Theravada Buddhist Rites

THERAVADA BUDDHIST RITES:

To Malaysian Buddhists of Chinese descent who follow the Theravada tradition, the Buddha is looked upon as their great religious teacher to whom they pay homage every day. Most of them do this twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening. An image of the Buddha is kept in the house, not as an ornamental show piece, but as an object of admiration and veneration. Many of them also display an image of Kuan Yin besides the Buddha image, but in a less prominent position. During this daily observance, the burning of joss-sticks is merely to purify the atmosphere, while paying homage could simply De uutw by folding the palms with reverence and holding them close to the heart. On the altar, an oil-lamp is burned to abolish the gloom and brighten up the future. At the same time, flowers are also placed not only because of its fragrance but also as a i'minder that our body will one day decay just as the fresh-hued and odorous flowers must fade They make the usual salutation to the Blessed One (vandand), followed by taking refuge in the Triple Gem (Ti-sarana). They then recite the Five Precepts (Panca Sila), to remind them to observe these precepts at all times so as to live a happy, peaceful and righteous life. By so doing, they also help others to live peacefully and happily by not causing them any form of disturbance or harm. The more assiduous among them also recite some suttas which help to calm the mind and thus enable them to pursue their daily activities more peace-hilly and diligently wherever they may be. Some also spend some time meditating on loving-kindness, a practice which helps to put them in a serene frame of mind so necessary to maintain a good relationship with their colleagues throughout i he day in their places of work. These simple daily Ituddhist observances were unknown to the Chinese Buddhists before the Theravada School of liuddhism was introduced to them and they went ibout their daily lives little realizing how much benefit they could derive from living a truly Ituddhist way of life. Today, with the popularization of Buddhist observances and practices in accordance with the Theravada tradition, more and more Chinese Buddhists are able to lift their heads high and be proud of their rich heritage.

In the evening, when they have more time at their disposal, many usually spend a longer time practising meditation on loving-kindness (metta) while those who have undergone a course in Vipassana bhavana will devote their time to this meditation on mindfulness. Others chant some suttas to help calm the mind after a day's hard work. They have come to realize the immense benefits of observing some simple religious practices in their daily lives which not only maintain the mind and body in a healthy condition but also help them considerably in their spiritual development. For those who are unable to chant suttas, listening to such chanting on cassette tapes has become a common practice which helps tremendously in inducing a tranquil mental state and lessening the stress and strain unavoidably acquired in the course of their work during the day. Life is fraught with uncertainties, and for this reason, many religions have some form of daily worship for their followers to seek divine guidance and blessings that could ensure them a certain measure of safety and security. In Buddhism, devotees are enjoined to observe the moral precepts daily and to live in accordance with the dhamma in order to be protected by the dhamma. Morning and evening religious observances when performed with devotion enhances a person's confidence in the Triple Gem which in turn helps him to realize his full potential.

Theravada Buddhist temples are open daily for devotees to come and worship and pay homage to the Buddha. Except on New Moon and Full Moon Days, not many devotees make daily visits to the temples for this purpose. On arrival at the temple, it is the custom to pay homage to the Buddha by prostrating before His image in the in the shrine room. Flowers and fruits are offered at the altar and candles and joss sticks are burned. Next to be worshipped is the pagoda where the Buddha's relic is enshrined. Not many devotees understand the significance of venerating the Buddha's relic (sdririka) enshrined in the pagoda, although they believe that by so doing they accrue great merits. Lastly, devotees pay homage and veneration to the sacred Bodhi tree because they know that it is under the tree that the Buddha attained enlightenment and after that paid His own respect to the tree. Thus, to many, the homage and reverence paid to the Bodhi tree are considered of equal value to the homage and reverence paid to the Buddha himself. Besides, devotees also believe that many devas reside in the vicinity of the Bodhi-iier and by worshipping it not only do they pay homage and veneration to the Exalted One Himself, but, at the same time, they could also expect the devas to give them protection for their general v\ el fare and well-being.


