qns abt buddhism

last SG · 2006-11-24T19:22:04+00:00

It depends... not, one, not two.... some people I know, are useless because they cannot get anything done... why? Because they think too much...

despondent SG

juz wanna ask some qns abt buddhism...

1) is there any form of worship in buddhism? (worship is define as like other religions where there is bowing n offerings to the gods)

2) does buddhism involve the qing ming festival?

3) is there any offering of joss sticks or burnt offerings to buddha?

4) in funerals where there is burning of offerings(paper car, houses etc) n chanting of rituals, r they buddhist funerals?

5) if child of a true buddhist chooses to be chtristian for eg, how shld the buddhist respond?

juZ trying to clarify some doubts n finding distinctions btw true buddhisn n taoism...thanx

marcteng SG

I also have some questions of my own.

Do Theravadins accept Bodhisattvas and Amitabha Buddha and other Buddhas into their teachings?

Arahants (already in Nibbana) still have to come back to samsara and strive for Buddhahood? Did Shakyamuni Buddha said the Buddha's will wake them up from Nibbanic bliss and asked them to come back to samsara?

An Eternal Now SG

If worship means bowing... then bowing to your teacher in class, bowing to your parents (very common practise especially in the past in asia), bowing to kings and queens are considered worship? Shocked

Since Buddha is not a god but to us is the greatest teacher in the world, we bow to him, pay respect and homage. Ultimately we have to go beyond respect only, we have to emulate the Buddha, practise his teachings, and attain Buddhahood ourselves. Buddhahood, enlightenment, is the 'aim' of all Buddhists.

2) does buddhism involve the qing ming festival?

Nope. Qing Ming is a cultural tradition of the Chinese. But doesn't mean Buddhists cannot take part in Qing Ming.. we all do pay our respects during Qing Ming to our ancestors, relatives, etc. But 'ancestor worship' is not Buddhism.

3) is there any offering of joss sticks or burnt offerings to buddha?

We do not burn things. Joss stick.. yes. It represents the fragrace of Dao De Smile It has symbolic meaning. But it isn't necessary to put joss stick all over the monastery. Just a bow would be enough.

4) in funerals where there is burning of offerings(paper car, houses etc) n chanting of rituals, r they buddhist funerals?

No. We do not believe that spirits will receive any benefits through this method. You may also be interested to read, Ullambana Dharma - Not Festival Of Hungry Ghosts

5) if child of a true buddhist chooses to be chtristian for eg, how shld the buddhist respond?

He is free to choose really.. nobody can deny them their freedom of religion. But if lets say you are a parent... you are a very good practitioner of Buddhism, and keeps your child well-informed about Buddhist teachings, I think he will become a great practitioner in future too. But if you do not practise the teachings, and have no knowledge of Buddhism, then naturally the child may seek elsewhere to learn more about spirituality.

juZ trying to clarify some doubts n finding distinctions btw true buddhisn n taoism...thanx

I see. Anyway FYI.. religious Taoism is not the original Taoism. I would call what we know now as 'folks traditions'. The original Taoism (in the teachings taught by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu) has nothing to do with worship.. deities... and the supernatural. It is more about realising our true nature.

An Eternal Now SG

Originally posted by marcteng:
I also have some questions of my own.

Do Theravadins accept Bodhisattvas and Amitabha Buddha and other Buddhas into their teachings?

Amitabha is part of Mahayana teachings.

Arahants (already in Nibbana) still have to come back to samsara and strive for Buddhahood? Did Shakyamuni Buddha said the Buddha's will wake them up from Nibbanic bliss and asked them to come back to samsara?

Yes. According to Mahayana teachings, the Arhant still has to practise 20000 great kalpas to reach Buddhahood.

In Theravada, it is not taught this way.

despondent SG

so in buddhism, there is onli buddha? no other gods like guanyin, da bo gong etc? i heard tat buddhism also includes guanyin...

also after a person dies, do buddhist believe in paying respect to them every yr after tat? i heard somewhere tat buddhists dun do tis cos the person alredi been reborn so no need to visit tomb anymore...

one more thing..tis is impt to me...is it rite for a buddhist to forbid their children from joining other religions? to the pt of threatening to forsake the children they do?

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by despondent:
juz wanna ask some qns abt buddhism...

