In this article we invite you to learn about the Buddhism rites, the fourth religion in the world with the most practitioners, which is included in religious and spiritual practices and whose primary objective is to overcome the suffering of people and the cycle of death and rebirth. I invite you to read this article and learn more about Buddhist philosophy!
Buddhism rites
For many people, Buddhism has been considered a world religion, in addition to being a philosophical and spiritual doctrine, which is not based on the belief of a creator or absolute God, since it belongs to what is called a dharmic family and these are It is encompassed in a variety of traditions, religious beliefs, and spiritual practices that were created and taught by Gautama Buddha.
The Buddhist doctrine has its origin between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries BC. It spread throughout the Asian territory, but had a decline during the Middle Ages, but it is important to highlight that the traditions and rites of Buddhism have as mission to overcome suffering or what is called dukkha, and end the cycle of death and rebirth and is named as the samsara.
All this is given, by the path that the disciple must travel through the Nirvana which is the path of liberation or by buddhahood which is awakening and living in Buddha enlightenment.
In the schools of Buddhism the path of liberation is taught but the interpretation that is given has many variants, in this way what matters is the canonicity with which the teachings and practices are assigned in the different Buddhist texts since they are specific and very spacious.
In Buddhism there are two main branches which are Theravada which means, school of the elderly and the other branch called Mahayana, which is The great road. The branch of the School of the Elders is predominant in Southeast Asia, in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and in Thailand.
Meanwhile, the other branch, which is The Great Path, is practiced in the East of the Asian continent, emphasizing traditions such as Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon and Tiantai. In other countries such as Mongolia, Himalayas and Kalmykia, the disciples practice Tibetan Buddhism which is the Buddhist teachings and rites taught in Vajrayana in India from the XNUMXth century.
The practitioners of Buddhism who are in a Buddhist school must share several traditions and rites of Buddhism, since all the philosophical teachings of this monotheistic religion are fundamental and all the contents are related, with the mission that each practitioner can find a holistic vision of all the teachings, since it is fundamental that the disciple is oriented to know the Dharma.
But the Dharma is a Sanskrit word that represents religion, and means that it is a cosmic law or order which the disciples or practitioners are realizing.
What are the rites of Buddhism?
For the disciples and practitioners of Buddhism, they have considered Buddhism as a set of traditions, beliefs, practices, festivals, ceremonies and rites. That is why the rites of Buddhism are the different ceremonies that are performed to celebrate, commemorate and honor the practitioners of Buddhism through the different teachings and acts that are performed to Buddha in the world.
It is important to know that in all religions, mythologies and philosophies in the world many practices, rites and festivals of a sacred nature are carried out, but in the religion of Buddhism there are a large number of Buddhist celebrations that have been considered as mysterious and very exotic, in this way it is imagined as a wonderful philosophy.
The different branches of Buddhism
As is already known, the doctrine of Buddhism will have its origin in India between the 500th and XNUMXth centuries BC, spreading throughout the Asian continent, mostly between the south and the east, and at the present time it is the fourth religion. most predominant in the world, according to statistics that seven percent of the world population practices the religion of Buddhism since it has more than XNUMX million practitioners.
Buddhism is considered more as a philosophy of life than as a religion since practitioners have the objective of overcoming the frailties and weaknesses that people have and this must overcome them through meditation and with constant practice the disciple can reach supreme wisdom.
In order for the disciple to reach Nirvana, he must comply with the rules and rites of Buddhism so that he can purify his soul and his being, through constant spiritual practice that allows the disciple to recognize his mistakes and accept and transform them for his personal improvement. .
In this way the rites of Buddhism are aimed at the disciple recognizing himself as a being who has the full potential to achieve wisdom, in this way Nirvana is used, which is mentioned in the Buddhist religion as the liberation of desires, of individual consciousness and reincarnation and this will be achieved through the different rites of Buddhism.
Buddhism as it is a religion that has many followers in the world and was born in the north of India 2500 years before Christ thanks to the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is the one that all the disciples know as the Buddha, although he is a religion that is not governed by gods or doctrines, only by ideas, has the purpose of guiding the disciples towards enlightenment or the liberation of the spirit.
One of the teachings that Buddha gave was that to achieve enlightenment, the disciples could use any means since the end was valid and for this reason Buddhism spread until it was built on various traditions and rites of Buddhism, among the most important are:
Theravada Buddhism: It is one of the main forms of Buddhism and the oldest that has existed today and is considered the closest to Buddhism. dharma, the traditions and rites of Buddhism that are practiced are those taught by Buddha, Theravada Buddhism is currently widely practiced in the countries of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
The most important monastic community of Theravada Buddhism is the Shanga, which is made up of monks and nuns who have a lower status and have few material goods, and also live in austere places. Following the eightfold path and the five precepts, this community of monks travel through various towns and teach the communities what is Dharma.
The monks are also teaching the scriptures of the Palio Canon and how to teach meditation since it is their main objective and contribution to humanity, since the constant practice of meditation will be able to empty the mind of the self and get closer to the path of enlightenment or the so-called Nirvana.
Although the monks pursue the perfect monastic life, the laity can also practice Theravada Buddhism, thus they have an important mission in helping the livelihood of the monks, so that they are in search of an ascetic way of life.
Mahayana Buddhism: Another branch of Buddhism is Mahayana, which is also defined as the great vehicle, and is another of the most important branches of Buddhism, but this branch spread throughout eastern India and is currently widely practiced throughout the Asian continent. , with more depth in the countries of Korea and China.