On the New Moon and Full-moon Uposatha days, the temples are visited by a great number of devotees, and on those nights, special Puja services are held at which the monks chant suttas to bless the devotees, followed by a sermon. These services are sponsored by the devotees themselves, as it is the belief that sponsoring Puja services on Uposatha days accrue to them great merits. This mass worship on Uposatha days, called the Buddha Puja, commences with the ringing of the temple bell, summoning the devotees to stand in a row in front of the shrine room and pass vases of flowers, lights, perfume, incense, sweets, fruits and medicines, etc., from hand to hand, until they reach the monks in the shrine room. These are then placed on the altar and ceremonially offered to the Buddha. The head monk then 'administers' the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts. The sermon is then delivered by the head monk, but sometimes, chanting of suttas is carried out by the monks to bless the devotees. All these virtuous acts earn great merits to all who are present, and for this reason, these Buddha Puja services are usually well-attended. The serenity of the shrine room and the general religiosity that permeate the atmosphere generated by the radiation of loving-kindness by the devotees and worshippers in some way enhance tremendously their confidence (saddha) and devotion. Devotees afflicted by some maladies or troubled by various problems in their lives attend these services in the hope of receiving some relief from their misfortunes. Some of the more devout devotees observe the Eight Precepts on these Uposatha days, betaking themselves to meditation, listening to dhamma discussions and indulging in cleaning the temple premises, bringing joy and serenity to themselves.

The average Chinese Buddhist who follows I he Theravada tradition performs his worship at Inline and normally visits the temple twice a month, on New Moon and Full Moon days. To i hem, such acts of worship are considered acts of merit. Their main aim is to perform good deeds, such as offering of dana and observing the precepts (sila) in order to live a happy, healthy and peaceful life in this existence and to have happy births hereafter and in future existences, preferably in the heavenly worlds as devas, in which their desires may find full satisfaction. To them, to attain Nibbana through meditation is far too I lc i nanding for the ordinary man, but to ensure that they are reborn in happy states and not in one of the apayas15, they invest much of their time and a I'm at deal of their wealth to acquire merits. Moreover, they live in the hope of being reborn as human beings in this world when Maitreya, the Rexl Buddha, comes, because it is the belief that when He comes, the task of attaining Nibbana will be rendered easier. Thus, the final goal for them is till the attainment of Nibbana, though the time taken to reach it is much longer. There are, of I I ii use, many who have a deeper understanding of the Buddha's teachings to whom the primary motivation for performing good acts is not merit-making, but rather as a means of mental and moral cultivation or development. To them, even the worshipping of the Buddha is a step further in their mental cultivation or purification which leads them on the path to Nibbana, when they understand that such worshipping brings about a lessening of craving (lobha), hatred (dosa), and ignorance (moha). In a similar manner, all other good acts when performed with understanding, joy and concentration can lead them to the same goal. Of late, several Vipassana bhavana centres have been established in the country, with well-trained local and foreign meditation teachers giving instruction to aspiring yogis or meditators. The instruction given is mainly based on the method initiated by Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. Good results have been obtained at these centres and it is believed that a few have reached an appreciably high level of attainment in their meditation exercise. For these successful yogis, the time taken to reach the final goal of Nibbana will be considerably reduced. However, although for the majority of Buddhists, the acquisition of merits perhaps prolong samsaric existence, each merit acquired has the power to increase one's generosity (alobha), loving-kindness (adosa), and wisdom (panna), which gradually leads one to the goal.

Making frequent temple visits to venerate the Buddha is not to the liking of the majority of Malaysian Chinese who claim to profess the Buddhist religion. To them, praying to Heaven and some deities, Kuan Yin or Buddha at home is sufficient to fulfil their religious obligations. To them, there is no necessity to go beyond that if life favours them with an absence of misfortune or illness. But when some misfortune strikes, such as an illness, mental disturbance, failure in business or disagreement with friend or relative, then the realisation to seek divine assistance becomes a matter of urgency. It is at such times that they find it necessary to visit temples to pray to the deities whom they believe can assist them in overcoming their misfortunes. Some would light candles at the altar in front of the Bodhi-tree and request the resident monks to perform a bodhi-puja"' for' the speedy recovery of a family member, a relative or a liieiul. According to Theravada traditions, devas Which are believed to inhabit near the bodhi-tree possess certain worldly powers of rendering help to i hose who are ill. Thus, in times of need, Theravada Buddhists would request for a bodhi piija to be performed, and there have been many cases of patients making speedy recoveries from their illnesses through the performance of such bodhi-puja services.
In recent years, Theravada Buddhist temples have organized weekly religious services on Sunday mornings when opportunities for the study

of the Buddha-Dhamma in a systematic manner are also made available to the devotees. These services are specially conducted to inculcate the proper Buddhist method of worship that is meaningful and beneficial to the devotees, that could help to bring peace and tranquility in their daily lives. Parents who bring their children to attend these Sunday religious services and enrolling them in the Sunday Dhamma schools to receive Buddhist education are doing a great service in helping their children to have a proper understanding of the purpose of worship in temples, contrary to the ignorance which plagued children of bygone generations who blindly burned joss-sticks and prayed without any inkling of the purpose of worship and prayers. Having learned the proper method of worship in the temples, they could then perform their personal daily worship at their home altars in a similar manner, deriving much satisfaction and joy in so doing.