Rituals are an important part of Buddhist practice, dating back to the times of Buddha himself . Rituals can be practiced in a variety of ways from precept ceremonies to initiations and ordinations. In Shan tradition, the initial ordination ceremony of a monk is called the paui sang long and is an elaborate festivity that is important for sustaining the sangha . It is important because without the ceremony there would be no new monks joining the sangha, causing it to shrink and eventually die out. Similar to other religions, over time rituals, lessons, and text in Buddhism get reinterpreted and sometimes misrepresented. The paui sang long ceremony is no different, as it too has been used for reasons other than its initial purpose. The paui …show more content…
Acquiring good merit, that in turn becomes good karma, is a cornerstone in all sects of Buddhism . Good merit can be accrued in a variety of ways. A common method is through showing generosity and compassion to others, in a selfless manner without having expectations. This is why intention becomes important, if one was to attempt to build good merit in a selfish manner and at the expense of others, it is not pure and will not be fruitful. Attempts at accruing good merit are displayed throughout the paui sang long ceremony although some appear more selfish than selfless. In these ordination festival's sponsors play a significant role in almost all tasks whether it be providing princely costumes , subsidizing costs , or even providing alcohol to labourers . Many of the boys and young men that are ordained are excited and even go as far as pestering their parents for the opportunity . In other situations boys are recruited by adults who are interested in becoming sponsors and accruing good merit . The implications of this is the certain boys who face this situation may be forced to become monks, a situation they may …show more content…
Understanding ego in Buddhism is important in order to work to control it, and eventually to remove it all together . Ego is understood as an illusion that is associated with greed, attachment, and desire. Throughout the paui sang long the sponsors use a variety of situations to display their power and feed their ego, while maintaining and strengthening social hierarchies. The entire ceremony is a community project, considering the entire village plays a role whether it be labour or donations, and are all essentially working under the sponsor's leadership. The sponsor decides when to begin the festival, and everyone works on their time . This displays they are the top of the social hierarchy and everyone follows their leadership and instruction, and in turn feeds the sponsors ego as they feel more powerful. Furthermore a lot of the preparation and celebration during the festival is done at the sponsor’s home, where they provide snacks and refreshments . During this situation the villagers will work under the sponsor’s instructions and may even subconsciously feel in debt considering they are being fed by the sponsor. Sponsors can use this opportunity to again assert their dominance as the top of the social hierarchy, and allow this power to feed their ego. Another similar occurrence is when the sponsor leads the grand procession back to the temple during the paui sang
I arrived at the Hsi Lai Temple in the city of Hacienda Heights around 3:00 p.m. on March 7, 2014. Although I am Chinese, I have never been to this temple before because my family does not practice Buddhism. This is my first time collecting data about the His Lai Temple. This method is referred to as participant-observation which is, “the anthropological method of collecting data by living with another people, learning their language, and understanding their culture” (Arenson and Miller-Thayer 521). The temple is built on a hill top. After driving up the long hill into the parking lot, I found that before entering the temple, I walked up many stairs. In the brochure For Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, it said that the name Hsi Lai stands for “coming to the West”. The temple, which was founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, signifies the dedication of Taiwan’s largest Buddhist organizations called the Fo Guang Shan. It took ten years to build the temple and was completed in 1988. This $30 million Temple on 15 acres of land was financed by donations from Buddhist devotees from around the worlds.
The temple puja is identified as a public and formal form of worship and devotion undertaken by adherents of Buddhism. Within puja each of the steps of the Eightfold path can be approached and there is the opportunity for one to reach Nirvana with puja alone. The last step of the Eightfold Path, right concentration is the end point for the chanting and the meditation. Adherents enter the temple in a physical and mental state of reverence or Puja, and inside they primarily recognise the importance of the Three Refuges. Additionally, temple puja has great significance for the community as it intrinsically reflects on the significance of the community as part of the Sangha, and strengthens relationship and devotion within the community. The temple itself is often in the centre of a Buddhist town or village, symbolising that is the heart and the central point of the Sangha, and acts as a daily reminder for the community to remain devoted. Thus reinforcing a quote written by Buddhaghosa in 5th century India, “[Nirvana] can only be reached, not produced, by the Path . . . it transcends the intrinsic nature of matter . . . being attainable through special insight affected by strong effort” (Stimulus). The quote is explaining that by remaining devoted, one can reach Nirvana through total enlightenment. Temple Puja provides social cohesion in that the role and function of participants demonstrate the social status of the individuals and their connection with each other, for example, the role of members of the Sangha lead the participants in prayer and reflection. Overall, temple puja has a profound impact on the individual and the greater community as it allows them to reach
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times, or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the Sonqo area.