Mahayana Buddhism is very different from Theravada Buddhism, since instead of following the path to enlightenment, in this Mahayana Buddhism there is the certainty that Buddha is still here with us and always guides us to reach enlightenment.
In this Buddhism, the main objective is not to reach enlightenment, but rather to be aware that we have to help other people in their spiritual journey, since we can all be Buddhas and are revered as bodhisattvas who are beings who have been able to reach enlightenment and wisdom.
These people have known what nirvana is, they also have something very important that is compassion and other characteristics that are very important to fulfill the rituals of Buddhism such as generosity, morality, patience, energy, concentration and wisdom. Virtues that every disciple or person who wants to practice Buddhism must possess.
Pure Land Buddhism: this branch of Buddhism had its origin in China, from the practice of Mahayana Buddhism, it is currently widely practiced in China and Japan, but it is concentrated on making devotion to Amitabha, the Euda of infinite light, where he has the knowledge that he is the ruler of the paradise the Pure Land.
This religion has many rites of Buddhism, in addition to many spiritual techniques, since the disciples are able to escape the cycle of death and reincarnation in order to dwell together with Amitabha in the Pure Land and thus be able to achieve enlightenment, I know the text by which the disciples of this branch are guided is the text that was made in the first century, named The Lotus Sutra. Where the following is stated:
"The only true path is devotion to Amitabha"
Tibetan Buddhism: This branch of Buddhism has its origin in the XNUMXth century BC, but those who introduced them are the Indians in Tibet, although this branch of Buddhism is very different from the Buddhism that is practiced in other countries.
This type of Buddhism has an order of monks and a large number of rites of Buddhism as well as many religious practices of their own, they also use many mandalas as well as devotion to a guru. Many symbolic diagrams are used to carry out the meditation practice.
The most unique characteristic that Tibetan Buddhism possesses is that they have a method to appoint the lamas, who are the spiritual teachers and are the people who are most revered, since it is thought that these people have been spiritual leaders in lives. past and have their succession through the previous life, which is through reincarnation.
When a lama is near the end of his life, he begins to give a series of characteristics that he will have about his life in the next incarnation, and the followers after this lama begin to look for a child who has these clues in order to direct him to be the next lama.
Tantric Buddhism: this name comes from the tantras, in addition these became texts and are the most powerful tool to find the state of Buddha, since it means that it is possible to achieve Buddha nature more easily than in other branches of Buddhism, Many rituals, meditation, mandalas and even magic are included in this branch of Buddhism.
In Tantric Buddhism it is intended to reconcile the states and emotions of the practitioners and this forms the essential Buddha nature in all those who practice Tantric Buddhism venerate numerous Buddhas and bodhisattvas such as the Buddha of infinite light and Amitabha, and in every buddha they worship finds the nature of the first buddha. Tantric Buddhism is practiced in the following locations Tibet, India, China, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan and Mongolia.
Zen Buddhism: Zen Buddhism is another important branch of Buddhism that spread in China but had its greatest settlement in the sixth century, in Japan where it was given the name of Zen, it had a great impact in the following countries: China, Vietnam, Korea and Taiwan.
Zen Buddhism is oriented towards meditation, and the disciple must focus on reaching enlightenment, as well as knowing the value of experience over the scriptures that are known and the belief that human beings have that they are one with the cosmos and they will share everything that exists in it.
For the disciples in Zen Buddhism, it affects all aspects of the life of the disciples from the physical, intellectual and spiritual. For example, in Zen Buddhism, writing a poem or making a minimalist garden will be a very expressive activity in Buddhism. Among the schools that teach the philosophy of Zen Buddhism are the Rinzai and Soto schools.
Nichiren Buddhism: It is a philosophy of Buddhism that was practiced by the Japanese monk Nichiren, who founded the Buddhist school because he was moved by great faith in the spiritual power of the Lotus Sutra. This branch of Buddhism has a large collection of Buddhism rites and various teachings dating back to the XNUMXst century AD, and stands out against the other branches of Buddhism.
The monk Nichiren was convinced that the only way to attain the state of Buddha enlightenment was to study the Lotus Sutra. In this way he encouraged the disciples to sing the song “I take refuge in the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law”
Currently in Japan Nichiren Buddhism is still practiced as there are cultural movements that continue to support it as one of the main ways to achieve the state of Buddha thanks to the rites of Buddhism and the practices it has.
Soka Gakkai Buddhism: Founded in 1937 by two reformers of Japanese origin who were called Sunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, they founded the school of Buddhism also inspired by the knowledge and teachings of the Buddhist monk Nichiren. After Makiguchi's physical departure in 1944.
Soka Gakkai Buddhism was refounded as a religious sect called Soka Gakkai, like the other branch of Nichiren Buddhism, it is focused on the different rites of Buddhism and the many teachings that Nichiren Buddhism has.
Which is focused on the Lotus Sutra and ritual chanting, currently has more than twelve million disciples in Japan as its main point and the rest of the world since it has a very strong and objective proselytism.
Triratna Buddhist Community: The main creator of this Buddhist movement was the Buddhist monk Sangharakshita, who was born in England and founded the Triratna Buddhist Community, which previously bore the name of Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (AOBO).
All this Buddhist knowledge the monk obtained by studying in India and having great faith. When he returned to the United Kingdom in 1967, he had the goal of teaching others how to apply the knowledge and rites of Buddhism to the Western population of that time.
Although all disciples are ordained and must go through a process, they have the power to make the decision whether to lead a secular life or a monastic life. But all disciples must commit to abide by all the basic rules and principles of Buddhist philosophy.