1) is there any form of worship in buddhism? (worship is define as like other religions where there is bowing n offerings to the gods)

2) does buddhism involve the qing ming festival?

3) is there any offering of joss sticks or burnt offerings to buddha?

4) in funerals where there is burning of offerings(paper car, houses etc) n chanting of rituals, r they buddhist funerals?

5) if child of a true buddhist chooses to be chtristian for eg, how shld the buddhist respond?

juZ trying to clarify some doubts n finding distinctions btw true buddhisn n taoism...thanx

hi Amituofo,

(1) - (3) During Buddha's time, He only live in the forest, living a very simple life, walking around teaching the Dharma to people.

(4) no, they are from folk believes.

(5) that's their own decision.

/\

An Eternal Now SG

Originally posted by despondent:
so in buddhism, there is onli buddha? no other gods like guanyin, da bo gong etc? i heard tat buddhism also includes guanyin...

Dua be gong... no. That is a taoist deity.

Guan Yin yes... Guan Yin is not a god, he is a Bodhisattva, a practitioner on the path to Buddhahood. But a Bodhisattva is different from Arhant in the sense, that he does not forsake other sentient beings in his path to Liberation. He has equal compassion towards all sentient beings and vows to save them. But Guan Yin in China became a universal figure and is idolised... in Buddhism, 'gods' are beings that live in celestial realm but have not attained enlightenment and liberation from Samsara. There are also some 'gods' that are not celestial beings, but belong to spirit realm but nevertheless are worshipped by some people. We do not worship gods or other beings... Buddha is known to be the 'teacher of Gods and Men', all beings seek to learn from Buddha to attain liberation, enlightenment.

I just translated an article on Guan Yin yesterday and I will post just next.

also after a person dies, do buddhist believe in paying respect to them every yr after tat? i heard somewhere tat buddhists dun do tis cos the person alredi been reborn so no need to visit tomb anymore...

Not really... we don't respect them just because 'their spirits are around'. Even if they are reborn somewhere, we still continue to respect them. Even free thinkers can go to Qing Ming and pay their respect.

despondent SG

one more thing..tis is impt to me…is it rite for a buddhist to forbid their children from joining other religions? to the pt of threatening to forsake the children they do?

An Eternal Now SG

The Dharma Door of Guan Yin

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
http://www.humanbliss.com.sg/ques_ansdetails.asp?articleNo=63

(Translated - if any errors please kindly inform me.. thanks)

[b]The Soundless Sound

Question: What is the dharma door of Guan Yin (Avalokitesvara)?

Answer: What is the dharma door of Guan Yin? In Buddhism, there is this term called "The Four Immeasurables - love, compassion, joy and equanimity". Love must have boundless love, Compassion must have boundless compassion, Joy must have boundless joy, Equanimity must have boundless equanimity. Within the Four Immeasurables, Love and Compassion is a very important dharma door, within the Bodhisattvas, many Bodhisattvas are representations of qualities. For example, Great Wisdom Manjusri Bodhisattva represents Wisdom, Great Action Samantabhadra Bodhisattva represents Great Action, Great Vow Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva represents Great Vows, Great Strength Bodhisattva represents Joyful Equanimity. Whereas, what Guan Yin Bodhisattva represents is the great Love and Compassion. The Primordial substance of the universe has the heart of Great Love and Compassion, and Guan Yin represents this Great Love and Compassion.

Guan Yin Bodhisattva is a bodhisattva at the Western Sukhavati (Western Pure Land), in future will succeed Amitabha in his 'Buddha seat'. Actually, Guan Yin Bodhisattva has through past lifetimes over many eons already attained Buddhahood, his Buddha name is 'Brightness of True Dharma Thus Come One'. There is a phrase "Because compassion is too strong, he treats Samsara as his place of practise" (zi ying ci bei xin tai qie, que ba suo puo dang dao chang - did I translate wrongly?) Because Guan Yin is too compassionate, he never discriminates who to save, so his place of practise (dao chang) is right in Samsara. Guan Yin Bodhisattva resides in Western Sukhavati (The Western World of Utmost Bliss), as the name suggests, that place is too joyful. However we in Samsara have too much sufferings. This is because the world of samsara is full of sentient beings with suffering minds, Guan Yin Bodhisattva has a special affinity with us, therefore relieves our sufferings. Whoever has sufferings, you just have to chant the name of the Bodhisattva, Guan Yin Pu Sa will come to aid you.

