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Praying
ShiftPlusOne
Veteran
Why do Asian Buddhists pray in temples? I thought Buddha said he did not want to be worshiped.
The standard response I keep running into is "we are not praying to Buddha, we are thanking him", but it's still in the form of prayer and a ritual.
In fact, in China I think it is very common to pray to Buddha for good luck and wealth rather than just be thankful for the teachings.
I also thought Buddha told the monks to refrain from accepting money, yet many temples in China, Japan and Hong Kong have an entry fee and have donation boxes everywhere. I can understand the donation boxes, but an entry fee seems strange to me.
Is it the same way elsewhere in the world? I see many western Buddhist groups offering free or donation based services. At the same time the big 'centres' have membership fees and charge for 'classes'
How do you personally perceive these things?
The standard response I keep running into is "we are not praying to Buddha, we are thanking him", but it's still in the form of prayer and a ritual.
In fact, in China I think it is very common to pray to Buddha for good luck and wealth rather than just be thankful for the teachings.
I also thought Buddha told the monks to refrain from accepting money, yet many temples in China, Japan and Hong Kong have an entry fee and have donation boxes everywhere. I can understand the donation boxes, but an entry fee seems strange to me.
Is it the same way elsewhere in the world? I see many western Buddhist groups offering free or donation based services. At the same time the big 'centres' have membership fees and charge for 'classes'
How do you personally perceive these things?
0
Comments
Praying to Buddha won't help,but I guess it makes the people feel better,so it doesn't hurt.
I have to admit that entry fees to temples concerns me slightly(not a lot),but again I have seen it occasionally in temples in Thailand,where there is a small charge made to foreigners.I emphasise that this is not the normal practice in Thailnd.
The temple where I am at(Malaysia) charges local people 5 MR per day for courses if you are staying on the temple grounds,other wise they are free.I guess that charge covers electricity etc.Foreigners pay MR7.
It is a form of worship, and a form of seeking support and guidance, but in essence, not in a person.
We take Refuge in The Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha for the same purpose.
It's a commitment, a form of assertion and confirmation of the wisdom of the Buddha's words, the Dhamma's teachings and the Sangha's sacred purpose.
There's nothing lovelier to my mind, than sitting quietly in a room where many voices are chanting as one.
The reminds me of a quite surreal experience. There's a shrine on a hill overlooking Tienanmen Square. We set up there for a while. I looked over the city, looked at the beautiful scenery, thought about the awful events that happened there and just too it all in for a while. We were descending from the hill after visiting the shrine when we heard singing. The singing gradually grew from a few voices to what seemed like the whole city. It was sort of unexpected and we didn't understand what was going on, so we asked one of the locals "What's going on?". He answered "...singing" which wasn't very helpful so we asked "why?" to which he simply replied "they do it for fun". I found it to be quite overwhelming and calming at the same time.
The lay people (and the monks) also benefit from the outreach of forming heart connections. And from the generosity of time or money. Generosity has benefits on the mind in the here and now. And it also is said to create merit that can result in benefit at a later date. For example if an association in your life with monks plants a seed in you... of loving the dharma... that seed can sprout later in your life to pursue the dharma with passion. To speak nothing of future lives and rebirths.
Without the relationship between monks and lay people both sides would lose. The lay person gets teachings and the monk gets to eat! Both benefit from the outreach and generosity training.
Keep in mind that charity in the east is not an obligation. Like in the west. You are not supposed to give unless you are joyful about giving. It is a cause to rejoice in the east because you are creating a living connection with the dharma!
It is skillful means a wish that their good qualities can awaken in you.
It can also be comforting to call out when you are suffering and ask for help. It is a communication much like talking to a hotline or therapist. Even though nobody is talking back!
My teacher says that the mandala of awakening, the mandala of the buddhas, is also working for the awakening of all beings. When we pray to the buddha we are clarifying our wish to seek out THIS mandala rather than only gratify our ego. The power of intentions has power in this world. For example if I say to myself that I am going to bake a chocolate cake tomorrow. That wish has power. It can cause me to remember that when I am at the supermarket and pick up: frosting, eggs, flour. It can cause me to look up a recipe. And then the day comes and because I made that committment to myself then I actually do it.
The same thing happens with the dharma. We gather all the things we need in the world to practice wisdom and compassion. We aquire knowledge and teachings and habits. When the time comes to do the practices and the reading even if we are too tired today....... that wish can awaken in another time in our lives. It can even awaken in another lifetime.