This means that they must seek refuge in the three main jewels of Buddhism which are Buddha, Dhamma and Shanga and their main ideal is to reach the state of Buddha, and comply with the beliefs and rites of Buddhism whose mission is to fulfill all moral precepts, study and devotion.
The Triratna Buddhist Community today has millions of followers on the European continent, North America and in many parts of Australasia.
Buddhist religious rites
All Buddhist schools have Buddhist religious rites, as well as ceremonies and many other religious traditions. In countries where Buddhist philosophy is deeply rooted, they are represented by a large number of Buddhist rites, as well as a series of activities ranging from the simplest to the complex.
But they are based on Buddhist beliefs and the ideals that the Buddhist religion is pursuing. It is important to note that the Buddhist religion has a great wealth in the different rites of Buddhism that allow disciples and believers to experience with greater emphasis the state they want to reach, which is enlightenment, and thus be able to achieve the goal they want in their lives. . Among the main rites of Buddhism are the following:
Genuflections: It is a position that practitioners adopt that is generally based on reverence and worship, it is a ritual of Buddhism that is performed to worship the Buddha. This ritual is performed in two different ways:
The first form is going to be done while the practitioner or Buddhist monk is going to stop for a few moments and say the words “On Mani Padme Hum” since this phrase is well known and placing his hands together at chest height, after this he will rise above his head and have to take a step forward.
After this, he places his hands at face level, and begins to walk, then places his hands on his chest and takes a third step. Then he removes his hands and leans to the ground, returning to his knees so that he can then extend his entire body and take him to the ground. Finally he gets up and must repeat all these steps.
The second way to perform genuflections is by extending the whole body lying on the ground but on a carpet, genuflections are almost always performed in a monastery or any sacred place.
Although the first movements of the march are used, but in one place in this way of bowing, it is done in order to pay some commitment, it is also used to ask for protection, achieve happiness and remove suffering from people.
The rites of Buddhism that are described are used so that the monk or believer can cultivate a free spirit, a monk can perform about ten thousand bows where the body of the disciple manages to reach the ground and be barefoot with the aim of showing I respect.
Prayer wheel: It is also given the name of the prayer wheel, it is made in a kind of cylinder that is mounted on a base which is made of wood and copper.
On the outside of the cylinder is written the sacred phrase words “On Mani Padme Hum” and inside are a series of sentences that the practitioner himself may have written in order to achieve what he wants.
The disciple of the Buddhist religion, in order to make this object rotate, takes it by the base and turns it, it is very precise to make it rotate, so that he can recite the prayers or prayers and the more the object rotates, the Buddhist monk will be able to recite more times what he wants to manifest in his life. This will also allow the Buddhist monk to accumulate a lot of wisdom and to be able to cleanse his karma.
Fire Tributes: it is also known as Joma, Jomam or Javan. They are rites of Buddhism that are centered on burning presents and offerings in a great sacred fire to show respect.
It is based on performing a ceremony with the aim of burning the sacrifices in a sacred fire, this is one of the oldest and most sacred rites of Buddhism that exists today and is one of the most important that is preserved as a belief of great importance. .
They also begin to burn objects while reciting a series of sutras that corresponds to what the Buddhist monk wishes to manifest.
Liberation of animals: It is practiced by the monks who are found in the sacred temples of Tibet and are Buddhist rites where carving animals such as sheep and jaks are released. These animals are adorned with silk threads of different colors, which contain between three and five different colors. These animals are offered to Buddha and the mountain divinity.
When offered, they are free throughout the territory, and no one can hunt them or lock them up to eat them, since these animals must die of natural causes.
Peanut Stones: In countries where the religion of Buddhism is practiced, it is very common to see in the Temples and various sacred places where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced, a large number of slabs or ceramics where a series of sutras are carved.
They can always be found in piles but they are not ordered and do not have a special structure, since the pieces of slabs or ceramics are placed scattered on the banks of the roads that go to the Buddhist temples or monasteries and in the mountain passes. that are used to meditate and be able to reach the enlightenment of Buddha.
An important fact about the rites of Buddhism is that the largest wall of peanut stone bears the name of jiana and it has a height of four meters with about three hundred meters long and eighty wide.
It locates in Xinzhai Villag city which is one of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures in the ancient land of China.
Wind Horse: is known in Buddhist philosophy as the lungta and when translated into Spanish it means wind horse, it is made by a series of flags or banderillas that have various prayers written on them.
For practitioners of the Buddhist religion, these prayers symbolize the destinies of people, with the five elements of nature. The name of this Buddhist rite comes from the union between the horse and the wind.
It is told in the history of this Buddhist philosophy that both the horse and the wind are natural vehicles, since the horse is an animal that has the strength to be able to transport too many objects and intangible forms.
While the wind can transport those objects that are ethereal, that is, they have no form, such as prayers and prayers that are transported by the wind.
The banderillas that are used have a rectangular shape and are made of paper or cloth and are organized in five groups of colors, which have the objective of representing the elements of the cosmology of Tibet.
In addition, figures of animals are made or drawn that are intended to represent the five elements which are: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. And they are ordered from left to right in a specific way which is this:
- Blue that symbolizes and is related to the sky and space.
- White representing air and wind.
- Red related to fire.
- Green, symbolizing water.
- Yellow chosen to represent the earth.
The placement of these colored flags is done from a high place to a very low place, and they are tied between two objects, these Buddhist rites are always placed in the highest places such as the roofs of the monasteries or the temples.