Buddhism talks about equality of 'friends and foes' (yuan qing). Not only Buddhists venerate Guan Yin, even deviant cults and outer paths venerate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, Guan Yin Bodhisattva will equally relieve their sufferings. Our society has a lot of deviant cults, outer paths, ghost-deity temples, they all venerate Guan Yin Bodhisattva. That is because Guan Yin Bodhisattva is too compassionate, he never discriminates who he should save, who he shouldn't save, he will save (du4 hua4) all of them, therefore Guan Yin Bodhisattva is venerated everywhere.

Guan Yin Bodhisattva manifests his appearance according to categories. There are billions of manifest-bodies. For example: if a man needs to be saved by a 'zai guan', he will appear as a 'zai guan' to speak the dharma. If one needs to be saved by the form of the King of Ghosts, Guan Yin will appear as the king of ghosts to him and speak of the dharma. If one needs to be saved by the appearance of male or female children, Guan Yiin will appear as a male or female child and speak of the dharma. Not only will Guan Yin manifest as 'zai guan', male or female children, Bhikkhu as well as Bhikkhuni, manifest as various bodies to speak of the dharma, Guan Yin Bodhisattva can also manifest as 'Grass-Wood Deity' and speak of the dharma. E.g. in hell, there are many rulers of hell, who are manifestations of Guan Yin in manifest-bodies, because Guan Yin Bodhisattva's 'compassionate form' does not work in saving these difficult-to-reform sentient beings. Therefore, Guan Yin will manifest as 'Vajra vengeful eyes' (Jing1 Gang1 Nu4 Mu4) to save the sentient beings. There are also many 'small ghosts' who are not afraid of compassionate and virtuous looks, Guan Yin Bodhisattva has great love and compassion, so he manifests as King of Ghosts to save them. As for Guan Yin Bodhisattva manifest as 'zai guan sheng' to speak the dharma, what is zai guan sheng? That is to the masses there are officials who have the authority to judge/sentence people on trial, these are called 'zai guan', doesn't necessarily have to be mean the appearance of 'zai xiang'. There are many 'small ghosts' who are hard to reform, Guan Yin Bodhisattva then manifests as King of Ghosts, for example, manifest as police, or even as a a judge of court to deal with it, this will be able to save (du hua) these 'small ghosts'.

Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva practises "Ear Faculty Complete/Rounded Penetration" dharma door, this is because he practises till "turning perceiving inwards to perceive self-nature". What is "turning perceiving inwards to perceive self-nature"? That is not like ordinary people who listens to sounds outside, then follow the sound away. In contrast, his hearing faculty listens to self-nature, therefore he could succeed when practising this dharma door, irregardless of where sentient beings reside in the universe, suffering from whatsoever disasters, only if you chant his name, he will hear it. Actually, the dharma door he practises is very simple, everyone can practise it, let us all now discuss how to practise dharma, let everyone learn Guan Yin Bodhisattva, I will state an example.

Once, there is a small child who is eating rice, suddenly he puts down his chopsticks and said "Shi Fu! Shi Fu! I heard it!" I asked, "What did you hear?" He said "I heard the sound of no sound." May I ask, have all of you heard of the sound of no sound? Shen Kai is talking here, you all can hear, hear what? Heard Shen Kai talking. Now Shen Kai stops talking, does everyone hear it? Three minutes later everyone answer this question. Ok! Three minutes passed, does everyone hear it? If you hear, raise your hands. Good! Please say, (one of the audience said: at this place other than Fa Shi's voice, there are no other voices.) Wrong! Wrong! When Fa Shi is talking, you hear the voice of Fa Shi speaking the dharma. When Fa Shi is not speaking, you hear the sound of "no speaking dharma". This is called awareness-nature, awareness-nature does not change, when talking about 'ear faculty complete/rounded penetration' dharma door, that is called 'perceiving nature not changing', other than perceiving external sounds, you perceive your self-nature, that is the sound of no sound. You only need to go back, everyday with your ear faculty attend to self-nature and not move, 'turning inwards and perceive self-nature', if you practise this way, one day you will succeed. If everyone practises 'ear faculty complete/rounded penetration', everyone will be able to be Guan Yin Bodhisattva.

