be superstitious others may not be.

I suppose Buddhists being superstitious has nothing to do with Buddhism being superstitious.

jll said:

The question is where do these amulets come from.
Buddha said prescribing charms are the lowest kind of activity.
Buddha forbade his monks from these activities.
In many Asian countries, the amulet business is very lucrative.
Some sell for $50,000 bcos they have superpowers.

I suppose the amultets must have come from the people who do not see the Dhamma.

Mr_Serenity said:

Maybe I should move to Asia and sell enchanted amulets for hundreds/thousands of dollars. I will enchant them with real spells and make some bank ;) . Actually maybe I should do ebay with that lol.

You don't have to move to Asia if you can enchant your amulets. you can just sell it where you are. Magic works wonders!

There is one eBay seller in the UK whose antique amulets bear an uncanny resemblance to the ones sold by other sellers for less than 10% of the price he asks.

If we regard an amulet as an aid to practice, like a statue, then I think nobody would object much. If we claim it has miraculous powers of its own, that would be a misunderstanding of the function of providing us with a mental connection to a Buddha who can indeed help us.

*smile*
serious practicing people try to keep the 8 precepts

1 Not to kill.
2 Not to steal.
3 Not to engage in sexual intercourse.
4 Not to speak lies.
5 Not to take intoxicants.
6 Not to eat food between noon and the following dawn.
7 Not to sing, dance or watch entertainments, and not to use ornaments, cosmetics or perfumes.
8 Not to sit or lie on a large or high seat or bed.

So even if you are not into it now, no need to adopt it for future challenges. Cool is good, but we need to understand that fevered is not cool. *smile*

Hanzze - as usual, I wonder what your post has to do with the topic.

Keeping those precepts makes no difference to whether someone wears an amulet or not. They are, in any case, monastic as they ask for celibacy. You claim that only monastics are 'serious practising people'?

I do find that sex whilst wearing a heavy amulet is certainly inadvisable. LOL :)

No 8 precepts are usually for serious practicing laypeople with Job and even married. *smile*

But for sure, nobody would ask us "Wohh, what is that, why to you wear that?" "Well I am a Buddhist... and ..." "Cool! Can you teach me that?"

*smile*

Wrong. Lay practitioners vow not to engage in sexual misconduct, they do not vow to be celibate.

They may temporarily keep those you quote, but only for limited periods.

Again, I say, not relevant.

For sure there are "sunday" practitioners which is very positve *smile* I talked about the next step of practitioners and that it would be normal to come one day to the point, so why in the right direction from the moment we like to walk in the right direction. *smile*

Vowing is maybe something different as to simply keep precepts.

Regarding the relevance if you read some posts could be a different as to response to your quote:
"So yes I feel amulets are cool, but I only wear them if I think they look good."

"It's a pretty blue and because lapis is the colour of Medicine Buddha, whenever I look at my necklace, it reminds me."

Maybe you understand the idea of "not to use ornaments, cosmetics or perfumes" and to decorate one self from a trainings aspect.
*smile*

Buddhas advices are very simply stuff, but not easy to keep simple because of our "I" is so dea, I-dea

Lay buddhists can wear what they want... You could wear an entire amulet suit if you wanted, or nothing at all. I have done one of the 2 options, its a long story on 2 occasions, but the fact is, do not become attached to what you wear and see the importance of an amulet, not the fact it looks pretty or beautiful etc

So why wear or buy it if one is not attached? *smile* For sure if somebody wants you to wear it and but it around your neck, no need to worry about it.

Hanzze said:

So why wear or buy it if one is not attached? *smile* For sure if somebody wants you to wear it and but it around your neck, no need to worry about it.

For discussion starters. "Oh, hey. Whats that around your neck?" "A 'magic' Buddhist amulet from Thailand." "Oh really?"

LMAO, nearly evryone here has one, but they see it as a thing of luck. I have one as I donated money to a temple and in return had an amulet. I wear it for the purpose of its signficence which is, it represents a very profound monk who has passed, and it is not the fashion or the thing itself, but the idea behind what it represents.

I see you are not a little attached *smile*

sracasm?? If so some out and say so, if not then okay whatever. But it represents a monk who dedicated his life to the dharma and relieving suffering of himself and those around him, if that is not a good reminder let me know why not..