As well as in the stupas that are Buddhist constructions where they store their most precious relics. In the same way they are placed between the steps that are in the mountains and in the monasteries.
For: It is one of the rites of Buddhism where it is allowed to make a spiritual consultation through the use of the dice, since the Buddhist master has permission to invoke his tutelary deity and can throw the Tibetan dice.
These results will give the Buddhism teacher the power to interpret the questions that the person asks, since they use the dice and a Tibetan diagram that is very similar to the mandala that has eight signs where the dice have to land. The numbers are converted into syllables where the dice land and thus an interpretation is made depending on where the dice land and what is written on the diagram.
Right turns: It is one of the most used and interesting rites of Buddhism since it is performed with the intention of avoiding the different diseases, catastrophes and dangers that may happen to practitioners of Buddhism. In addition, great merits and recognitions are achieved by being able to practice this rite. of Buddhism.
This rite of Buddhism is usually performed within Buddhist monasteries or temples where Buddha's disciples must perform several actions at the same time, in this way the disciple begins to recite a series of sutras while turning the prayer wheels and walk around the statues. In the direction in which they move clockwise.
Purification with Yamantaka: It is one of the rites of Buddhism addressed to a Buddha god, since this is known as the one who defeated death, since he has the power to be able to remove and end what can harm.
It is one of the rites of Buddhism where the Lama is in charge of invoking the Buddha and can perform the Buddhist ritual of energy cleansing using peacock feathers and kusha grass.
Christening: It is one of the rites of Buddhism whose essence is to purify and cleanse the mind of the disciple, each time he enters a new stage in the secret of the esoteric, in this way a Buddhist monk can be baptized several times.
Although in the Buddhist baptism rite, this can always change depending on the Buddhist master monk who performs it, however in some Buddhism rites when performing the baptism the monk must carry a bottle of water in his hand while contemplating the send it
While the Buddhist master is performing the baptism, the disciple being baptized must imagine that there are four dragons that are filling four bottles with water from their mouths and these will be poured over the head of the Buddhist apprentice.
According to the Buddhist rite, this will grant him a power and his mind will be purified in order to comply with the principles of Buddhist philosophy and reach the path of enlightenment or nirvana.
Confinement: This rite of Buddhism will have as its primary objective to make the disciple understand everything that Buddhist philosophy means, with this confinement he will break all contact with the outside world.
At this stage of the rite, the practitioner has the obligation to practice the mantras and prayers that are required for the Buddhist rite, which is generally contemplated and can last from several days to many years. Without being able to leave the temple or monastery for the necessary time.
This experience gives the Buddhist monk the opportunity to cultivate in his philosophy and thus obtain knowledge and wisdom, it is one of the rites that is performed several times depending on what the practitioner wants to do.
It is one of the rites of Buddhism where the practitioners carry out the esoteric secret, since when they begin to carry out this rite they have no more contact except with those monks who surround them, in addition to receiving their food at the entrance of the cave.
Since there is a guard who watches over his confinement and guards him for a certain time, so that he can finish the Buddhist rite and obtain the knowledge he wants.
Lasuosuo: according to the Tibetan language these words are used when the practitioner has passed through the mountains and the divine valleys, since it has the meaning of the God who has triumphed, it is a custom that in the ancient rites of Buddhism sacrifices are made towards the divinity of the mountain and the war.
Heart Sutra Puja: It is one of the rites of Buddhism that aims to receive a set of blessings from the Buddha, it is a rite considered very intense but at the same time very extensive, which lasts more than an hour of daily practice.
It is a ritual where you must sing sacred music and play the drums, in addition to praying with great faith, you must recite the mantra of the Heart Sutra. Which is also known as the Essence and Wisdom Sutra is one of the most important texts of the Buddhist religion. And it is the most used in the branch of Mahayana Buddhism.
This text is made up of fourteen Sanskrit verses or shlokas, and includes the mantra that is always recited in Mahayana schools of Buddhism, which reads as follows:
“Leave Leave
go high
Go to the top
Wake. So be it"
religious dance: Music, theater and dance are the arts that since ancient times have served to transmit and spread cultural customs and traditions. But when we refer to the philosophy of Buddhism, it has been considered that this is a way of life as practiced by the disciples.
That is why in the different monasteries the different religious dances are performed on important dates and for the religion of Buddhism they have a lot of meaning, an example of this is when the stories of the Buddha are told.
Also when they begin to tell the story of other bodhisattvas or saints of this religion in order to bless the moment, the year or the day, and thus be able to cleanse any karmic interference.
Similarly, it is very common that at the end of a year many religious dances are held in each of the Buddhist monasteries, and at that time the monks dress neatly and wear different masks and costumes of the Yak deity parading around the monastery.
The purpose of religious dances is to scare away all evil spirits at the end of the year, thus being able to start a new year free of bad omens and spirits.
Khanw Pansa and Ok Pansa: It is one of the Buddhist rites that is used the most in Thailand, and it is also a widely practiced rite in Theravada Buddhism, and this rite consists of a spiritual retreat that the monks will carry out when the rainy season arrives.
Or it takes place between the months of July to October, which is also known as Wassa in the Pali language or Pansa in Sanskrit. In this spiritual retreat, Buddhist monks retire or are kept within monasteries in order to cultivate and dedicate themselves to spiritual growth using constant study and meditation.
It is important to note that it is one of the oldest rites used by Buddhist monks dating back to the time of Buddha, and that was adopted by mendicant ascetics in India. That is, those people who decided to live without earthly pleasures, making abstinence a habit and only surviving on charity and alms.