Because Guan Yin Bodhisattva has great love and compassion, we also should learn Guan Yin Bodhisattva's great love and compassion. When we hear about society's whatever sufferings, we should also be Guan Yin Bodhisattva, and relieve all the sufferings. If we do not learn from Guan Yin Bodhisattva, then why are we asking this question? Since we want to ask this question, we should venerate Bodhisattva, respect Bodhisattva, learn from Bodhisattva, be a Bodhisattva, congratulations to everyone who shall be Guan Yin Bodhisattva.

(Ven. Shen Kai)[/b]

An Eternal Now SG

Nope. Are you a Christian? You may want to show your parents:

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol6no3c.htm

(Ven. Shen Kai)

Happy Family

Mutual respect begets harmony

How may a family whose members have different religions live together harmoniously?

One common principle that mankind all over the world abides by is the freedom of choice of religion and faith. A country may have different religions co-existing at the same time, such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity or Islam. But, we have to understand that it is the condition arising from love that causes people to have families, parents and children. It is a good thing if the family is happy and blissful. However, if the family members bear different faiths, so long as each member keeps his faith to himself, refrain from slandering or debating over each others faith, but mutually respecting each others faith and character, then the family will naturally be harmonious.

Further, the younger generation ought to refrain from arguing with their elders because it is their parents who brought them up. Moreover, there is no purpose in arguing with them. We have to practise filial piety and be good so that we do them proud. Then, they will feel that their children are righteous, well behaved, and may willingly join us to learn about Buddhism. This will be ideal. Otherwise, it is not filial to constantly argue with them. When we learn and practise Buddhism, we have to exercise wisdom. With regards to differences in religions and faiths, as long as we maintain mutual respect, I believe, the family will be harmonious.

Freedom in choice of religion

If the children of a Buddhist family choose to marry a person of a different faith, will the marriage work out well?

Although a person may be a Buddhist himself, it is not necessary that his children must also Buddhists. We may, of course, promote and encourage our children to embrace Buddhism. However, we cannot force it upon them. Moreover, we should not object to their marriage just because their partners are from a different faith.

In this present age, everybody has the freedom to love and choose his or her own lifetime partner. Similarly, everyone has the freedom of choice of religion and faith. No religion can compel its followers (and their dependants) to only believe in that particular faith, and object to marriages outside that particular faith. I believe, as parents, with regards to their childrens marriages, the primary concerns are the relationship between the two parties and how to guide their children in deciding their lifetime partners. Religion and faith are secondary factors; it is their happiness after the marriage that matters most of all. It would be useful for parents to counsel their children about the code of family ethics, such as the role and responsibilities of a husband and wife, and how to be good parents themselves. If they do not know how to live harmoniously and fulfil their responsibilities as husband and wife, or to be good parents, even if both of them believe in Buddhism, the marriage may still not work out well. If, for instance, the choice partner believes in a different faith, as a parent, one may promote the teachings of Buddhism so that he or she finds it acceptable. It will, of course, be good to establish a household based on the principles of Buddhism. If, meanwhile that cannot be achieved, one should adopt the Buddhist teaching of loving-kindness, compassion and equality towards all beings, in relation to the son-in-law or daughter-in-law. It is a good thing for a couple to bear the same faith and share the same principles and values, with both cultivating together and becoming partners on the Bodhi-path. It would be even better if they were eventually reborn in the Buddha-land.

Perfect harmony amid differences

I have embraced Buddhism and taken refuge in the Three Treasures, but my husband still adopts the Taoist way of praying to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guan-yin Pu-sa), what should I do?

Actually, while you believe in Buddhism, you still have to learn to be harmonious in all your endeavours. It may be because your husband has formed an affinity with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva that he worships Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in the Taoist way. According to the sutra of the Universal Door Chapter of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, If a person can only be guided or saved by a government official, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shall manifest as a government official to explain the Dharma to him. If a person can only be guided or saved by a king of ghosts, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shall manifest as a king of ghosts to explain the Dharma to him. If a person can only be guided or saved by embracing another religion, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shall manifest as a person of that same religion to explain the Dharma to him. Your husband prays to the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and yet he believes in Taoism. In this case we may consider him as a person who has embraced another religion, but has formed an affinity with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Someday, when he understands the truth based on this affinity, he may embrace Buddhism.

