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Ritual in Buddhism
Dear Friends
I'm curious to know how most people feel about rituals in Buddhism. Do you follow rituals a lot? If so.. (briefly) what rituals?..
Personally, I dislike ritual and formality and I think it tends to distract one from the goal... and waste precious time.. But others tell me ritual is important.
I would like to know what others here think?
thanks
I'm curious to know how most people feel about rituals in Buddhism. Do you follow rituals a lot? If so.. (briefly) what rituals?..
Personally, I dislike ritual and formality and I think it tends to distract one from the goal... and waste precious time.. But others tell me ritual is important.
I would like to know what others here think?
thanks
0
Comments
What did the Buddha do? What didn't the Buddha do?
Ritual and Form
I had formed no opinion about ritual one way or another before I entered a period of training at Hosshinji Temple in Japan. This was probably to the good, since the life there was largely ruled by ritual, a way of living and moving I soon embraced wholeheartedly as both meaningful and supportive of my spiritual search.
Sometimes I felt as though I were participating in some kind of liturgical drama, which included both music: the cacophonous chanting, the bells and gongs and drums; and dance: the rhythmic walking, the gasshos, the prostrations and meditative postures. The chief actors were the monks, performing their parts with utter ease, grace, and exuberance.
The ritual life of the monastery, I discovered, had many expressions, many aims. It served to maintain and carry forward the Great Teaching as it had been passed down through the centuries. In addition to the chanting of the Heart Sutra and other sutras, there were the lectures based on Zen literature and experience presented by Harada Roshi. Once a year, all of the sutras were taken out of the storehouse and given a symbolic reading (and airing!) by the monks opening and shutting them in accordion fashion during a special service. Ritual paid daily homage to the priests and patriarchs who had kept the tradition alive and pure all the way from Shakyamuni to the present time. Ritual honored the founding of Hosshinji (some four hundred years ago) and its founders in a monthly service held in the Founders' Hall. Ritual also preserved the ancient monastic life in many ways, but by no means in all ways. The monks no longer slept in the Zendo (nor on wooden pillows); they had a dormitory. They could attend political meetings. They could attend Saturday night movies.
The weeklong Sesshins which took place at the beginning of each month of the six months' training period comprised the Great Ritual for which all the other rituals prepared us.
Some of the traditional rituals profoundly touched me. For instance, there was the ritual I was taught to perform before taking a bath. The anteroom of the bathhouse contained a small shelf adorned with incense, a candle and flowers. Here, before disrobing, each community member made nine full prostrations in commemoration of all those individuals over the centuries who had experienced satori as they stepped into the hot water of the bath. I might add that I was not to become one of those honored!
Once a month or so, the monks would engage in a ritual called Takahatsu. Its purpose was to preserve the memory of the ancient practice of the monks' begging for their daily food. Dressed in the traditional garb of white leggings, straw sandals and sedge hats, the monks would walk the streets of the town, each with a bowl held up in his hands crying "Ho! Ho!" Housewives, children and business people would run out into the street to place a few yen in the bowls. Upon their return to the temple, the monks would divide the money: half was given to the monastery, half divided among the monks for personal expenditures. The amount collected was usually small. One time, after the money had been divided in this fashion, one of the monks came to me and the other American living at the temple, saying, "I have brought you your share of the donations we received today." What a surprise! Neither my friend nor I had participated in the Takahatsu! Besides, we were "rich Americans." In the monks' eyes, however, we were integral members of the community who should be included in the benefits of the ritual. Tears still come to my eyes when I recall this occasion.
The ritual life of the temple also served to remind us of the Reality behind our ordinary understanding, our everyday consciousness. Our gasshos, both to the altar and to each other, our prostrations, our chants, communicated - at a subliminal level perhaps - this Great Truth. The silence observed in the temple, its hangings and images, the incense and candles and gongs, its cleanliness and airiness, all contributed to this sense of the numinous.
Another function of ritual was to dissolve our preoccupation with ego, the sense of being a separate, discrete reality. What was required of us both in formal activities such as zazen and oryoki, or informal, such as walking through the halls or opening a sliding door, was focused attention to whatever was presenting itself in all its fullness NOW. We could be severely criticized for failure in being mindful at all times.
Other rituals in the temple related each individual to the larger natural environment. With each breakfast, a few grains of rice and the wash water from our bowls were collected and fed to the carp in the temple pond. When we took a dipper of water from a standing well (water abounded here at the foot of the mountain), we always poured back part of It in keeping with Dogen's injunction that part of every dipper of water should 's descendents. For every tree cut down on be donated, as it were, to one's the mountain, one was planted. All waste matter, including human excrement, was carefully given back as compost to the fields. One monk summed up the spirit of the monastic life as it related to nature, " Our life is hard, but it's easy on the universe."
On occasion we would even participate in a ritual taken from the Shinto tradition. Before breakfast, the assistant Roshi would sometimes go out on the veranda and clap three times to greet the rising sun; the rest of the community would join him in this observance.
