In the different religions that exist in the world, one of the ones that stands out the most is Buddhism, in this article we are going to talk about all the Rites of Buddhism, so do not miss out on knowing them.
Buddhism rites
The rites or ceremonies are acts that are done through many years without suffering variations in their culture or religion, in Buddhism they are more of a teaching of philosophy and spirituality that were transmitted by Buddha. Their rites and celebrations are intended to commemorate specific moments of initiation, death, new year, etc.
What are the Rites of Buddhism?
Buddhism is more than a religion, because it is very rich in various beliefs, rituals, practices, celebrations and ceremonies that are very showy. Many of the teachings given by the Buddha are honored and commemorated in these Buddhist rituals. As a religion, Buddhism is very rich, exotic and full of many mysteries, its philosophy is wonderful since it teaches you to live life.
The founder of Buddhism was called Siddharta Gautama, also known as Sakyamuni since he was a young man who belonged to the Sakya tribe, he was born in Kapilavastu, his year of birth and death being unknown, he himself took the name of Buddha, which means The Enlightened One or Awakening, and began to preach his teachings in Varanasi and throughout Northeast India.
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama lived between the 40th and XNUMXth centuries before Christ, of ascetic origin, he became a yogi, medicine man, philosopher and sage, and with his teachings he founded Buddhism, his teachings were imparted to northwestern India for more than XNUMX years. years, which were based on suffering and how to end it to reach Nirvana.
Originally, he was part of an aristocratic family, a life he renounced to become a beggar, and after doing meditations and living as an ascetic, he managed to find a new spiritual rebirth. It is believed that his mother died when he was born, his name Siddhartha means "the one who achieves his purpose".
According to many historians, it was a hermit named Asita, who analyzed the 32 marks of the child and predicted that he could well become a great king or a holy man, this prediction would be repeated again through various scholars, later Kaundinya a young Brahmin was the one who predicted that he would become a Buddha.
The first people who wrote about Gautanma did so as that of a man seeking a spiritual goal, for which he became an ascetic or Sramana, after being disappointed in lay life. But biographies that came out later establish a point of view of more drama in making this decision, to be an ascetic beggar. The oldest known accounts of this spiritual quest by Gautama were found in the Ariyapariyesaná-sutta or Discourse on the Noble Quest.
There they detail that his renunciation of a life of privileges was because he contemplated old age, illness and death, and thought that for all of them there was an escape, which he called Nirvana. When he left, his father and his stepmother cried inconsolably over this decision. Siddhartha lived as a prince until he was 29 years old in Kapilavastu until he had the incident of the four encounters, where he saw that through riches and material goods it was not what he wanted for his life.
The incident of the four encounters happens one day when he left his palace to see how the subjects lived, and on the way he came across a very old man, then a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic. These encounters lead him into a great depression, for which he wanted to overcome aging, illness and death, becoming an ascetic.
He went out on a horse and began to have a life as a beggar. According to historians, he began to meditate with yoga with Master Arada Kalama, later he went with Master Udaka Ramaputa, with whom he came to have states of consciousness that he called the sphere of neither perfection nor non-perception.
From all these teachings he always ended up dissatisfied and went to other places to seek new knowledge, in the life of ascetics, eating the minimum of food and controlling his breathing. In a meditative state he saw an image of his father in a plowed field and saw that he was blissful. There he discovers the meditative abstraction that he called Dhyana and he knew that this was the true path to awakening and not the extreme ascetic life that he led.
So he thought that there was a middle way, moderate, that did not go from hedonism or opulence to mortification, he called this middle way "The Noble Eightfold Path". On a full moon night he sat under a fig tree or Bhodi, from which he said that he would not get up until he found the truth, some of his followers abandoned him because they thought he had abandoned what he was seeking.
He spent weeks under the tree, he spent 49 days there and he was already 39 years old, when he reached what I call awakening or Bodi, and that is how he felt that he had completely liberated himself. This event took place in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, since then it was when he began to be called the Buddha or the awakened one, which can also be translated as the enlightened one.
According to very old texts, when one becomes a Buddha it is because the person has achieved three supreme knowledges: remembering the previous lives he had, having the divine eye that allows him to know the karmic destiny and because he has removed from his mind all the elements that intoxicate you. When he comes to his awakening he understands what causes the suffering and knows how it can be eliminated.
This understanding is known as the four noble truths, when they are known and mastered, a supreme state of liberation better known as Nirvana is reached, and he knew that all human beings could reach it. For the Buddha, Nirvana was finding perfect peace of mind where one is free from ignorance, greed, hatred and any other state of pain that affects the mind.
After his awakening he began to have disciples to whom he taught all his knowledge, thus forming the Buddhist community. For 45 more years Buddha traveled throughout the Ganges plain, together with his sangha, teaching all people from sweepers to nobles, murderers like Angulimala and even the cannibal Alavaka, he had patronage of kings like Kosala and Magadha. Years later even his father converted to Buddhism.
The entrance of women to the order of Buddha, had a bit of discussion, since the first woman to want to follow the sangha was Buddha's stepmother, Mahaprajapati Gautami, but she is rejected, she and other women follow Buddha in his travels and they end up cutting their hair and wearing the robes, until five years later Buddha agrees to the ordination of female nuns, since he thought that men and women could have the same ability to reach awakening, although they must follow 8 additional rules called gurudharmas.
After 20 years of teaching he managed to settle or establish himself in Sravasti, capital of the Kingdom of Kosala, where he would spend his last years, the sangha continued to grow, so rules had to be established that were developed by the Buddha himself, these were written down in the Pratimoska and were recited every two weeks by the community. In the Pratimoskas all the precepts or general ethical norms are established, the rules of leading a life in a monastery, carrying bowls and robes.
Buddha continued to age but he did not stop teaching, he was already beginning to have back pain, and he began to relegate his teachings to several disciples, in order to rest, but a cousin and disciple of his named Devadatta wanted to assume the leadership of the Sangha, failing to do so. he separates from it along with a group of followers and forms his own order.
Already old and sick Buddha decides that he cannot promote a successor for the sangha, but that all of them should lead a life as islands for themselves, that they should be their own refuges. Perhaps he dies of a mesenteric infarction typical of old people. The last disciple of his initiated in his order was Subhadda. After his death he was honored with flowers, music and scents, his body was cremated, his remains were kept as relics and distributed to various parts of India.
For many historians and people interested in Buddha, the understanding of karma and rebirth are parts of life itself, Buddha explained that dying and being reborn (samsara) is only part of Dukkha and the primary objective is to release the cycle. Karma was a form of mental intention, where all thoughts, words and actions come from a moral value, which is positive or negative and behind all of them there is an intention.
Every karmic act that we have in this life affects the rebirth in a good or bad way, that's why I list many of the causes that lead to pain and pleasure, which can be physical or environmental along with karma.
- Buddha teaches a transcendent goal that a layman can also achieve worldly happiness.
- A lay person behaves through six basic relationships: parents and children, teachers and students, husband and wife, friends and friends, employers and workers, lay followers and religious guides.
- Buddha teaches that there are two types of happiness, the visible in life and is achieved by constant effort, protection, good friends and a balanced life; and happiness in the afterlife which is achieved through faith, moral discipline, the precepts, generosity and wisdom.