You should compliment your husband; I am indeed fortunate to meet a person like you. I have spoken to my Teacher about you and he says that you are a good man. You are devoted and in future many good things will happen to you. Your husband will be delighted when he hears this, and may feel positive about your Teacher and your faith. In this way, one day, he may come to take refuge in the Three Treasures and embrace Buddhism.

On the other hand, you should not say, My Teacher commented that you are no good and you are a believer of an unorthodox religion. Your husband may be so angered by such a remark that the next time I conduct a Dharma talk, he may forbid you to attend. Hence, we have to be perfectly rounded (flexible?) and harmonious in the way we deal with all matters (being harmonious even among differences).

However, although he worships the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in that manner, you ought not to harbour such thought that, since my husband worships the Bodhisattva as a Taoist, perhaps I should do likewise.

In this present age, everybody has the freedom to love and choose his or her own lifetime partner. Similarly, everyone has the freedom of choice of religion and faith. No religion can compel its followers (and their dependants) to only believe in that particular faith, and object to marriages outside that particular faith. I believe, as parents, with regards to their childrens marriages, the primary concerns are the relationship between the two parties and how to guide their children in deciding their lifetime partners. Religion and faith are secondary factors; it is their happiness after the marriage that matters most of all. It would be useful for parents to counsel their children about the code of family ethics, such as the role and responsibilities of a husband and wife, and how to be good parents themselves. If they do not know how to live harmoniously and fulfil their responsibilities as husband and wife, or to be good parents, even if both of them believe in Buddhism, the marriage may still not work out well. If, for instance, the choice partner believes in a different faith, as a parent, one may promote the teachings of Buddhism so that he or she finds it acceptable. It will, of course, be good to establish a household based on the principles of Buddhism. If, meanwhile that cannot be achieved, one should adopt the Buddhist teaching of loving-kindness, compassion and equality towards all beings, in relation to the son-in-law or daughter-in-law. It is a good thing for a couple to bear the same faith and share the same principles and values, with both cultivating together and becoming partners on the Bodhi-path. It would be even better if they were eventually reborn in the Buddha-land.

despondent SG

thanx a lot moderator...so i take it the answer is a no...well, yes i am a christian but tis issue dun affect me...it affect many of my fellow christians...they face parental objections, some to the pt of threats to disown them...n these parents claim to be buddhists...

ok, then does buddhism offer any explanation as to where man came from? n does it determine wad is gd or bad? since salvation is by gd works...hope u r nt bored by my qns...thanx

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by marcteng:
I also have some questions of my own.

Do Theravadins accept Bodhisattvas and Amitabha Buddha and other Buddhas into their teachings?

Arahants (already in Nibbana) still have to come back to samsara and strive for Buddhahood? Did Shakyamuni Buddha said the Buddha's will wake them up from Nibbanic bliss and asked them to come back to samsara?

Amituofo!

yes, it is known as bodhisatta in the pali tradition.
THE BODHISATTA IDEAL By Venerable Nârada Mahâthera
http://home.earthlink.net/~mpaw12/id23.html

yes, they also accept other Buddhas:
The Great Chronicle of Buddhas
http://www.triplegem.plus.com/gcobv12.htm

however, Amitabha Buddha is a scope too far away (10 great aeons ago) for their comprehension. you need the comprehension of Buddha or mahasattva to discern.

you can also read the BODHISATTA IDEAL link. it mentioned how the Arahants are re awaken by Amitabha Buddha.

Thereafter the Buddha Amitabha and other Buddhas resembling the sun arouse them in order to remove the undefiled ignorance . Thereupon the Arahants make their creative effort for Supreme Enlightenment and, though they abide in a state of deliverance, they act (in the phenomenal world) as if they were making a descent to hell. And gradually, having accumulated all the factors for the attainment of Enlightenment, they become teachers of living beings (i.e., Buddhas)."

An Eternal Now SG

I believe many of these parents themselves have little idea of Buddhism but anyway Buddha really didn't taught that way.

There is a story of how Buddha didn't even want someone to be converted and asked him to deeply consider his descisions.

Upali was one of the chief followers of the Jain master, Mahavira. Because of his intelligence, Upali often appeared in public debates on behalf of the Jains.

