hi, need help on buddhist rituals

Jfund SG

hi, im a christian, but i wish to know a little about buddhist rituals, especially praying to the dead. when we go to the temple, we have to bring food and 'money' for them.

1. what other items should we bring, and what does each item symbolize?

2. are the big 'houses' and 'cars' necessary?

3. how many joss sticks should i burn for my aunt?

4. usually i see people leave the food and money' + joss sticks at a small table, and then they leave after a while. will the temple people throw away the 'money'? or will they help to burn it? and...must we write the name of the recepient on the 'money'? =x

thanks!

An Eternal Now SG

Erm first of all I thought Christians don't participate in these kind of things?

Secondly... what you said are not Buddhist traditions but more of Chinese folk tradition.

For example we do not believe that burning paper money, houses and cars, have any effect for the deceased. We however do believe that by dedicating merits through attending pujas, donation to the sangha, and other meritious deeds and so on, can be of help to them.

Jfund SG

um. u mentioned dedicating merits? but how does the buddha know who are we dedicating merits for? =x sorry if this sounds stupid. but im really curious.

An Eternal Now SG

In Buddhism there is no God, the Buddha is not God and does not control karma or judge people. Karma is a universal and natural law.

"Karma means action, means "to do". Immediately we have an indication that the real meaning of karma is not fate because karma is action. It is dynamic. But it is more than simply action because it is not mechanical action. It is not unconscious or involuntary action. It is intentional, conscious, deliberate, willful action. How is it that this intentional, will action conditions or determines our situation? It is because every action must have a reaction, an effect. This truth has been expressed in regard to the physical universe by the great physicist Newton who formulated the law which states that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. In the moral sphere of conscious actions, we have a counterpart to the physical law of action and reaction, the law that every intentional, will action must have its effect. This is why we sometimes speak either of Karma-Vipaka, intentional action and its ripened effect, or we speak of Karma-Phala, intentional action and its fruit. It is when we speak of intentional action together with its effect or fruit that we speak of the Law of Karma."

Therefore, the Buddha does not need to know who we are dedicating the merits for. In fact it is more important that the deceased knows you are dedicating merits for them.

If you make the intentions it might be able to sense your intentions even in another realm, and be present during the dedication of merits, and approve of your meritious deeds. Then it would be of more benefit for them.

Jfund SG

ic.. thanks for ur enlightenment! (:

nitromax SG

Hi Jfund,

since An Eternal Now did not highlight it to you, I think I have to bring across to you that Buddhists do not pray or worship dead people. We keep them in remembrance, placing food and paper offerings infront of dead is not a buddhist practise but taoist cum chinese folk belief.

A true buddhist honours only the Buddha not dead people or ancestors.

An Eternal Now SG

Yes, Buddhists don't worship dead people nor do we pray for favours from the dead. "Ancestor worship" is definitely not Buddhism. It's silly and superstitious to think that 3 joss sticks that cost a few cents can earn you abudance of wealth, etc.

We do however, pay respects to ancestors, not necessarily to our ancestors only but also to anyone who actually made contributions to humanity or hold certain great virtues. It is good to keep them in remembrance and learn from them. We however don't honour people who were evil, and brought misery to mankind.

Jfund SG

thanks for giving me a greater insight into your religion! (:

interwoven SG

hi, my family goes to man fatt lam temple in bedok and I have some questions about this temple:

(1) is this a Buddhist temple? a friend once commented that it is a taoist temple because of the joss sticks, burning of paper money and statues.

(2) how do statues and joss sticks fit into Buddhism beliefs?

sanath SG

Hi,

Man Fatt Lam temple in Bedok is a Buddhist temple (nunnery actually), but your observation is also correct that they also allow the burning of paper money etc. They have a columbarium and a place to put ancestral tablets (my maternal great-grandparents and grand-aunties have their ancestral tablet placed there). People whose ancestors or relatives who are enshrined in either may still be practicing folk religion, and they still like to offer paper money.

As for how statues and joss sticks fit into Buddhism, this has been covered in some of the earlier threads in this forum. AEN can give you the links.

Gassho

An Eternal Now SG

I'm not in sg right now and can't give long replies.

We don't worship statues, but the images/statues of Buddhas allow us to remember and pay our respect and reverence to our greatest teacher.

As for joss sticks:

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/jen.htm

What is the significance of offering incense, flowers, water and fruits?

Offering incense, flowers, water and fruits

The fragrance of the incense is symbolic of ethics and morality. These are the virtues of the Bodhisattva spirit of benefiting others and self. If we do not practise ethics and live immorally, then the offering of incense does not serve any purpose. Offering of incense is only meaningful if our conduct befits the correct standard and principle of ethics and morality.

Flowers are symbolic of wisdom. We learn and practise Buddhism to unfold and develop our wisdom. When the wisdom blossoms in each and everyone of us, then as human beings, our conduct is like flowers in bloom. Everyone admires beautiful flowers and they are welcomed everywhere. Thus, when we make an offering of flowers to the Buddha, it is that we want to be like the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas who are so filled with wisdom.

Water serves two purposes. Firstly, it quenches our thirst. A drink of water is so soothing and comfortable when we are thirsty. Secondly, it is for cleansing, for example, washing our clothes or the floor, etc. When we learn and practise Buddhism, the Dharma is like the morning dew, cleansing the impurities of our hearts and minds so that we are soothed and happy.

The offering of fruits is made not because Buddha wants to eat them. When we learn and practise Buddhism, and perform virtuous deeds, these virtuous deeds should bear sweet fruits. Thus, the offering of fruits is symbolic of the results of our virtuous deeds. It is best to offer fruits that are round. This is again symbolic that when we cultivate in accordance to the Buddha’s teachings, we will eventually be perfectly rounded and attain the fruit of Buddhahood. For obvious reasons, we should not offer fruits that are sour, bitter or of unpleasant shapes.