- Buddha said that for a good rebirth it was necessary to cultivate healthy karma or kusala and avoid negative karma or akusala. For good karma three actions must be done, which are donations, moral discipline and meditations.
- The development of the mind is essential to achieve the spiritual path and meditation practices must be included in this.
- Buddha teaches that one must reflect on the dangers of having sensual pleasures, since these are the origin of conflicts in human beings.
- Happiness can be achieved outside of sensual pleasures and by delighting in higher spiritual pleasure.
- Dhyana is the fundamental meditation in the teachings of the Buddha, when we train with dhyana all sensory impressions can be withdrawn to achieve the perfect state of equanimity and awareness.
He is named Buddha since this means the awakened one. He managed to travel throughout the Ganges plain, imparting his teachings and forming his new community in which men and women could be included, many of them became monks while others lived as laymen.
In his teachings he sought a middle ground between sensual pleasure and strict asceticism. In the search for his spiritual path certain ethical and meditation practices and trainings had to be done and he was always against the practices of the priests to kill animals to make sacrifices. All his teachings were compiled when he died, among them his speeches or Sutras and the monastic codes or Vinayas, then they were transmitted through Pracritic dialects, and spread throughout India.
Types of Rites of Buddhism
It is known that Buddhism was born in India between the 7th and 500th centuries BC, and it spread to many parts of Asia, so much so that today it is the fourth religion with the most followers worldwide. It is estimated that approximately XNUMX percent of the planet's population practices Buddhism, that is, we are talking about XNUMX million people.
More than a religion, it is a philosophy of life, since it manages to reach the weak points of people, so that they can overcome them and become stronger through meditation, in order to reach supreme wisdom. It has a series of rules that every individual must do and follow to have his pure soul, following spiritual exercises that make him recognize, accept and change his mistakes.
All the rites of Buddhism are done to promote how to recognize the potential of each human being and that they reach wisdom. For this they must manage to reach Nirvana, which is the way to release desires, achieve individual consciousness and achieve reincarnation. Buddhism is divided into the following branches:
- Theravada: Also called the School of the Elders, it began in Sri Lanka and is one of the most conservative branches in terms of doctrines or Dhamma and monastic discipline. His doctrine is centered on the Nikayas contents of the Pali Canon.
- Mahayana: Also called the Great Way, this branch is more open as it accepts other texts and teachings as it is not centralized or rigid.
- Vajrayana: it is like an appendix of the previous one, in it the use and practices of various techniques called Upaya are made, which are practices of esotericism, mantras, dharanis, mudras, mandalas, etc.
In each of the branches the rites can be different, since each one of them has different visions and beliefs about how each ritual should be done. Their beliefs are based on all the teachings of Buddha, who although he is not considered a god, is the primordial figure that is worshiped by all Buddhists, monks and laity, and to whom all parties are held. Buddhism focuses on three fundamental aspects:
devotion: this represents more than anything a dedication to become a high, to do it the person must have commitment, transcendence and above all love. The first refers to the fact that the person must be constant and focused on their commitment to transform themselves spiritually through daily work, which must be solid, safe and free.
Transcendence refers to the attitudes that must be taken towards life and in the transformation of priorities to go further and achieve a broader vision of the entire universe on day-to-day concerns and to be able to take them to all social aspects, political and environmental.
The third factor that is love, contemplates that this is the one that unites commitment and transcendence, it is through love that relief can be felt in the face of suffering, hence devotion must be done with love since it inspires practice and it consolidates the way in which the heart opens and the path of Bodhisattva or Buddha begins.
Contemplation: by doing the practice of contemplation you can reach the goal of absorbing knowledge and having mental concentration, here meditation is done to achieve wisdom and mental strength.
Experimentation: at this point it is about carrying out the activities and rituals that exist in Buddhism, and being part of each of them in an active way to achieve what you want.
By having many days considered special during the year, rites will always be celebrated that are generally happy and where all people go to local temples, most Buddhists use the Lunar calendar for their festivals, that is why vary from country to country, the Japanese generally use the solar calendar.
Buddhist Religious Rites
These are classified through various activities or actions that Buddhists must do, which are based on their beliefs and religion. Buddhism is fascinating because it is rich in its rituals, it allows all its followers to experience it with energy so that they can achieve their goal, which is wisdom.
Buddhism does not manifest itself as a religion but rather as a philosophy that only wants to find the weaknesses of the person and make him stronger by doing meditation and seeking supreme wisdom. It is through this ideology that they have several rules and rites that allow the person to purify their soul, follow the Buddhist path of spiritual purification and enlightenment, which over time allows all of them to be understood in a direct and personal way. the mistakes that people make and achieve their full transformation.
All the rites pursue a single purpose and that is that the person reaches the understanding of their potential to reach wisdom, that is why they seek to achieve the liberation of desires, achieve individual consciousness and reincarnation, in order to access Nirvana. Within these important rites we can find:
genuflections
It is the way in which one reveres and worships, it is a ritual performed by monks and all those who practice Buddhism to honor the Buddha, it can be done in two ways:
- The first is doing the march, in which the person must stop and make the recitation of "On Mani Padme Hum", which is a universal mantra, to do so the hands are placed together at chest level, which are raised to put them on top of the head and then take a step forward. Then the hands are lowered to the face, another step forward is taken, then we bring the hands to the chest and the third step is taken. Later we separate the hands and incline the body towards the ground and on our knees we begin to extend the whole body until our forehead touches the ground, this movement is repeated several times.
- The second way is to spread the body out on a mat on the floor, inside a monastery or a holy place, and do the walking movements but in one place. This second form is made by those who make a commitment, those who ask for protection, happiness or to remove some suffering. With this ritual the spirit can be cultivated by making ten thousand reverences where the body touches the ground and bare feet are kept, as a sign of respect.
Prayer wheel
It is better known as the prayer wheel, it is a cylinder that is on an axis, made of wood and copper, like the wheel of a cart, on the outside it has the mantra of Om Mani Padme Hum, and inside it is place the paper with the other prayers or mantras.
This wheel is rotated and this has a great value since then you must recite the prayers or mantras. The more it turns, the more times the prayers must be recited, this allows them to have more wisdom and in the process the karma is cleaned. In Buddhist temples you can find many prayer wheels, there are some that have thousands of them.
fire tributes
They are recognized as Joma, Jomam or Javan, and they are rituals that are carried out around a group of people and a consecrated fire is offered. This is based on making fire sacrifices, it is a ritual of thousands of years which in some of the branches is of the utmost importance. When this rite is done, the corresponding Sutras must be recited.
animal liberation
This is done in places near the Buddhist temples of Tibet and the animals that are released are Yaks and sheep. They can walk freely, after they are adorned with various silk threads ranging from three to five different colors, as well as red cloth ribbons.
They are offered as gifts to the images of Buddha and the sacred Mountain, without harming the spaces, no one can harm anyone or make sacrifices, since the animals must die naturally.
peanut stones
These are a series of stones stacked in mounds without any specific order or structure, as they are placed along the banks of roads, rivers or in rural towns and villages. We can find them in sacred places and in the streets of Tibet, where the stones are also carved with different Sutras.