There was one incident where Upali had a debate with the Buddha. At
the end of the debate, Upali was so impressed with the Buddha's teachings that he asked to be the Enlightened One's follower. "Venerable Sir, please allow me to be your follower".

To that, the Buddha answered, "Upali, you are at the height of your emotions. Go home and reconsider it carefully before you ask me again".

Upali was extremely impressed, "If it was any other guru, he will parade a banner saying, 'Mahavira's chief lay-disciple has become my follower'. But you, Venerable Sir, you asked me to go home and reconsider. Now, I want to be your follower even more. I will not stand up until you accept me".

Finally, the Buddha agreed to accept Upali, under one condition, "Upali, as a Jain, you have always given alms to Jain monks. When you become my follower, you will CONTINUE to give alms to Jain monks. This is my condition".

Upali agreed to this condition.

In Buddhism, men came from the Light-Sound heaven. See: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=185514, the post starting from 08 April 2006 · 11:38 PM

It matters what is good and bad. Because if what we do is evil... then we will have bad karma. If you do good, you will have good karma. If you have bad karma, you will be reborn in the three lower realms: Hell, ghosts, animals. If you have good karma you may be reborn in the 3 higher realms: Asura, humans, heaven/celestial. If we have evil intentions to harm others, we will create bad karma. Therefore if it harms others or yourself, it is probably not right. In Buddhism, the very least is to keep the 5 precepts.. what are they? Do not kill, do not steal, do not have false speech (lies etc), do not have sexual misconduct, do not take drugs and alcohol and intoxicants. These 5 precepts if kept well will ensure that at least, we will be able to reborn as a human again and not in the lower realms.

In Buddhism, we don't use the term 'salvation', but 'liberation'.. enlightenment. It is not by good works, because having good karma, doing good, avoiding evil, will at most lead us to the heavenly realms. It does not however lead us to liberation from Samsara and enlightenment.. therefore when Buddhism is summarised as 'avoid evil, do all good, purify the mind'... 'purify the mind' is the most important and other religions do not teach that. If we want to be liberated, we have to cleanse/purify the mind.

Isis SG

mm there are reasons why we need to purify the mind..
but i don't where i read there from and put them in proper words

An Eternal Now SG

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/cultivat.htm#purify

How to purify the human mind?

Observe the mind to purify it

We are all human beings and we all have a mind. We are frequently deceived by our minds. For an entire lifetime we are deceived and misled by our minds without ever realizing it! If the mind is good, then of course, it is all very well. Such a mind creates a good person; one can ascend to the heavens or one can perform a lot of virtuous deeds. What happens if the mind is evil and becomes defiled? It can drag us to become animals, ghosts and deities, or descend to hell. This is because our mind is not pure, and therefore the world becomes a sea of suffering. This suffering world of ours is called the "Saha World". It means having to endure and is also called the "World of enduring sufferings".

If we all purify our minds, then the world becomes a heaven. Everybody is very happy and there is no suffering. In learning and practising Buddhism, the most important thing is to purify our minds. When we can purify our minds, then naturally there will be happiness in our world.

To do that we have to observe the non-arising of the mind. This is called contemplation of the mind. When the mind is polluted, then we cleanse it with the dew of the Buddha. And when our minds have been purified, then they are the same as those of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In this way, we will progress very quickly in our cultivation.

Observing the mind is very simple. It is like watching out for the mouse. Everybody dislike mice because they steal our food or they damage our clothings. An idiom describes this sentiment with the phrase, When the mouse crosses the street everybody goes after it. Obviously mice are not welcomed and they have to be dealt with. One method of dealing with it, is the cat. At the sight of a mouse, the cat puts his paws firmly on the ground and fixes its steely eyes on the mouse. On seeing the cat, the mouse trembles with fear, not daring to make even the slightest movement. Treat your mind as if it were a mouse and your awareness as the cat. At every moment observe your mind, in the same way as the cat watching the mouse. The mouse wants to live and hardly has time to think of its own safety, let alone of stealing food. If we can observe our minds, then we will hardly have time enough to treasure our wisdom life, let alone think of committing evil deeds.

Therefore when we are learning and practising Buddhism, we need to learn to "contemplate the mind". In this way, we will very quickly be able to avoid all evils and do all that are good.