"Lay buddhists can wear what they want... do not become attached to what you wear."
I guess he died already. If he was an arahat already, he is no more present and if he was not, he could be one of them which you are talking about the amulet. That is even with a "good" reason the problem with attachments and things not realy necessary.
Worship of things not existing and death is not good to develop right view.
*smile*

lol, it is not the thing or object itself, it is a reminder if you will. But that is your opinion and I appreciate it. I could always walk among the quiet summer fields of england with nothing on atall, (liberatng to a great extent).

Those who strive for liberation do it in a similar way. They always reflect on why they don't wear unnecessary things and remember on the Path and why they are on the path. *smile*

So one can easily make a reminder by not wearing the amulet of somebody who told that non attachment need to be attained.

Reminder are good *smile*

What do you suggest oh enlightened one?

should I wear my skin?

One would focus more on the body how it is if he wears just what is needed. One would not that busy with worry about and talking about it. So it makes one more lighter. Such things can be really heavy some times *smile*

Everyone is different. There are many paths to liberation. The Buddha teaches this. If you feel that an amulet helps, or has no effect on practice then there is certainly nothing unskillful about it. If you look inside, and find is it is something that is negatively effecting practice, or becoming a great distraction, then it is harmful. Like nearly everything, it is all based on a persons perception and attitude.

Mountains said:

Buddhists "should" follow the eightfold path. That's about the only "should" or "shall" in Buddhism...

Perhaps, wearing amulets could lead to the cessation of sufferings.

For sure it could, if its very heavy. Without experiences and understand dukkha there is no way to understand Dhamma. So it must be very heavy, expensive and beautiful that one gets benefit from it. *smile*

footiam said:

Some Buddhists wear amulets. Do Buddhist believe in their powers?

Presumably those Buddhists who do, might. Those Buddhists who don't - don't.

Hanzze said:

For sure it could, if its very heavy. Without experiences and understand dukkha there is no way to understand Dhamma. So it must be very heavy, expensive and beautiful that one gets benefit from it. *smile*

I was thinking in terms of the amulets being an object for contemplation. Maybe, it being heavy and expensive would help one contemplate about sufferings. * Big Smile*

I might as well just lift a passage from a neighboring thread and ask, seriously, what's the difference between wearing an amulet and this.

11. Banner Protection (Dhajagga Paritta [1])
"....Whether in forest or at foot of tree, Or in some secluded spot, O monks, Do call to mind that Buddha Supreme; Then will there be no fear to you at all. ii. If you think not of the Buddha, O monks, That Lord of the world and Chief of men, Then do think, O monks, of that Dhamma; So well preached and leading to Nibbana. iii. If you think not of the Dhamma, O monks Well preached and leading to Nibbana; Then do think, O monks, of that Sangha, That wonderful field of merit to all. iv. To those recalling the Buddha supreme, To those recalling the Dhamma sublime, And to those recalling the Sangha, No fear, no terror will make them quiver."

One is a concept that serves as a means of protection through recalling some object or idea (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha); the other is an actual object that one relies on for protection. If you say that one requires some understanding of the precise liberative qualities, personal qualities, gnosis, teaching qualities, etc. I'd say that, in the moment when one experiences fear and goes for refuge none of that figures in the equation, at least for most people; they're just looking for protection. Om Mani Padme Hung is no different, either. It might have profound qualities if you parse each syllable and reflect on each element as being symbolic of some quality we wish to develop through practicing the dharma but---does anyone really think that Tibetans nomads (if there are any left now) traveling on narrow tracks above deep river gorges are doing that when they recite that mantra?

Going to a place for refuge means just that; you feel threatened, afraid, and you think that some object has the power to quench that fear. While going for refuge is a profound and ultimately necessary act (how can one practice the dhamma/dharma with great vigor and intensity without actually believing that it works), going to it impulsively, intstinctively, in moments of fear, indecision, trepidation, frustration, and the like is all the same, amulet, mantra, taking refuge. It's just a way of diffusing fear or imagining you'll gain some advantage thereby, samsaric or perhaps a way out of samsara. But you still have to do all the work yourself; you walk your path alone no matter how many Buddhas you can visualize or propitiate.