At that time the monks did not undertake the trips in the rainy seasons because the situation and climate were very difficult, that is how this Buddhist rite was carried out, that is why the name of this tradition is Khaw Pansa (beginning of the retreat) and Ok Pansa ( end of retreat).
The Pilgrimage: It is one of the rites of Buddhism where practitioners climb the divine mountain to make a great tour of the entire lake, with this the monks intend to be able to receive the wisdom, protection and energy that these places provide.
Many Buddhist monks and practitioners of this Buddhist philosophy are certain that by performing this rite through the mountains and sacred lakes, they accumulate many merits in order to reach enlightenment or the path of Nirvana.
Buddhism cults and rituals
Buddhist philosophy is very rich in traditions and rites, but the initiation of a disciple must be carried out in a Buddhist school belonging to a branch of Buddhism and it is very common for the practitioner to go through phase or stages during the formation of a monk buddhist. Among the main rites of Buddhism we have:
The initiation ritual: an initiation ritual that the practitioner must carry out in the school where he has enrolled or belongs but to become a Buddhist monk he must prepare a lot in knowledge and meditation and this is done in several stages.
The first stage that the practitioner must face in order to become a Buddhist monk is the stage known as Pabbajja. It is a rite that is done to the practitioner when he is still a child because he must be eight years old.
At that time they must take him to the monastery on the exact date indicated by the horoscope, and the reason that it is the most favorable stage for the future practitioner of the Buddhist religion. And he considers himself as an already initiated disciple.
When he is taken to the monastery, he is well received by the monks who will present him with the three jewels that the Buddhist religion possesses, which are:
- Buddha, meaning enlightened beings. Acknowledge them as his teachers.
- Dharma, the teaching and understanding of the teaching of the Buddha.
- Sangha, the Buddhist community and join it.
After the practitioner of Buddhist philosophy has already understood everything about the three jewels of the Buddhist religion, he will be stripped of his clothes and given a yellow robe, then his head will be shaved to remove all his hair. and they will give the young practitioner the basic possessions that every Buddhist monk must have, which are the following:
- Three items of clothing.
- A belt.
- A needle.
- A razor they use to shave.
- A filter.
- Bowl for alms.
After you have already started, you will be told the five norms or rules that every practitioner of the Buddhist religion must comply with, and they are the so-called moral rules of Buddhism and that from that moment must be the rules that you must comply with throughout your life. and you must follow them with the greatest possible responsibility and they are the following:
- You will not take or destroy the life of sentient beings (humans and animals).
- You will not take things from others, that is, it is prohibited to misappropriate something (theft, fraud, fraud)
- Avoid misconduct that harms oneself or others.
- Do not lie, slander, gossip, speak rudely, etc.
- The consumption of any product that produces mental alterations is prohibited: legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, coffee, etc.
After finishing the first phase of initiation to Buddhism which is called Pabbajja. The practitioner of Buddhist philosophy must begin the second phase or stage called Upasampada, which must begin just when the first ends and this consists of the young Buddhist monk being assigned by a teacher with experience in Buddhism.
So that this teacher can guide the young practitioner of Buddhism in knowledge and learning, he will also teach him everything and how to respect the teachers of Buddhist philosophy.
It will also give him the necessary knowledge so that the young practitioner of Buddhism can acquire the necessary wisdom, as well as the security and compassion in which the monks of Buddhism believe and all this must be learned before he is twenty years old.
After learning all this, the practicing monk will be ready to perform a ritual where he will be called a monk of Buddhism and will be able to help other monks in their training.
Ritual of death: In the religion of Buddhism death is considered as a step for the soul to reach nirvana and is not considered bad or painful, for the philosophy of Buddhism the best way to die is when the person is in full knowledge of what it's going to happen to you.
That is why when considering death as the step towards a new life that is getting closer to nirvana. In the so-called rite of death or the funerary rite of Buddhism, it will always start with the rite of passage.
This rite will begin by reading the Bar-do'i-thos-grol or the Book of the Dead to the person who is about to die or who has already died. In this reading that is carried out, you will be given the keys that you must use and they will guide you during the intermediate state that is also called Bardo.
The Bardo is going to be the intermediate state between the two lives, and a funeral is going to take place that lasts forty-nine days. During this period, the relatives and friends of the deceased will give offerings to the spirit such as food and drinks.
In the religion of Buddhism, it is tradition to incinerate bodies, but there are some cases where water burials are carried out, or they decide to leave the body of the deceased in the deepest nature, so that it can decompose it.
After having spent the forty-nine days of burial, the funeral rites begin where they will prepare the body with formalin so that it can spend seven more days in the house of his relatives or his. Before being cremated.
At the time of having it in the house, a photo of the deceased and a few white candles should be placed on top of the coffin and family members such as those attending the funeral should be dressed in white shirts or very dark colored clothes (black).
After the full week has passed, they begin to pray to Buddha and a shroud will be placed on the face of the deceased, and then the shroud will be placed on the body and finally it is placed inside the coffin to be able to vigil it. .
Before the cremation of the deceased, some ceremonies and rites of Buddhism will be carried out in the house of the deceased, which must be open so that all the relatives and friends of the deceased can meet. The monks and teachers of Buddhism usually sing a series of songs in the stages of the ceremony that takes place.
In special cases, to honor the deceased, a man who is going to become a Buddhist monk or a woman who is going to become the white mother is chosen, but mostly this is done at funerals that are more traditional.