Identity with the outer Buddhist community was expressed in ritual observances and feasts on holy days; in Jihai, a gathering of the faithful for re-dedication to the Buddhist Way; frequent requiem masses read for the deceased who were buried in the temple cemetery; and the sesshins, in which lay Buddhists from outlying areas participated.
It is evident, I believe, from the foregoing brief account, that the Japanese teachers who have brought Zen to America have brought to us the rituals which they saw as most essential in bringing us the Dharma and the Way. Other rituals, however beautiful or moving, were left behind. We Americans, then, have the freedom to choose additional rituals that will enrich our practice. We can derive these rituals from our own cultural values and concerns as well as from Japanese and other cultural sources. The opportunity is richly ours, since, enjoying religious freedom in this society as we do, we are under no governmental constraints, nor do we feel threatened by other religious communities. Furthermore, every Zen center in this country is autonomous; there is no central authority determining what rituals must be used. By the same token, priests are not given a rigid, systematized training. Under the personal direction of their teacher, they are given great freedom in developing their own insights.
To become an integral part of a Sangha experience, the rituals which arise spontaneously, or, upon being suggested, are quickly approved of by the group, are the ones which will ring true and continue to be meaningful with repetition. Ideally, they must originate as a natural expression of community feeling and aspiration, then kept alive with fresh interpretations.
One can envision what some of these rituals might be. There could be Rites of Solstice and Equinox, marking the turn of the seasons. Along with seasonal displays of flowers, grains, vegetables and fruits, there could be a Tree of Life at the winter equinox around which a dance symbolizing the return of the sun could be performed. Individuals could read both Japanese and Western haiku and other nature poetry. Children could happily participate in these rituals, all of which would celebrate our integral participation in the natural world. Vows could be taken to help save our threatened companions of the wild.
Solemn Query could be another ritual by which Sangha members ask each other questions about our conduct not only as a Sangha but as national and inter-national citizens, parents, children, mates, friends, workers; how we can be true to the precepts and all they imply; how we can live more harmlessly, truthfully, compassionately and simply in our secular and very complex society. It could even be a time for public confession of wrongdoing for the catharsis that could provide, along with the request for support from Sangha members.
The Great Self/no self Ritual could celebrate the experience of spiritual release from the ego which has been testified to down through the ages by both Oriental and Western seers. The stories of their experience could be narrated; their sayings read or chanted; their understanding celebrated with high ceremony and joyous chanting of the Heart Sutra. A Zen-inspired poet could be asked to provide a "fresh" sutra to celebrate this highest joy human beings can experience.
The Bodhisattva Ritual could celebrate our dedication to deepening our search for enlightenment through lives of service and giving to all sentient beings. It would awaken our sense of the interbeing we share with all human beings, whatever their rank or moral condition. It would extol individuals in world history who represent the Bodhisattva ideal transculturally: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and Gandhi. It would commemorate their self-transcendent lives and actions. Examples of less well-known people who have lived lives of quiet giving against great odds could also be witnessed to.
Rituals such as these, endowed with fresh insights, wide sympathies and intense energy, could make Zen practice more and more relevant to a secular and threatened society.
From Clouds In Water Zen Center
If it is a ritual that brings you positive and constant benefits, continue your practise...
But as with any ritual, the thing is to not get too attached or hung up about it.
Give some examples of 'rituals' that the Buddha started. Did he chant? No he didn't. It's unfortunate that your shaking hands and saying 'good morning' is done mindlessly, but don't posit that on the Buddha or on others. It's understandable that you're trying to protect something that you've invested alot of time in.
The speed that you're in awe of is called "10 hours of simmering and 'cut and paste'."
The ordination ritual, the taking of the refuges and precepts, the chanting (yes chanting) of the teachings, which was done whilst the Buddha was alive, in his presence and was a standard way of memorizing the teachings, the gesture of anjali or gassho, and bowing, which were also customary greetings paid to the Buddha and by him and his followers during his time. In fact the vast majority of rituals practiced by Buddhists to this day. Buddhism is a way that involves the whole person, not just something to read and think about, and as such engages the emotions and the body as much as the mind. Buddhism without any ritual at all simply doesn't exist and for good reason.
Yes I'm aware of that, Kow... We've all done it....not sure about the simmering though... I'm a 'boil rapidly' or 'serve straight form the fridge' gal....simmering is the middle way...!
Let's just say that spontaneity is ummm....ah...
That's better, but it still shouldn't be like pulling teeth. Could you provide some kind of authentic citation as proof.
Let's just take chanting as an example, though. You, as well as everyone else knows that chanting was used as the method of memorization of the teachings. Taking that FACT into consideration; it's not difficult to understand that chanting is now...superfluous. It is certainly not a "means" of liberation.
The lady responded that her mother always did it that way and the roast was always perfectly delicious. The friend said that her method made no logical sense.
On hearing that, the cook decided to phone her mother and verify the method.
The mother, of course, responded that she only ever had a small roasting pan and had to cut six inches off the roast, so that it would fit in the pan.
You understand what 'superfluous' means, right? That's the only point. Don't be so goddamn rude and defensive every time someone doesn't agree with you. All of your ceremonies, rituals etc. are superfluous. They do not bring understanding and freedom.
