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Little Rituals
zombiegirl
beating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wasteland Veteran
Does anyone have any little rituals before meditation? Or maybe even ornate rituals?
What effect does a ritual have on meditation?
Right now, I don't do a lot. I usually (but not always) light some incense, make a nice bow to my wall before setting out my zafu, climb on the zafu and do three bends to the right/left before aligning at center, take 3 deep and slow inhales/exhales to ready my lungs... and go. I probably do some stretches before all of this as well just to loosen up a little.
I don't think this is very much considering I started in the Nichiren tradition. Morning and night, I used to: light incense, get out the juzu(mala), open my butsudan, ring the bell and chant 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo' three times, chant NMRK three more times and offer the first silent prayer, recite the "Expedient Means" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, sound the bell, recite the "Life Span" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, sound the bell and chant to your heart's content, then when finished, offer the second, third, and fourth silent prayers (chanting NMRK after each and sounding the bell during certain points such as the prayers for deceased relatives).
That suddenly sounds like a lot. Anybody have any complicated rituals they've left behind?
What effect does a ritual have on meditation?
Right now, I don't do a lot. I usually (but not always) light some incense, make a nice bow to my wall before setting out my zafu, climb on the zafu and do three bends to the right/left before aligning at center, take 3 deep and slow inhales/exhales to ready my lungs... and go. I probably do some stretches before all of this as well just to loosen up a little.
I don't think this is very much considering I started in the Nichiren tradition. Morning and night, I used to: light incense, get out the juzu(mala), open my butsudan, ring the bell and chant 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo' three times, chant NMRK three more times and offer the first silent prayer, recite the "Expedient Means" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, sound the bell, recite the "Life Span" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, sound the bell and chant to your heart's content, then when finished, offer the second, third, and fourth silent prayers (chanting NMRK after each and sounding the bell during certain points such as the prayers for deceased relatives).
That suddenly sounds like a lot. Anybody have any complicated rituals they've left behind?
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Comments
'namo tassa bagavato arahato samma-sambuddhassa' 3 times
'buddham, dhammam, sangham namassami' once
ask forgiveness for wrong thoughts/words/deeds i have done for the
Buddha/Dhamma/Sangha because of my ignorance
ask help from Buddha/dhamma/sangha, from all Right-viewed Devas, from effect of my own dkillful deed/word/thought i have done in the past to be successful in my meditation
when i finish the above my mind will 'sort of' settles for meditation
Buddhism as ritual -- whether private or public -- is just advertising, a way of settling attention on the practice at hand. The same might be said for Buddhism as a whole. First the advertisement -- often very colorful, stylized or fashionable -- and then the question: "Advertising for what?"
And at that point, practice can become pretty useful.