People seek refuge in material things and thought but not easy in qualities. You are right, there is actually no difference between a person seeking refuge in an amulet and a person seeking refuge in a person or being called Buddha.

We have to seek refuge in the attributes. The more material this things are, the more we tend to even materialistic spirituality.

In Zen they even use the extrema "If you see a Buddha kill him" (what should be not misunderstood - it means to kill/destroy the preconception of Buddha that might arise).

We don't need to go through material helps as they easy guide us to ideas and away from reality. If we loose this material help-tools or if they are offended by others, we would suffer immediately. Why? Because we are attached to something that is not real.

Walking the way of Dhamma means to turn our attention toward inside and what ever turns it outside is our enemy. *smile*

sattvapaul said:

I wouldn't dismiss them as mere superstition. Belief can work miracles. For example, if someone gave me a bunch of certain special papers saying "one hundred dollar" on each of them, I would certainly believe in their special powers. :D

We have to believe in someone then. It would work miracles!

"Should" a Buddhist wear amulets? Buddhists all over Asia do, they're not worried about it. There are an awful lot of "shoulds" coming up on the threads lately, that have little, if anything, to do with precepts. And perhaps surprisingly, a lot of Asian Buddhists believe precepts are for monks. Lay people in some Asian countries don't take precepts anyway.

Of course... but only with the understanding of what they are, an image of an icon and that they don't hold any special powers. I'm wearing one now...

lol, here in Thailand I would say that at least 50% of the male population as one on most days, I do not know why more guys than women wear them though o.O They are for the vast majority very relaxed and nice people, but buddhism is not what you would exppect here. It is more of a good luck dealio to most lay buddhists, but that is just the way it is.

I have an amulet I got from a temple which I wear most days, why do I wear it? I wear it because sometimes I need reminding of the buddha (I do not mean the prince who became enlightened, I am referring to buddha-nature).

I know for a fact a lot of Thai male workers in Singapore wear amulets because they believe it protects from Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome.

Read here for more information on SUDS.

ThailandTom said:

In thailand all of the thai ppl do, well most, not even buddhists. Most see it as fashion or good luck, but each one is of a great monk that has passed normally. I wear one daily, it is not the object itself, it is what it emulates, what it reminds/teaches you IMO

Maybe, one can wear amulets as a fashion, for good luck or even for contemplation. It does not harm others, does it?

I'm mindful of the original question:
"Should" a Buddhist wear amulets?

What business is it of anybody else's what anybody does or doesn't do?
Whether a person should - or shouldn't - do something, isn't our concern. We can only evaluate our own mental, verbal and physical actions. What others choose they should or should not do, is up to them.
Some feel they should, some feel they shouldn't. Their reasoning is personal.
Besides, it depends what precisely is meant by amulet.
I practice Theravada, but wear a mala, and recite mantras.

So...?
"Should" I or "Shouldn't" I?

Up to me, really - isn't it?

federica said:

I'm mindful of the original question:
"Should" a Buddhist wear amulets?

What business is it of anybody else's what anybody does or doesn't do?
Whether a person should - or shouldn't - do something, isn't our concern. We can only evaluate our own mental, verbal and physical actions. What others choose they should or should not do, is up to them.
Some feel they should, some feel they shouldn't. Their reasoning is personal.
Besides, it depends what precisely is meant by amulet.
I practice Theravada, but wear a mala, and recite mantras.

So...?
"Should" I or "Shouldn't" I?

Up to me, really - isn't it?

Should a Buddhist wear amulets? is personal if you makes it personal. In a forum like this, the question is meant to go with this thought - Is wearing amulets breaking the precepts? If you choose to think it is up to a person, it is still very true. Every one of us will have to walk our own path.

I don't see what the big deal is. If a Buddhist wishes to wear an amulet, so be it. As for the precepts and whether or not amulet wearing breaks them, then according to the precepts as quoted above, I break them every time I wear deodorant or perfume. I think as the old Tibetan saying goes "Don't mention the flea on your neighbour's shoulder when there is a yak in your eye" (quoted by Lama Surya Das in "Awakening The Buddha Within") - I love that saying.

In metta,
Raven