The man who was chosen must have his head shaved and will be dressed in the traditional clothing of Buddhist monks, and in the case of the woman, a white dress will be placed on her and she must avoid talking to and touching men in order to preserve her identity. state of purity.
In addition, the woman must remain behind the coffin and in her hands she will carry a white thread, which will represent purity and the path that the spirit of the deceased must follow.
One week after the cremation of the body of the deceased, one of the rites of Buddhism must be performed in honor of him, after forty-nine days of death have been completed, a farewell ceremony will be held for the deceased.
At the moment that the individual has already completed a year of death, a ceremony must be performed, and after three years the period of mourning ends with a great celebration.
In some branches of Buddhism the deceased will be given a funeral ceremony for the next seven years in a span of forty-nine days. And in the first year after the death of the individual, nothing should be done that can bring pleasure to the family of the deceased.
The rites of Buddhism in the new year
In many countries these festivities change the date, as is well known by many people in the best known example is that in many countries the year begins on January 1 as it is written in the Gregorian calendar, but in other countries this date changes by the traditions, beliefs and customs of its inhabitants.
In a specific case, the Tibetans, also known as losar, celebrate their new year between the months of January and the beginning of February, as can be seen, the date is not the most important thing in Tibetan culture, but rather to enjoy the experience of the different parties that take place, as well as the various rites of Buddhism that are present in each of the parties.
Although the festivals that take place in the Tibetan culture are of a family nature and that is why the rites of Buddhism are performed in a very intimate nucleus with the people closest to the family.
In a more precise example, there are many relatives who go to visit monks in monasteries and temples, there they make offerings and participate in various ceremonies and rites of Buddhism that are religious in nature.
Among the most popular rites of Buddhism on New Year's date is the water battle that takes place in the streets of the town, in this rite of Buddhism people begin to wet each other, with the water mixed with various powders of colors.
These colors that mix with the water have the objective of purifying and cleaning the sins of people, in order to start a new year with a good attitude, they also begin to clean the images of Buddha, whether in temples, monasteries or whatever. are found in houses.
They do it with aromatic waters or waters that have an essence in order to attract good luck and a lot of prosperity during the year that is about to start. Another very striking custom by Buddhist philosophy is to bring a handful of sand to the temples or monasteries of Buddhism as a symbol of dirt that has been carried throughout the year, demonstrating that it was the dirt that is carried on the feet throughout that year. .
These handfuls of sand are sculpted in a shovel in piles and colored flags are placed to decorate the sanctuary, another of the rites of Buddhism that is well known and practiced is the procession of the Buddhas that are found inside the monasteries and are carried by the population that sprinkles it with water in order to have benefits. Other end-of-the-year Buddhism rites are as follows:
The Nyi-Shu-Gu and the Losar: in the traditions of the end of the year in the Tibetan culture it has two very different components but that at the same time are very related, the first is about closing the previous year and giving a good closure to all those negative aspects and in this way being able to start a new year in the best way being a productive and very abundant year.
In the Tibetan language the word Losar tends to refer to the tradition where the new year is received, that is why the article Lo refers to the word year and the article sar it is focused on the new, but on the new and the abundant. On the other hand, the words yi-shu- which refer to the last days of the previous year.
Nyi-Shu-Gu: It is known as the twenty-ninth day, in this way the nyi-shu-gu consists of the purification of our houses and our bodies, eliminating all the negativity that we have, in addition to the obstacles, the impurities, the evils and the different diseases that They haunt us every moment.
In the rites of Buddhism, this is the day on which all the necessary rites must be performed in order to make the festivities to come better, since the first thing that must be done is a total cleaning, and it is a Tibetan tradition that the last day of the year you have to do a total cleaning of the site and of oneself.
With this Tibetan tradition, people begin to clean their house in a very deep way, after finishing such strenuous work they go to bathe and wash their hair since all people realize that they are very clean to receive the new year.
After finishing the cleaning day, with the bathroom included, the family begins to have fun eating an excellent dish of guthuk. After this, the ritual of banishing all evil spirits and poor health from homes begins.
The Guthuk: It is one of the rites of Buddhism used in food since it is a well-known noodle soup in Tibet, its full name is thukpa bhatuk, but it is called guthuk, and when it is eaten at night with other ingredients and some special items on the night of nyi-shu-gu.
The soup is prepared with small, shell-shaped noodles made by hand on the night of nyi-shu-gu. Other ingredients are usually added to this meal, such as: labu (Asian radish), dry cheese, chili peppers, peas, among others.
The soup, when adding the other ingredients, becomes the tasty guthuk and when they add the special touch to each dish. Inside the large plate of food there is a large ball of dough that is usually placed inside a paper with some symbol or with an object as a gift or as a statement or a mantra.
But it is made big enough so that it can be differentiated from the others and people will not eat it by mistake and also eat the content. Since the objects that are inserted inside the dumpling is done in the form of a joke.
Although most of the time the objects are positive, there are times when they place negative objects, for example they place a piece of coal and that is interpreted that the person has a heart of that color, but if they place a piece of wool inside the ball mass that means that the person is very kind.
During the preparation of the tasty guthuk food, there are innumerable different elements that can be introduced into the big ball of dough, and they can change one thing for another, it is even done in different regions and on various festivities.
The rite that is used to dissipate negativity and that works very well to get rid of bad spirits and bad energies, in addition to ill health in the home and in our body on that special night is called lue and trilue .
When reference is made to the lue, it is a figure of a man that is made in a toasted flour that can be wheat, barley or rice that is called tsampa. It is also mixed with water or tea. And this figure will represent everything that is not wanted in the home.