Dear Zenmonk.
I personally don't believe in rituals, as I feel that they get in the way of the ultimate goal, of course this is my personal take and I've been accused of not being "Buddhist enough", even by family members for not 'reciting stanza's., etc.
My following of Buddhism and how I interpret it tends to be more personal that most people, and it's just that I feel ritual gets in the way of my experience and causes me to focus on what I feel is not necessary/relevant.
Just my personal observations...
Courtesy, Respect and Dignity, Gentlemen:
What you are doing stops here, and it stops now. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate.
Joking aside: Yes Ma'am.
A wise person will understand the difference between skillful means and simple habits.
Jason
As one who uses ritual consciously, I can also understand what you are saying, Kowtaaia - at least, I think so. Ritual is, indeed, superfluous to understanding and freedom. Having understood and become free, we undertake and use rituals, mindfully, for many other reasons. They are more than "rite words in rote order".
Not to be insulting, but how would you know?
Only from my own experience, dear heart.
Understanding and liberation are tools for skillful living rather than ends in themselves.
Well, there's the problem, old chap! Is your experience pleasurable?
I'm not sure that I understand where the problem lies. The 'experience' is, that's all, neither pleasurable nor painful.
I may be misunderstanding you.
So, although the thought process is functioning; there is no sensation as pleasure or pain? Is that what you're saying?
Maybe I should just butt out.
But I'm quite interested....
Please, do NOT butt out.
He didn't say that. He said: "The 'experience' is, that's all, neither pleasurable nor painful."
Experience IS sensation. Ritual IS method. Method IS thought process.
Isn't sensation just a part of "experience" according to the doctrine of paticca-samuppada?
Jason
What for?
Jason
Because, the Sutta is merely a reference incase someone doesn't know what I am referring to by "paticca-samuppada". The Sutta is not in and of itself the substance of my post, so therefore I do not see any reason to include it in its entirety.
Jason
A.) Yes
B.) No
C.) All of the above
D.) None of the above
Jason
No one asked you to include the entire Sutta; just the part that says that sensation is just a part of "experience".
Oh great, I'm good at these. OK - the questions that go with the answers above are
a) did you?
b) are you?
c) where are clouds?
d) what are sensible questions?
Did I win?
Well, that would depend on what you mean by "sensation", which is why I asked it in the form of a question. [How else would you ask if not in the form of a question?] If sensation is used in the sense of a feeling, then I would use that quote; if sensation is used in the sense of a contact, then I would use that quote; et cetera, et cetera. "Experience", whatever that may be, would include all of these things and more. Perhaps everyone could simplify matters by defining how they are using the terms "sensation" and "experience"?
Jason
In Buddhism, sensation is most often identified with vedana (feeling) [i.e. pleasure, pain, or neither pleasure nor pain]. That is how I am understanding it, however, I realize that everyone else may have a different idea in mind when they are using that particular word. Sorry for the nitpicking.
Jason
Push over babe!
Experience=sensation.
Sensation=experience.
Name one that is not the other.
Like I said, define how you are using the terms, otherwise there is no basis for an answer. To really be clear we need to agree on what we are discussing, correct? If "experience" [in the way you are using it] equals the moment of sensation, then it might be correct to say sensation = experience. But, does that equal the way Simon used it? If not, it is completely irrelevant, which is why I personally would benefit from understanding what each person means by "sensation" and "experience". If Simon were using the word "experience" in another way, such as the complete process of dependent co-arising for example, and "sensation" as being feeling, then "sensation = experience" would not be entirely correct. Sensation would not be the totalitiy of experience, but merely a stage of its arising and ceasing. It would be more appropriate to say contact + sensation + consciousness... = experience. Perhaps dear ol' Simon is simply taking "experience" to be without a self, and therefore empty of anything to "experience" a pleasurable "sensation"? The kicker is, I don't know, but inquiring minds want to find out!
Jason
That's closer than I could have got.
Starting from the point that ritual is an externalisation of the internal myth of order and organisation, and, as such, empty of any mening other than that which is ascribed to it, it is, indeed, "superfluous". A work of supererogation, to use a technical term.
To the Iconoclast, such works are actually hindrances to liberation. All I am saying is that I have not found this to be the case with many (but not all) rituals. Religious ritual or habitual practices prior to and during meditation appear to me as slowing down a process in which we indulge at every moment: we 'ritualise' the mundane and, as a result, turn away from focusing our attention. By slowing it down and giving it a specific object, we can catch the flow of the process.
Perhaps, when I have something "in my hands", when all the categories and presuppositions, prejudices and conditioned responses that I name "Simon" have been snuffed out, ritual will cease to be a help. Until then, I use what means the world and karma provide.
Elo,
This will do:
Salayatana-paccaya phassa
Phassa-paccaya vedana
Vedana-paccaya tanha.
Dependent on the six sense-spheres, contact arises.
Dependent on contact, sensation arises.
Dependent on sensation, craving arises.
It's just the standard dictionary definition, but includes 'mind'.