The ritual is that when a Buddhist or practitioner passes by, they must leave a stone in the pile and say the Sutra. It is a practice that has been going on for thousands of years, so there are already piles of stones that are walls, and we find them very close to the monasteries and in the footsteps of people in the mountains. The best known of them for its extension is the Jiana wall, which is already 4 meters high, 300 meters long and more than 80 wide, you can find it in the town of Xinzhai Village in the Tibetan Prefecture of Yushu (in China).
wind horse
In their language they are known as Lung Ta and they are prayer flags, the practitioners of Buddhism call it the symbol of the destiny of man and the five elements of nature. Its name derives from the wind and the horse, which are the way nature serves as a vehicle. The horse can transport everything that is tangible and material, and the wind is ethereal, therefore the prayers that are made will be carried by the wind.
The flags are made in the shape of a rectangle, either on cloth or paper and are organized in groups and by colors, which interprets the cosmogony of Tibet, they can have figures such as animals which are the representation of the five elements: metals, wood , water, fire and earth. These have an order from left to right and a specific way to place them:
- The blue color that is related to and symbolizes the sky and space
- The white color symbolizing air and wind
- The red color that is fire
- The green color that is water
- The yellow color that is the representation of the earth.
They should be hung in a diagonal line starting from the highest place to the lowest and tied in the center of two objects. They can be seen in temples, stupas, mountain passes and in monasteries.
Mo
This ritual is to make inquiries through the use of dice, the person who throws them or teacher must first make the call to his tutelary deity (which would be his guardian angel for Catholics) and throws the dice Tibetans, depending on what comes out, interpretations are made that are the answers to the questions that the person being consulted has.
These are made up of two dice and a Tibetan diagram that looks like a mandala, in it there are eight symbols, where the dice are allowed to fall. The number that comes out is taken to a syllable of the Tibetan diagram and its symbol.
turns to the right
This rite of Buddhism is done by people in order to fall ill, prevent catastrophes or calamities from happening, and also with them the merits are made and gathered. It is done in monasteries, and it is made up of several movements that are done at the same time. The person must recite the sutras while turning the prayer wheels and going around the statue, always in a clockwise direction, that is, to the right.
Purification with Yamantaka
By the name of Yamantaka, Buddha is known as the conqueror of death, the one who can remove and remove anything that hurts. The ritual is performed by a Lama who invokes the Buddha and performs the ritual of energy cleansing through the use of peacock feathers and a herb known as Kusha. In cleaning, use is made of the four elements: water, air, earth and fire, it begins by cleaning the mouth and then the energy field, sealing it and also serving to have protection in the future.
This practice has become common to use since people manage to get out of physical and even depressive illnesses, which has been confirmed.
Christening
It is done to cleanse and purify the mind, and they are done as many times as a monk wants to learn a new stage of the esoteric secret. It varies depending on the teacher who does the baptism, the best known is the one where a mandala is seen, holding a bottle in hand. While doing this the person must see or imagine the four dragons filling four bottles with water from their mouths, which are then poured onto the apprentice's head. With him it is wanted that the baptized person have the power of Buddhism and that his mind be purified.
Confinement
With this ritual it is possible to understand Buddhism, but any contact and relationship with the outside world must be removed, the practitioner of Buddhism must recite the mantras, these are done in stages which vary in duration, some can be days but there are others that take years, and during it you cannot leave the monastery. With this activity the person is cultivated, acquires a greater understanding and wisdom, but it is not done only once in life but several times.
This ritual is one of those that are part of the esoteric secret of Buddhism, when the practitioner locks himself up he no longer has contact with any person, the food is brought to the entrance of the cave, by a guardian of the enclosure, who must guard to the practitioner all the time.
lasuosuo
This is a word used by the Tibetans when they go through the mountains or the sacred valleys, its meaning is the God has triumphed. Its use comes from the heritage left since ancient times by those who made sacrifices to these divinities. Of the mountain and those of the war.
Heart Sutra Puja
This ritual seeks to obtain the blessings of the Buddhas, it is an intense and long ritual of more than an hour. In it, sacred music should be sung and drums played, while praying and reciting the mantra of the Heart Sutra.
This mantra or Heart Sutra is also called the Essence of Wisdom Sutra, and it is written in the Buddhist religion, it is used in the Mahayana school, it has fourteen verses that are in the Sanskrit language or Shlokas, and it must include A mantra that is recited in all Mahayana schools, called the Devanagari, is written like this:
गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा
Its meaning is to go to the top, wake up, so be it.
religious dance
Since ancient times, art: music, dance and theater have served to transmit culture, spread it and keep customs and religion alive from generation to generation.
In the many monasteries found in Tibet, traditional dances are performed, which are performed on dates that are of importance and that have great value for Buddhism. They tell the stories of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas or holy beings, the blessings of places, of the day or of the year, to cleanse and remove karmic energies.
At the end of the year many of these religious dances are held, both in monasteries and in cities, the monks usually dress and wear masks in honor of the Yaks which are considered deities, and follow their parade around the monastery. With them they remove or drive away the bad spirits that the year that is ending has left behind so that the next one can be received already purified and clean.
Khaw Pansa and Ok Pansa
This ritual is from Thailand and of those who practice Theravada Buddhism, in it the monks make a three-month spiritual retreat, in the rainy season (July to October), it is known as the Wassa in the Pali language or Pansa Sanskrit. The monks must be kept in a monastery and during that time they do meditations to grow spiritually and do constant studies. Khae Pansá means the beginning of the retreat, and Ok Pansá means the end of the retreat.
This ritual is very old, it is believed that it comes from the time when Buddha lived, it was adopted by the ascetics of India, that is, those people who moved away from the pleasures of life, live in abstinence and only live from the alms that people give him, these trips began in the season of intense rains.
Pilgrimage
It is a trip that is made to the sacred mountain and a tour is made all around the lake, it is made to ask for protection, for wisdom and for more energy, since the mountains and the sacred places make them earn more merits.
Cults and Rituals of Buddhism
Buddhism is a culture rich in religious rituals and ceremonies, some come from ancient traditions and with them they seek to achieve and experience their beliefs, gain wisdom and a greater understanding of Buddhism.
Initiation Ritual
This ritual will depend on the school of Buddhism to which the believer belongs, the most common is the one that is done in two stages or phases. The first of them is the stage of Pabbajja, it begins when the believer is 8 years old, the child is taken to the monastery on a date which is indicated by the horoscope to do the initiation. There the monks receive him and they will give him three jewels of the Buddhist religion:
- Buddha, the enlightened being whom you must recognize as your teacher
- Dharma or teachings and understanding of what the Buddha taught
- Sangha or the Buddhist community to which it is going to be integrated.
Later he is stripped of his clothing and given a yellow robe, his head is completely shaved, and all his positions are handed over to the Buddhist monks: three pieces of clothing, a belt, a needle, a razor, a filter, a fan and a bowl to receive alms.
They teach you the five main rules of Buddhist morality, which will be part of your life and that you must follow to the letter with great responsibility:
- They must not take or destroy any kind of human or animal life.
- They should not take other people's things, that is, they should not steal, cheat or commit fraud.
- They must avoid misconduct that will harm themselves or others.
- They must not lie, slander, gossip, swear.
- They cannot consume any type of drugs, even if they are legal, nor alcohol or coffee.