While the trilue are pieces of the same dough that will be given to each of the guests with the idea that it will dispel everything bad from misfortune to illness. These figures are prepared before the tasty guthuk food is ready.
What should be done is to make a little man, the masses should be the size of a ping pong ball, for each of the people who will be at the party and they are placed on a very old plate that does not have much value, since that at the end of the night this dish will go in the trash.
These figures are to be set aside until everyone has eaten the tasty Guthuk food. To then start opening their extra large balls of dough, part of the ritual that is performed is that they must not eat all the guthuk.
After finishing the meal, they are given the masses and the lue and trilue. They must squeeze them so hard that his hands destroy them and imprint with him. Then in the parts of our body that are affected or sore we must place it there and have a positive mind that it will disappear. While the person is doing this, they should say the following:
“Lo chik dawa chu-nyi
Shama sum-gya-druk-chu
Gewang parchey thamchey dokpa sho!”
It is translated into Spanish language means the following "A year has twelve months, 360 days. All obstacles and negativities, go away!" It is normal that in this festivity there is a bit of everything, like a lot of joy, but also a lot of sadness. The same happens when all the family and friends start to break the big balls of dough.
But all people have the desire to be completely healthy and free from any pain, after this you can place the dumplings or drilue in the plate with the lue, and empty the rest of the food from the soup and light a candle. .
Although this part of lighting the candle is not a tradition in many places, but what is normal and very repetitive is to light a small torch full of straw and go through the house with it to eliminate evil spirits, he does by walking around the house very carefully and repeating this phrase every time: “Thonsho ma!”. This word is translated as evil come out.
This rite is done with the purpose of getting the bad spirits out of the houses, and thus leave it clean of the bad energies and the evil spirits that could be inhabiting the house, this is also done with many prayers and prayers, while they leave touring all areas of the house.
After going through the house with the torch, it is placed away from the house in an opposite direction along with the plate so that everything is incinerated and eliminates all traces of bad energies that could be living inside the house.
But it is important that this ritual that is performed is more of the Tibetan people than a ritual of Buddhist philosophy, but it is performed in many places both in monasteries and by many Buddhist monks in order to clean up the place where they live.
After taking the torch out of the house along with the evil spirits, they get lost in the outside areas and do not know how to return home, and the family begins to enjoy a cleaner and healthier place, free of evil spirits.
Being the most ideal moment to start a new year and to focus all the positive energies in creating the best for the family and to receive a new year with a lot of health and a lot of prosperity.
The Lozar: Losar is celebrated in Tibetan Buddhism as the victory of good over evil, and is a very important day for disciples who practice Buddhism. One day before the new year, the monks of Buddhism begin to make cakes, breads, sweets and fruits on the family altars, in order to decorate since it is a very special date for Buddhist philosophy.
They also place what they call derga (cookies), chang (barley beer), a bush of wheat planted in a glass called loboe and a bow where flour and barley seeds are placed. This is done for fifteen days in a row to attract good luck and prosperity.
This celebration lasts approximately fifteen days and is one of the rites of Buddhism that lasts the longest, but the most outstanding days are the first three since the following is performed:
- First day: It is the day where the Buddhist monks begin the preparation of the drink called Changkol, also known as koenden, from charanga, a type of beer from Tibet, after that they prepare what they call khapse, a kind of biscuit with butter, cane sugar, egg and water.
After that, the donuts are fried and the different pork, Tibetan yak and sheep dishes are prepared. And the offerings to the deities of Buddhism are also being prepared. All the food is placed in wooden containers that have different colors.
All these rites of Buddhism are celebrated in the family, the neighbors are also invited, the women must get up early to be able to use the first water of the river in the new year. This water is placed inside an altar to be offered to the Buddha to bring peace in the new year.
The children are dressed in new clothes and all the monks with their families will exchange New Year's greetings by affirming the following phrase Tashi Delek (Blessings and good luck).
- Second day: The second day of this Buddhist ritual is called Gyalpo Losar or Losar Rey, it is a very important day since it is reserved to be able to start a conversation with the Dalai Lama and other leaders from different localities to talk about the path of enlightenment and the nirvana.
- Third day: it is a day that is known as the Losar Protector, a day where the monks of Buddhism together with the disciples begin to visit all the monasteries and temples and make offerings at the altars of the Buddha and to the different protectors of the Dharma, along with this too They hoist the prayer flags or the best-known horses to the winds, another of the rites of Buddhism that was explained above. From this day is that the festivities of the new year begin.
The rites of Buddhism to call prosperity
As has already been seen throughout the article, there are many rites of Buddhism, in addition to the different ceremonies and traditions that you have in this Buddhist philosophy, but it is so since it is very old and the followers of Buddhism have followed all these traditions without fainting for that is the fourth religion in the world with more followers.
A series of Buddhist rites are also performed to call prosperity and wealth, but one of the most used Buddhist rites to attract wealth is to place the Golden Buddha or the Money Buddha, it is a figure of Buddha where he holds in one hand a gold ingot, and in the other hand he carries a large bag.
The Golden Buddha figure has the objective of exalting the ability of people to give and receive, in this way it attracts good energies and opens the way for money and wealth to flow.
Buddha Money Ritual: In order to perform the money ritual for Buddha, it must be placed to the left of the house, after that make offerings of rice, fruits and several coins as an offering, this will attract a lot of abundance and riches, but very important in the ritual of Buddha's money is to do the prayers daily for it to come true. Buddha's prosperity prayer is as follows:
“O mighty and great Buddha,
you come to me now
by the mighty power
to completely improve my luck,
to remove everything that hinders me,
well i know you will help me
in everything I ask of you,
and you will watch over me
giving me protection and happiness
In the name of God
for his infinite goodness and mercy.