"Avoid all evils; do all that are good; purify ones mind. These are the teachings of all Buddhas". Besides avoiding all evils and doing all that are good, we need to purify our thoughts. When our thoughts have been purified, then the mind is pure. The purpose of learning and practising Buddhism is to purify the human mind. If the minds of everyone in the family is pure, then our home is pure; if the minds of everyone in this society is pure, then our society is pure; if the minds of everyone in the country is pure, then our land is pure; if the entire human race in the world is pure, then our world is as happy as the Western Pure Land.

Our mind is like the stealthy mouse, ever watchful of a chance to creep out to commit evil deeds, and we are not even aware of that. I hope all of us will keep a cat to watch our minds, so that we can become Buddha quickly.

Why do we need to purify our thoughts?

When the thoughts are pure all Karma are pure

There are numerous types of karma, but generally they can be classified under three main types, namely, action of the body, speech and thought. However, our actions and speeches originate from our thoughts, that is, the thought preceeds the action or speech. Therefore, the first step to cultivation is to purify the thoughts. When our thoughts are pure, all our actions and speeches will be pure. When our actions, speeches and thoughts are pure, then all our karma are pure. Therefore, when we are learning and practising Buddhism, we should always be pure in our actions, speeches and thoughts.

sinweiy SG

We do not burn things. Joss stick.. yes. It represents the fragrace of Dao De It has symbolic meaning. But it isn't necessary to put joss stick all over the monastery. Just a bow would be enough.

yes, it's best we can be reminded of the significant Dharma meaning of the gestures we see in the monasteries.
burning joss stick or candle also signify the bodhisattva way of 'lighting' oneself in order to brighten up others. "

/\

despondent SG

hey can anyone give me a brief n i mean brief account of the differeences btw the major types of buddhism? i understand tat china, india, tibet n thailand practise diff. buddhism…how r they diff?

An Eternal Now SG

Something I want to add....

Most of these people who claim to be Buddhists aren't Buddhist. How do we know? Just ask them whether they have taken refuge in the Three Treasures. Many of them wouldn't even know what is that. If one hasn't taken refuge in the Triple Gems (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) then one isn't even a Buddhist.

An Eternal Now SG

Ok... so just to begin.. Buddhism in India has disappeared about 1500 years ago... and moved on to other places before Hinduism absorbed Buddhism into one of their sects. There is Buddhism in India now, although most of them are Hindus. Buddhism is rising in India (mostly Vajrayana) although it is still a minority religion.

Buddhism in Burma/Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc, belong to the Theravada tradition, known as the 'tradition of the elders'. This is the earliest tradition of Buddhism that survived to this day.

Buddhism in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, all these belong to the Mahayana tradition, which emphasizes apart from liberating oneself, also to save other sentient beings, called the Bodhisattva way.

Buddhism in Tibet, and Shingon in Japan are Vajrayana traditions, they are same as Mahayana (also practise Bodhisattva) except they heavily emphasize on the more esoteric aspects of Buddhism. Esoteric practises are sophisticated meditative teachings and practises that may require initiation and guidance of a qualified teacher.

As for what practises.... there really is a range of practises.. actually there are 84000 dharma doors that Buddha taught, one only needs to enter one door deeply to penetrate the Ultimate Truth. Within the 3 main traditions, Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, especially the Mahayana and Vajrayana it is differentiated further into many sects and each sect may emphasize on certain different aspects.

Buddhism in Singapore has a range of all traditions, just like Singapore has a range of many religions.

As for Thai Buddhism, there are many things that come under the name of Thai Buddhism.. for example... Thai amulets and stuff. These are not actually part of Buddhism or the Buddhist teachings, but are elements added into Buddhism from cultural influences and Brahmanism... an example is how Roman Catholic has some cultural stuff influenced in it. This is not looking down on Thai Buddhism, Thailand/Thai Buddhism produces many many well known Arhats (one who has attained Liberation, Nirvana) in modern times - Ajahn Mun, Ajahn Maha Boowa, Ajahn Chah etc... Most of these highly attained venerables do not have much emphasis on cultural stuff and if they do, it is because they do it according to lay people's demands to satisfy them. Actually all traditions of Buddhism, not only Thai Buddhism, has cultural influence but for a sincere seeker he doesn't mind, since his focus is on Dharma, practise, enlightenment.

If there are any other questions I'll be glad to answer.. Smile

onceinabluemoon SG

so how?

http://sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=221814