The second stage or phase is called Upasampada, and it begins just when the Pabbajja ends, in which a senior Buddhist monk is assigned who must teach him all the precepts that the initiate must respect. Likewise, everything is taught so that they may acquire wisdom, compassion and security in what they are believing. Before they reach the age of 20, they must be convinced to continue and that is when the ritual to name him a monk is performed.
It is also known as the Rite of Chod, it is definitely an esoteric ritual and typical of Tibetan Buddhism, but it is a closely guarded secret between the master and the apprentice.
ritual of death
In Buddhism, death is an essential step for the soul to reach nirvana, this process is not painful or bad. A Buddhist thinks that the best way to die is in which the person is aware of what is going to happen to him, and that is why the closest people are needed, this is a step to start a new life closer to nirvana.
Death is transformed into something that is part of the cycle of life and that should not be feared, since it is not the end of the road but a natural process, which is universal and cannot be avoided, in this ritual. It is not well seen that people cry or lament.
It is through death that a new life can begin, which will have many repetitions until Nirvana is achieved. In this case, the person has already managed to learn and have enough wisdom in his spirit to be able to see the truth, what is real. For Nirvana there is no complete explanation of what it is since it is difficult to understand just as it is difficult to understand the truth
The death ritual or the Buddhist funeral rite begins with the rite of passage, which consists of reading the Bar-do´i-thos-grol, the book of the dead, is done when the person is about to die or who just passed away. When doing the reading, you are given the guiding keys for the Bardo, which is nothing more than an intermediate stage between the two lives, in this period a funeral is made that lasts 49 days and where family and friends give you food and drinks. offerings to the spirit of the deceased.
In general, the bodies are cremated, but there are cases in which they are buried in water or simply leave the body in nature to decompose naturally. After 49 days of burial, funeral rites begin with the preparation of the body in formalin, so that it can spend seven days inside the house in which it lived, before proceeding to cremate it. This step is called Gnan Sop.
The coffin must bear a photo of the deceased, candles and those who attend the funeral must wear a white shirt or dark clothing. When the established days pass, Buddha is prayed and a shroud is placed on the face of the deceased, then the body is placed in a coffin to make the wake.
Before the cremation several ceremonies are made, the house of the deceased must remain open so that the relatives meet. The monks chant at several of these ceremonies. As a way of honoring the deceased, a man is chosen to be a monk or a woman to become a white mother. The man who is chosen must shave his head and wear a traditional dress, but the woman who is chosen only dresses in white, she must not speak or touch men so that she remains pure.
These people must be in the back of the coffin and in their hand they must carry a white thread, which is the path that the deceased's mistress must follow. A week after being cremated or incinerated, another ceremony is held in honor of the deceased and 49 days later a final farewell is made. A year after the death, another ceremony is held and then on the third anniversary of death, which is when the mourning period is completed.
There are towns that hold a celebration every year for seven years and others where one is held every seven years for 49 years. During the first year of the death, no family member should participate in celebrations where they will have celebrations or pleasure.
Buddhism rites for the new year
In the new year, which in most countries is the first of January of each year, in Asian countries it is different according to customs and traditions and also because of their beliefs. For the Tibetans this rite is called Losar and it is done between January and February, but the important thing is not on what date it is done, but how the festival is going to be done and what rituals will be done in it.
The parties are held in the family, and therefore the ritual can vary, for that reason they are held in privacy and those closest to them, visits to temples are made, gifts are given and some religious ceremonies are performed. One of these rituals is the so-called Water Battle that takes place in the streets, all the people get wet with water of different colors to cleanse themselves and purify themselves of their sins.
All Buddha images must be cleaned, whether they are in monasteries or in houses, they are washed with water and essences so that good luck arrives in the coming year. Another of these rituals is to take sand in small pieces or in the hands to the monasteries, this is the symbol of the dirt that they have had on their feet in the year that ended.
These handfuls are carved on the stacked stupas and colored flags are also placed as decoration. The Buddhas of the monasteries must also be carried in procession to the nearest town, so that the people sprinkle water on them.
The Nyi-Shu-Gu and the Losar
For the Tibetans, the New Year celebrations have two components that differ, but are totally related, one is the closing of the year that ended to remove all the negative that was in them, and that the following year can be started in a new way. new way and in abundance.
The Losar is a part of the tradition for the new year to arrive. It means year and Sar is new, we also find the Nyi-Shu which is the last day of the year that has ended.
Nyi-Shu-Gu
It is called the twenty-ninth day, and on this day there is a purification of the houses and the body to remove the negativity, the barriers, everything impure, discomforts and diseases that are found in them. On this day a series of rites are carried out to celebrate the coming new year, the day before the new year begins, cleaning and purification must be carried out.
The houses must be completely cleaned, then the person takes a bath and washes their hair, everyone must take care of themselves and be clean to receive the year. After cleaning, they can have fun, eat Guthuk and the ritual is done to unearth the evil spirits and the evil that are in the houses.
The Guthuk
It is a noodle soup that is also known as Thukpa Bhatuk, it is accompanied by various ingredients and special spices to be eaten on the night of Nyi-shu-gu. The noodles are small and shell-shaped, which are made by hand, the other ingredients are: Labu or Asian radish, dry cheese, chilies, peas.
In order for it to become Guthuk, something special must be added to each plate, such as the ball of dough that has something special inside it, such as an object or a piece of paper with names or a drawing. This dumpling should be large so that it looks different from noodles or Bhatsa, to avoid eating it by mistake with what is inside.
These objects that are inside the mass are intentionally placed to play a joke on the person who is being served, that is why each mass has something different inside. Some of these objects or drawings are good as pieces of wool to signify kindness, or a piece of charcoal to tell the person that their heart is black. The objects change depending on the house in which it is made, the region where it is being made and even depending on the year.
The rite that is done to remove negativity serves in such a way to remove bad spirits and bad energies not only from people but also from houses, this rite is known as Lue and Trilue. The first of them is a small statue of a man that is made with Tsampa (roasted wheat, barley or rice flour) and water and tea. This is the representation of what you want to have in the home.
The Trilue is composed of two pieces made of the same material, and is given to each person invited to eat so that diseases are removed, both rites are done before or after the Guthuk soup is cooked and kept stored.
The dough balls and the figures are made and placed in a large plate that will no longer be used since it must be thrown away after that night, these are reserved and delivered after the Guthuk is used to open the balls, each person should leave a bit of the guthuk to join the remains of the dumplings.
At the end of eating, the pieces of lue and trilue are given to the people who are sitting eating, which must be pressed so that the shape of the hands is fixed to the dough. The trilue is then rubbed on the part of the body that is sick or weak and it is desired that the ill health be expelled from the body. While doing this they should say phrases like:
- Lo chik dawa chu-nyi, Shama sum-gya-druk-chu, Gewang parchey thamchey dokpa sho!
This translates as twelve months has a year, 360 days, to the negative and the obstacles, go away. That day in the night there can be joys and sorrows, until the dumplings are opened, but the greatest wish of all is that the new year is free from disease and pain.
The pieces of pieces of dough from the trilue are added to the lue, and all of this is taken along with the rest of the soup in the same plate, there are those who light a candle, although it is not done in all places. Straw torches are also often lit to go around the house saying out loud “Thonsho ma!” which is to say Exit, so that the bad energies and the evil spirits go away. In many homes they make prayers and prayers while walking through the rooms of the house with the torch.