Great Buddha Spirit elevated and pure,
send your light from infinite space
where do you have your abode,
give us what we ask
and light our way.”
Many people have stated that by repeating the prayer with faith, he should imagine that money and riches are coming so it will work better, while other people say that it is best to spread the offerings that are given to the Golden Buddha all over the room. house to fulfill what is asked of him.
But what is real is that for this ritual of Buddhism it has many variations but they ensure that prosperity comes if you do it with faith, in these ways they all do the following: place the image of the golden Buddha on the left. Taking into account the opening of the main door of the house and placing the five elements around the image, which are the following:
- Fire: it can be a candle or sandalwood incense preferably.
- Earth: a quartz of any size.
- Metal: three Chinese coins joined with a red ribbon, making sure that the yang side of them, the one where four engraved Chinese characters appear, is facing up.
- Water: a cup or glass of water, which must be changed daily. This can be taken or poured into a fish tank or fountain.
- Wood: a Chinese bamboo or a flower can be placed.
Laughing Buddha Rite: it is the so-called fat Buddha or the Buddha of the smile, it is used to activate prosperity, but also happiness, with this Buddha you can have it in your home or in your business, it is one of the most widespread Buddha figures for being very nice, besides being one of the most popular that exist.
With the ritual of the smiling Buddha it is possible to attract happiness and prosperity but it can be done on two dates of any month and that is when the new moon enters or when it is full moon.
Practitioners of Buddhist philosophy usually activate it in order to have prosperity, but depending on what you want, you will have to use the color and essence, but the following is recommended:
- Prosperity: use essence of tangerine, cinnamon or coconut and orange or yellow candles.
- Health: essence of eucalyptus, lemon, mint or pine and green or white candles are used
- Love: the essence of cinnamon, orange blossom, cloves, jasmine or roses is appropriate. Usually pink or red candles are used
The best time to perform the ritual of the smiling Buddha is at night when you enter the new moon or the full moon as said before, the first thing to do is a letter and place everything on it. you want to attract for your life be it prosperity, love or health.
The examples that we give you in this article are the following, if you want to write to attract the love of your life you must write in the following way “giving thanks for the perfect partner that will come to you, full of love and respect to give you”
If you want to make a letter demanding that prosperity come into your life, you must write as follows "I give thanks for the money received, thank you for everything you have granted me, great smiling Buddha and for the money received and you place the amount always giving thanks"
One of the most interesting points that are made in the rites of Buddhism is when they ask the great smiling Buddha for health since many people are suffering from a number of diseases and the specific example is this: he gives thanks that he has perfect health, healthy cells, a body in perfect condition and a great deal of energy every day.
In this block it is emphasized that only examples are placed, but you, dear reader, can write the letter as you wish, but always asking for thanks is the best way. After finishing the letter you must rub the candles of the color you want to request in order to do the ritual and only ask with faith that it will be fulfilled.
After you have already asked, light the candle and leave it lit, dedicate some time to meditate without anyone interrupting you and to end the rite, burn the letter for what you asked for, it only remains between the great smiling Buddha and you.
Buddhism Festival
It is also known as the Losar, but the festivities depend on the country where they are located, since the rites of Buddhism tend to change a bit according to the area, although the months are starting in January and lasting until the beginning of February, these festivities They include a number of Buddhist rites, among the main ones we have the following:
Vesak or Buddha Day: It is considered the most important day for monks and practitioners of Buddhism, and this ritual is celebrated in the month of Mato when the full moon appears. Vesak is the celebration of three transcendental moments, the birthday, illumination and death of Siddhartha Gautama, That is why it is one of the most important Buddhism rites there is.
It is celebrated by all the branches of Buddhism that exist today, and it has been designated since 1950, but before it was celebrated, what happens is that that year is taken as a reference because the conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists was held. .
In this conference, the commitment of Buddhist monks to take the determination to live with simplicity and nobility, but working on the development of the mind practicing kindness, love and always seeking peace in all existing conditions is taken as a main point. .
Magha Puja Day: in this ritual it is done in the form of a celebration since it is the first sermon that Buddha gives to a considerable number of disciples, since it is said that there were more than 1200 disciples who heard the sacred words of Buddha.
From that moment, the establishment of the main objectives of Buddhism and the great general objective that is to reach nirvana was announced, this ritual is also of great importance for Buddhism, it is celebrated on the full moon but in the third lunar month.
By doing it at the right time, the practitioner can cleanse his spirit and his mind and thus avoid committing sins, in countries like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, in Tibet it is known as the Chotrul Duchen festival; It is also celebrated in other countries of Southeast Asia.
Uposatha: It is a ritual that is celebrated during the full moons according to the Buddhist tradition in a lunar month there can be between two and six Uposatha. This term means fasting day or fasting all day, for Buddhist monks a fast is from sunrise to noon, where they can eat food again.
Doing this fast allows you to be more faithful to the philosophy of Buddhism and increase your devotion to the Buddha, it can also renew the practice of the Dharma.
Songkran: It is the New Year's party in Thailand but it is celebrated in the month of April between the 13th and 15th. It is one of the most famous rituals for the battle of colored water that they use and because it lasts three days in a row.
But on those days there are also many family reunions and they renew family and love ties and honor the oldest by performing cultural ceremonies and great ancestral rituals.
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