After making the tour of the house, take the plate and the torch and leave it in a nearby intersection, without looking towards the house. This ritual is the most performed in Tibetan Buddhism. After taking all the remains away from home, it is assumed that the bad spirits leave it and then there is no way to return home, so they have a healthier and cleaner home and they can receive the new year in the best conditions.
The Losar
This celebration is for the victory of good over evil and is a very important day in Buddhism. Before celebrating, cakes, breads, many fruits and sweets are placed on each family altar, which is decorated for the occasion with Dergas or cookies, chang which is a barley beer drink, loboe a bush of wheat that is sown in a glass and the bow that is where the barley seeds with flour go.
This celebration is for the victory of good over evil and is a very important day in Buddhism. Before celebrating, cakes, breads, many fruits and sweets are placed on each family altar, which is decorated for the occasion with Dergas or cookies, chang which is a barley beer drink, loboe a bush of wheat that is sown in a glass and the bow that is where the barley seeds with flour go.
This altar must remain in this way for two weeks so that prosperity enters the home in this new year. The first three days are the most important in which these rituals must be done:
First day: Chankol is made, Koenden a drink that is made with chhaanga in the form of Tibetan beer, Khapse is also made, dri butter, a kind of butter made with the milk of the female Yak, cane sugar, churras ( dry cheese made with the milk of dri or female Yak, water and eggs.
Donuts called Karsai, different foods with pig, Tibetan yak and sheep are also fried, various offerings are made to the gods and the food is put in containers or wooden plates that are painted in different colors or Qemar. The celebrations are with the family, but visits from friends and neighbors are received to receive the water of the year from the river.
The water is carried into the houses, it is put on the altars, incense is lit and butter lamps are put up, prayers are made for peace in the year, children are required to wear new clothes, and New Year's greetings are exchanged. or Tashi Delek to give blessings and good luck.
Second day: Known as Gyalpo Losar or Losar Rey, this day meetings are held for the Dalai Lama and the different local leaders in the Samsara and Nirvana Hall of Excellence.
Third day: it is called the protective Losar, visits are made to the monasteries, to make offerings to the altars and to the beings of protection of the Dharma, the prayer flags and the wind horses are placed. From this day is when the people and the monks do the Losar celebrations.
Buddhism rites for prosperity
For people who follow the Buddhist religion, it is normal that they are always doing rituals and ceremonies, since they have been bequeathed to them since ancient times.
For prosperity and wealth they also have a series of rituals, the most common being placing a golden Buddha or Money Buddha, which consists of a Buddha figure with a gold ingot in one hand and a bag of gold in the other. This serves to increase the ability to give and receive, to attract new energies that move money and wealth in the person.
Money Buddha Ritual
In this ritual, the Buddha of Money is placed in the house, towards the left side and rice, fruits and coins are offered to it to attract abundance, then a series of prayers are made.
prayers for prosperity
For Buddhists, reciting this prayer makes the person imagine themselves as a prosperous person with an abundance of goods, others make offerings to Buddha outside the houses, so that the abundance can be shared.
“Oh powerful and great Buddha!, today you come to me, thanks to your great power, so that my luck improves, and you remove all the obstacles that come my way, I know that you are going to help me in everything I ask of you, that you are going to see for me, that you will protect me and give me fortune, in the name of God, thanks to his great goodness and his mercy. Great Buddha spirit of elevation and purity, send your enlightenment from the infinite universe, where you live, please give us what we ask and illuminate our path.
Other variations can be obtained from this prayer, which are also used to ask for wealth. The Buddha image must be placed taking into account where the entrance door of the house is located, place a table in the background on the left and around it the representatives of the five elements are placed:
- Fire: you can place a lighted candle and an incense stick, if it is made of sandalwood better.
- Earth: You can place a quartz stone of any thickness.
- Metal: place three Chinese coins that are tied with a red ribbon, you have to put all the coins with the yang side up, you can recognize it because that side has four Chinese characters.
- Water: put a glass of water or a cup, this must be changed daily, the one that is changed is not thrown away but can be taken or placed in a fish tank or a fountain.
- Wood: place a piece of Chinese bamboo or a flower.
Additionally, you must place a cup with rice and another with two pieces of bread, this is only placed one day as an offering, and the next day they are scattered throughout the exterior of the house so that the abundance is shared, you also have the option of eating and more if your health is not good.
When you have everything assembled with the five elements and the offerings, make the requests you want, writing them on a red piece of paper, this can be done following this example:
“I am grateful for (write all the positive things you have received and that you want), everything has been perfect for me, that or something better I hope to receive before (state the date). Thanks, Dad".
Then you must sign this petition, this ritual can be done by the other people who are in the house, on your own sheet and the sheets must be placed under the feet of the Buddha image.
Laughing Buddha Ritual
The smiling Buddha, better known as the fat Buddha, is used to activate prosperity, as well as happiness, since happiness attracts more happiness. This image is used in homes, businesses and even in offices, as it is a very nice statue, as well as being the best known and most popular of Buddha as it attracts good luck.
With the ritual that we are going to give you, you have two options to do it in the same month, when there is a new moon or when there is a full moon. The reason to do it is that prosperity is activated, as well as health and love, the most important thing is that you decide what you want at that moment so that it is activated, and therefore depending on what you want you must have the essences and the right candles:
- Prosperity: if this is what you want most, then you should have essences of tangerine, cinnamon and coconut, the candles to be used are orange or yellow.
- "Salud": if this is your primary theme you should use eucalyptus, lemon, mint or pine essences and use green or white candles.
- Care: in this case you should use essences of cinnamon, orange blossom, cloves, jasmine or roses and red or pink candles should be used.
What elements should you have on hand to do the ritual: an image of the smiling Buddha, three candles, and the appropriate essences for what you want to activate, when you have everything, wait for the new or full moon and write a letter on a piece of paper to be grateful for everything you want to attract into your life, if it is for love, write which partner you want, if it is prosperity, indicate how much you want to have and when you should have it. If you are a healthy person, give thanks for your good health and the good energy you have every day.
The thing to keep in mind is that these are just examples of what you can ask for, in your letter you ask for whatever you want as long as it's good things. Once you finish writing it, rub the candles and the Buddha's belly with the essence you have chosen, light the candles, thank Buddha for everything and burn the letter, the ashes must be taken and buried in a pot or in the garden and let all candles burn out completely. You can do this ritual every month or every time you want to ask for something.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Q123T5nNc
Buddhism Festivals
Due to the many traditions that Buddhism has, they obviously have a large number of holidays to celebrate or commemorate, many of them are very striking, as well as full of mystery and visual appeal. Each of them has a different rite, among them are the Buddhist New Year, Magha Puja, Pii Mai or Lunar New Year celebration, Vesak, Ewk Phansas, and Khao Phansas, the Asala celebration, among others.
buddhist new year
We already talked about this, it is known as Losar and depending on the country where the person is, its celebration is done on different dates, this is done between the end of January and the beginning of February, it begins to be celebrated one day before the new year with a series of rituals and usually lasts two weeks.
Vesak or Buddha Day
It is the most important day for Buddhists and those who practice this religion, it should be done when there is a full moon in the month of May. It celebrates three important moments of the Buddha: his birthday, his enlightenment and the death of Siddharta Gautama (Buddha), since they all occurred on a full moon.
All the Buddhist branches celebrate it and it has been a worldwide holiday since 1950, which is decided by the World Fellowship of Buddhists, in this holiday the commitment to maintain the simple and noble life is renewed, in continuing to develop the mind , do the practice of kindness, love, achieve peace and harmony for all humanity.
Magha Puja Day
It is to celebrate the first sermon that Buddha gave before 1200 of his disciples, which is when he announces the principles of Buddhism and its establishment as a religion, in addition to establishing his final goal, which is to be able to reach Nirvana. This celebration is important, and it takes place on the full moon day of the third lunar month, and seeks to cleanse the mind, do good and avoid falling into sin. It is a holiday in countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, and in countries throughout Southeast Asia. In Tibet it is called Chotrul Duchen festival.
uposatha
It is a special of Buddhism and it is done while there is a full moon, so there can be several celebrations of it in a lunar month, Uposatha means fasting day. Buddhist monks fast in the following way: they eat from sunrise to noon, then eat absolutely nothing until the next day. Both lay people and monks must feel that their devotion grows and also that they must make a renewal of the practice of the Dhamma.
kathina
This festival is held at the end of the retreat of the monks the Khaw Pansá and Ok Pansá, its realization is after the full moon of October and is done for 30 days, in it the Buddhist monks are thanked and offerings and donations are made. of clothing and food which is taken to different temples of the community by the lay people of the same.
Songkran
It is the Thai New Year party, it takes place between April 13 and 15 of each year, its meaning is an astrological passage, which indicates that it is a time of many changes. Festivals are held and the traditional water battle is celebrated in the streets, it is thrown for three consecutive days, families also gather and family ties and ties are renewed, the elderly are honored through various cultural ceremonies and rites dating from ancient times. Most of them are based on:
- Purify, clean and decorate the temples.
- Make offerings and donations to Buddhist monks.
- Doing ceremonies to show respect to Buddha and doing scented water anointing.
- Place water in the hands of the elderly to show respect and gratitude.
Loy Krathong
It is the festival of the Bowls of the Floating Fountain, it is held on the full moon of November and lasts depending on the place where the festival is held, if there are several days of celebration, on the first night the celebration is held that the season of rains ended and is made in honor of Mae Khongkha, the Hindu goddess of waters.
Its celebration is ancestral in the brahmana tradition, from there it passes to the traditional Buddhist celebrations, but most schools say that this celebration is done to show respect and worship to the Sacred Footprint of Buddha, which is found on the bank of the Nammadhammahantee river. .
For those who participate in the festival, it is customary to bring incense, cups with leaves, coins, lots of colored paper, candles, and everything is placed in baskets made from the leaves of banana trees, which are called Krathong. Then these are placed in the water to make the offering and all the positive received is appreciated, it is asked to drive away bad luck and to bring good luck.
Thousands of krathongs can be seen floating in the river with candles lit inside, these are forming like a figure of a snake of light that moves through the water, in the light of the full moon, dances are made, music is played, parades are held, fireworks are set off and local food is prepared.
The Elephant Festival
Jaipur is a city in the state of Rajasthan in India, when the Holi festival is held in the month of March. The elephant is a figure that is present in many mythologies, and is associated with royalty, deities and the figure of Buddha. There is a parade with painted elephants, fabrics of different colors are placed on them, velvet with embroidery and many jewels, behind them there are some dancers who must dance with great energy, followed by horses, chariots, camels, cannons and palanquins.
Traditional games such as tug of war with the same elephants as well as polo games are also played. This festival is dedicated to elephants, so at the end it is chosen which one is better decorated. You can also see the Gaj Shringar, where there are exhibitions of various elements that have to do with elephants, many ornaments, fabrics called Jhoo, the Howdahs that are the chairs that are placed on their backs, various carriages, many paintings, as well as medicinal products and food.
Despite the fact that this festivity is held in their honor, the treatment that elephants receive has come under much discussion, since many of the paintings that are placed on them cause damage to their skin, apart from the fact that they are forced to do activities and exhibitions. where they are not treated with respect and justice, therefore many animal protection societies have made pronouncements in this regard.
esala perahera
This festival is very old in Sri Lanka, it is held between July and August whenever it coincides with the full moon of summer, it is held for about two weeks or so, the best known is that of the city of Kandy where you can see a lot of joy, music and color. The main relic of this celebration is the tooth of Buddha. As a national holiday of the union of two very old celebrations:
- The festival of the victory of the God Indra over Vrita, the demon and the invocation of the rains when this is the dry season.
- The processions that are held in honor of the Temple of the Tooth of Buddha, the most revered in Sri Lanka and where the relic is kept, which is always in the custody of the monks, inside a reliquary made of gold and many precious stones .
In the temples where the celebration takes place, you can see beautiful exhibitions where drum music accompanies them, as well as fakirs, music bands and many elephants with beautiful adornment clothes. At the beginning of the procession must go the elephant Maligawa, which carries the reliquary with the tooth of Buddha.
On day six of the celebration at night, parades called Randoli Perahera are held, where the palanquins that carried the queens in ancient times are remembered. In the last of the processions, which takes place on the day, the closing of the ceremony is done with the cutting off of the water in the Mahaweli River outside the city of Kandy.
This ritual is in charge of the Kapuralas, who have responsibility in the temples and are the ones who cut the water with a saber made of gold and recite the prayers. Many take water in various chalices to take to the temple, where they will stay until the next year's festival begins.
O Bon
The O-bon is a rite that comes from Japan and is always done depending on the lunar calendar, in mid-August, or the solar calendar, which is in July, its celebration is for three days in a row. It is believed that it is a purely Buddhist holiday, since there is a story where an old disciple of Buddha saw the soul of his mother and to alleviate her suffering and lead her to the path of peace, he followed the teachings and achieved that the soul could rest in peace.
The celebration seeks to welcome all the spirits who want to reunite with their loved ones on earth and that this moment is abundant with joy, that it has music, dance, and that there is no lack of food or drinks. Honor is given to all the ancestors of those who attend the celebration, the Bon-Odori dance is performed, altars or butsadan must be placed in all the houses and lanterns are lit on all the doors of the house that serve as a guide to the spirits that come to visit them.
Although it is of Buddhist origin, little by little it became part of the Japanese culture and tradition, so little by little it was disassociated from the Buddhist tradition. For more than 500 years, this tradition has been celebrated, which took root not only in a religion but also in a nation, to which other activities and customs have been added.
Bodhi
This celebration is held every December 8, and is called the day of Enlightenment of Siddartha Gautama or Buddha. On this day Buddha reached full enlightenment in the year 589 BC and that is when he becomes Buddha. They also often refer to this day as the awakening of the Buddha and the beginning of Buddhism, which begins with the idea that all human beings have the power to reach Nirvana and end suffering.
Before the Bodhi, the monks do multiple activities, to prepare for this day, a week before in the monasteries retreats are made, where they can only sleep 2 hours a day and on the last night of their retreat a vigil is held, just as Buddha did without sleeping.
Buddhism customs
Because Buddhism encompasses many celebrations, festivals, ceremonies, rituals, and traditions that differ depending on the branch of Buddhism in which they are performed, there are notable variations in their practices between each of them, so it is impossible to list them all. But there are two customs that are practiced by all the believers and laity of Buddhism throughout the world:
The meditation: which is important for all Buddhists since it is a practice of religion in general, with it the mind is cultivated, wisdom can be acquired and you learn to understand better. All practitioners of Buddhism do this practice to cultivate, and better understand everything that is in our reality, nature and also to free themselves from all kinds of suffering.
Meditation can vary depending on the Buddhist school, these variations are in techniques that are used to do meditation and have generally become customary through the Buddhist tradition, so according to the techniques they use, it can be said that :
- Theravada Buddhism: the practice is done to have progress and that the practitioner can be polished, they must analyze the states they go through while in meditation.
- zen buddhism: It is done to acquire more wisdom, but it is focused on being spontaneous and making use of intuition, to find a natural harmony, with this dualism is avoided and a perfect Zen meditation is achieved.
- Tibetan Buddhism: in this, more weight is given to the symbolic aspect and the unconscious of the mind, more ritual practices are carried out so that the mind can be transformed.
The adoration: it is the second practice of all the Buddhist slopes, in them the adoration of Buddha is sought both in the altars of the houses, as well as in the temples and monasteries. Here mantras, prayers are used and offerings and gifts must be made.
Buddhism beliefs
The beliefs of Buddhism are based on all the teachings of Siddartha Gautama or Buddha, this was an exceptional being, a human being who achieved his own transformation and became the enlightened one, making the foundation of Buddhism. He became a very wise man who managed to make a true spiritual revolution through the teachings he gave. He named his teachings as the four noble truths:
Duhkha
Its meaning is very broad and can range from discontent, disappointments, suffering, restlessness, pain, regrets, etc. So it can be summarized that it is about the suffering and pain of the universe in the face of an existence that has no satisfaction. For Buddhists it is important that they accept that there is dissatisfaction in life and that this causes it to be lived in an interrupted way, but that it is real, it is there and that it can also affect all living beings. Duhkha is established in three ways: duhkha duhkhata, viparinama duhkhata, and the Sanskara duhkhata.
Samudaya
The second of the noble truths and refers to how the Dukha arose, seeing this as the most immediate and the one that can be touched. Through it, it is shown that suffering comes because of desires, the feeling of not staying and above all ignorance. When a person believes that their own happiness is outside and is attached to things and people, they will feel the desire to continue having and retaining everything to continue being happy, since this is their representation of happiness, which ends up transforming Addiction.
At the moment changes occur in their reality that cause what is around them to change and thus the life of that person, since everything in this life is impermanent, and therefore suffering arises. The person must be in constant change so that his life is transformed and he can continue searching uninterruptedly for all those he desires.
The third form of suffering that Buddha indicates and that is part of this truth is ignorance, when it is unknown and it is not understood how life itself works, the reality of people and the natural laws that govern it and make changes, they do not allow the person to have happiness.
Nirodhaes
This truth has to do with eternal longing, everything we long for, constant thirst and attachment to everything material. Buddha taught that suffering can be ended and can be overcome. For them you must have control of the mind to end the frustrations and pain, but this process requires: understanding, action and meditation.
By being able to have control and remove desire, we can achieve inner peace and have harmony in a permanent way. Having cessation of desires does not mean that there is suppression of them, since this implies that we must let go of desires, free ourselves and abandon attachment, when we renounce it the heavy load we carry is released. This is known as the ultimate reality or heart of the Dharma.
Magga
It is the fourth and last noble truth, which refers to the path, or path that leads us to end suffering and reach Nirvana. It is also called the Middle Path, since it allows people to avoid the extremes that cause suffering, which consist of seeking happiness through sensual pleasures and feeling mortification in the same person.
For Buddhism, the Eightfold path must be sought, which leads to eliminating suffering, it is called the path to Nirvana and there are eight ways to achieve it. The fourth noble truth what it says is that there is a path that separates us from suffering.
Although this path can be sought in various ways, the most used by Buddhists, or in most schools, are those taught by Shakyamuni Buddha or Gautama Buddha. Through this path of the eightfold path, it is not the same path that we travel to leave each of the stages far behind and achieve our final goal.
This is a transforming path of life and apart from that it is also enriching since its purpose is that we reach the final journey of our goal. It takes us through eight factors that make the practitioner of Buddhism transform, enrich himself and achieve his primary objective.
However, each of these factors is separate, that is, they must be developed simultaneously, since they are related to each other. This allows each one's cultivation to contribute to the cultivation of others. The ultimate goal is for each practitioner to develop and grow within the three main principles of Buddhism:
- Wisdom or Pañna
- Ethical conduct or Sila
- Mental discipline or Samadhi
For many scholars of this religion, this path has two parts, the first is the vision that corresponds to the first stage or factor and the second is the transformation that encompasses the remaining seven stages, these eight factors can be summarized as follows:
- Samina Ditthi or Right Understanding: here the four noble truths are raised, the law of Causality and impermanence.
- Samma Sankappa or Right Thought: implies being able to think using wisdom and love, without having attachments, not feeling hate, evil or the use of violence, to avoid being in ignorance.
- Samma Vaca or the Straight Words: You must avoid using inappropriate language, which may cause harm or damage. You should not speak inappropriately, not tell lies, do not slander or mount slander. Words must be used with respect, full of friendship, benevolent, pleasant to hear, sweet, useful and meaningful so that there can be benefit and productivity.
- Samma Kammanta or Right Action: implies doing your work decently, with morals and honor and that it is also done in peace. Do not do dishonest actions or acts such as killing, stealing or having sexual relations that are not legitimate.
- Samma Ajiva or Right Livelihoods: it must be avoided that in any work carried out damages are caused to third parties, that is to say to other living beings, the sustenance that you earn must be honorable and without reproaches of any kind.
- Samma Vayama or Right Effort: This consists of not having bad thoughts, and removing them from the mind, doing the cultivation of good ideas and keeping thoughts that arise to cultivate Dhamma.
- Samma Sati or Right Mindfulness: the body, sensations and emotions must be taken care of, what activities are in the mind and what idea or thought is there, what conceptions are there and what we have around us.
- Samma Samadhi or Right Concentration: Through this discipline the four stages of Dhyana or absorption can be achieved, desires and bad thoughts can be abandoned, tranquility can be developed and the mind has a single fixation. Equanimity or permanent balance also arise so that sensations disappear and a state of mental clarity is achieved.
With this eightfold path, it can be said that it consists of establishing and maintaining the discipline of the mind, body and speech, so that they can be followed, practiced and developed in all the people who want to do it and who also want to have freedom, happiness. and peace necessary to continue their work of self-development and the cultivation of morals, spirit and intellect.
Why are there differences in the Rites of Buddhism?
We have already said that the rites of Buddhism vary according to the traditions or schools, this happens for several reasons and the first of them is because of the culture and language in which they are practiced. Also the songs are different according to the Buddhist nations that will also depend on the culture and the language in which they are said.
The musical instruments, the way in which genuflections are made and the way of prostrating, the way in which the Chinese should sing while standing and the Tibetans sitting, these are forms or changes that are made differently in the ceremonies. and Buddhist rites.
The temples also have different designs, both outside and inside and this depends on the area and the country in which they are built, in all of them you can get the Shakyamuni Buddha statue in its center, but they can also have other Buddhas as the Bodhisattvas, Arhats and the Dhrama protectors within.
In Tibet the landscape when it is natural can be very sober so the natives there look for these temples as they are full of lots of color and ornaments. Japanese temples are within a more varied landscape and full of exuberance, so the temples are more simple or discreet, so they have a great contrast with the imposing nature.
The forms that the temples have inside or outside of them do not follow a specific religious norm, as long as they do not go against the doctrine, instead the rites are seen as tools that can make it easier and help in the practice of Buddhism adapting to the culture and the place where you live. That is why the true Dharma must be understood as that which is experienced in the mind and heart and not those that are seen or heard. All that is apparent or superficial is not part of the Dharma.
Festivals and rites of Buddhism in Vietnam
90% of the population of Vietnam is made up of people who practice Buddhism, which has a fusion between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, that is, the Hindu tradition of the Pure Land and Chinese Chan, since the cultures are present in this country. For the Vietnamese people, religion manages to integrate several traditions, which were mixed with animist, Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs.
They make signs of veneration to the elderly, to the beliefs and rites of Buddhism, they go to their temples on the 15th day of the lunar month and to all the celebrations of the religion. They wear a gray robe as a symbol that they are determined to practice Buddhism. The most important holidays for them are the following:
vesak
Where they celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, their rituals are very similar to those done in Thailand. Buddhists congregate in temples before dawn and pay homage to the flag of Buddha, sing hymns of praise to him, talk about his teachings to the entire community. That day they usually free thousands of birds and insects, as a sign that they are no longer captives and it is about avoiding the death or damage of any living being.
Mid-nguyen
It is also called the Xa toi vong nhan, which means the "forgiveness of lost souls", it is carried out in the month of July, although its exact date is July 15, but from this date onwards it can be carried out until last of July. It has its origin in the Buddhist festival Vu Lan or Ullambana, in China and its objective is to achieve the salvation and liberation of souls from any suffering and also to venerate the souls of the ancestors.
For the Vietnamese, believing that the spirits can achieve absolution from their sentences and their punishment, will depend on the prayers they make to avoid that sentence, that is why on July 15 they make prayers to avoid the sentence of hell.
Festivals and Rites of Buddhism in Tibet
In Tibet, Buddhism began in the Himalayas, so the main practice is Mahayana Buddhism, which has more than 20 million followers. There are many festivities throughout the year, the celebration of Bodhisattva birthdays and other relevant dates of their religious calendar, accompanied by Buddhist rites. The most important of them are:
Chod Ritual
It is an esoteric and special ritual in Tibet, since ancient times it has been kept secret between those who are starting in Buddhism and the teachers who are transmitting the teachings, today it is still kept that way but a little more open. Chod means cut or go through, this means that it is a yoga with distinctive practices that serve to eliminate the ego, that is, the self, get rid of the feeling of separation and selfishness as individuals.
To be a Chod master, you must go through a series of tests, most of them consisting of meditations that are done in a hundred cemeteries, in Tibet these were done outdoors and at night. According to Tibetan history, monks would disappear only to find their shattered bodies in the morning, as they encountered evil spirits and ghosts hungry for life.
Participating in such a ceremony is something very beautiful, there are those who have been able to be present at these rituals at the Geshe Larampa Lobsang Yeshi temple with the group of Nyagre Khangtsen monks in 2014. People put on black masks when The ritual begins, it is explained that it serves to prevent evil spirits from bothering them, in addition, the monks must sing the prayers and play the drums with a particular touch that invites hypnotism, making the experience more intense.
Heart Sutra Puja
As we explained earlier, this is done to receive the blessings of Buddha, the ceremony in Tibet is quite long, at least an hour and a half, and drums are used, prayers are made and the music is sacred. In Tibet they call her Sherning Dondub and her mantra is Gate, gate Paraghate, Parasamgate, Soham, which says beyond, beyond, always beyond, and is invoked for the power of emptiness with which many masters can reach have very deep experiences.
These teachings in Tibet are considered teachings of the essence of wisdom and with it they want to cleanse the demons that are in the mind. For them there are four types of demons or maras, which were defeated by Buddha when he meditated under the shade of the Bodhi tree. These four demons are:
- The one of deceit that makes emotions and attitudes negative.
- The one of death that causes the diseases that kill people.
- That of the aggregates and that of the children of celestial beings, which are related to actions that seek pleasure and that harm not only ourselves but other living beings.
These demons must be expelled and for that many offerings are made in the form of cakes, in the four directions of the place statues of animals that are false offerings must be placed so that the demons can leave. One should also be placed that has the human form that is the representation of sick people, who are the ones who keep the deceived demons for their later expulsion.
To achieve the spiritual path, all demons must be expelled and this can only be done by the same person, it is said that it is an intense struggle, but that it must be done and achieved in order to follow other rituals of Buddhism.
Grand Exhortation Ceremony
It takes place between January 3 and 25 of the Tibetan calendar and various religious ceremonies and Buddhist rituals are held, which are in the hands of the lamas of the three great monasteries; Drepung, Sera and Gandan. They are made within the city and the entire population meets in them.
Saka Dawa Party
It takes place between March 30 and April 15 of the Tibetan calendar, in the city of Lhasa, thousands of devotees arrive in a great pilgrimage to the Jokhang monastery and the Pótala Palace. Many incense and butter lamps are lit and various offerings are made to ask for protection from calamities and disasters and to ask for good luck.
Festival of Flowers and butter lanterns
These are used to celebrate the birth of Sakyamundi, the founder of Buddhism. The flowers are elaborated as well as the lanterns and other objects that are made with butter and it is the commemoration of the victory of Buddha Shakyamuni over his opponents and enemies, which took place in India more than 2500 years ago. .
Festivals and rites of Buddhism in Thailand
In Thailand, 95 percent of the population is Buddhist, from the Theravada school, which is also in Laos, Burma and Cambodia, its most important rites are:
makhabucha
A national holiday in this country since the 1250th century, imposed by Rama IV. In the mass honors and worship are paid to the memory of the meeting of the Veluvana cave of Buddha with XNUMX monks, who received their ordination by him and received all his doctrine and teaching. It is done on the full moon of the third month of the lunar calendar, which is almost always in February.
Visacha Bucha
To honor the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, in the month of May or June whenever it coincides with the full moon of the sixth lunar month. Reminiscences of Gautama Buddha's teachings are usually made to strengthen the social and spiritual value of people.
Asanha Bucha
It is done on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, that is, at the end of July, it is known as the day of Dharma, and it is the main festival of the Thais, they do it to celebrate the day of the first sermon that Buddha gave, after you have achieved your enlightenment.
Khaw Pansa and Ok Pansa
It is the practice of Theravada Buddhism throughout Thailand, and as we said before, it is a spiritual retreat that all the monks do, lasting three months in the rainy season from July to October. In it they prepare and take care of their formation and development of the spirit with a lot of meditation and study.
Other topics that you may like or be interested in are the following:
The Protective Buddhist Goddess