2) There are many rituals carried out by the Indigenous people but in particular there is one called
Question 1: In what ways does Source 1 incorporate elements of spirituality and religion in the Murri people’s preparation for Christmas.
Deep within the trees little hooded men walk along a path to meditate and pray dressed in brown robes tied with nautical rope. They dwell in silence and live a life of celibacy. This is what most of think of when we hear the word monk. Throughout the years, monks have always been people of intrigue. They live a different lifestyle than most. They live a life of seclusion far from the mores of modern society, which often makes people ponder who these people really are and why they choose to participate in such a foreign religious movement. This paper will attempt to unravel the mysteries of this peculiar movement of by researching it's origin, the true meaning of a silent lives, and how key leaders have helped to develop it one of the most popular movements in the history of Christianity. A movement called Monasticism.
Of Tajikistan’s 8 million people, 90% are Muslim (Central Intelligence Agency). For Muslims, their faith is a central part of their daily lives. Muslims have many religious rituals, traditions, and holidays that are a key part of their faith. Islam’s second most important holiday is Idi Kurbon, which is also known as The Festival of Sacrifice and Eid- al-Adha. The festival of Idi Kurbon is a significant religious celebration in Tajikistan’s culture.
Even forms of human beings preforming selfless acts derives from ones desire to help others, which in a way makes that person feel importance. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, better known as Mother Teresa, devoted her life to helping those in great need. To many these acts may appear as selfless and gallant acts that are not performed by anyone with any type of ego. Yet when taking a psychological look at why she performed such acts they may appear a somewhat more for herself. Every time anyone does anything, even when for someone else, they are doing it for some type of feeling that they experience. With the holiday season approaching, there will be a specific emphasis on giving unlike any other time of the year. We give yes to show gratitude for someone we love, but also to experience the joy in seeing someone enjoy something they them self-caused. Even while being selfless humans have the unique ability to still be doing something that involves caring for them self. This outlook toward the human condition completely debunks Wolf’s claim that “when caring about yourself you are living as if you are the center of the universe.” When choosing to do anything positive or negative, for others or for yourself, you are still taking your self-interest into consideration, making it
The comparison and contrast of ceremonies performed by African religions to those of Hinduism, Buddhism and Oceanic religions
...l, our self-concept is multi-dimensional. We have three ways of perceiving ourselves, the private me, the ideal me, and the public me. The private me, is the way that we believe ourselves to be. The ideal me, is how you desire yourself, who you wish you were. Lastly, there is the public me, the way that we present ourselves in public, the face that we try to show others. Ego boosters and Ego busters affect us in everyway possible and affect the way we perceive ourselves to the world we live in.
As a Buddhist, we have many ceremonies and celebrations throughout the year that thrive on using art. From paper lantern sculptures to intricate masks, I am always intrigued by the skill and precise detail shown in these works. One notable ceremony is a chanting ceremony that last for 24 hours continuously. The monks chant in a gazebo like structure centerpiece decorated with intricate designs, hand crafted from coconut tree leaves.
It is driven by the reality principle by attempting to rationalize the situation and act accordingly in order to achieve satisfaction while doing it in a socially acceptable manner. The ego is ‘like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse’ (Freud, 1923). For example, while out at a restaurant, Tom was thirsty but knew that the waiter would return to refill the water glass, so he waited until then to get a drink, even though he just really wanted to drink from Mrs. Smith’s glass. The super ego sits, omnipresent, at the top and acts as a moral compass for both the id and ego.
I decided to visit a Hindu temple because the Hindu religion was the religion that I knew the least about and was interested in. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn more about this religion and what their worship services and rituals were like. The temple that I went to was called BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir and it was located in Lilburn. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the beautiful architectural design of this Temple. It seemed like it took a lot of hard work and dedication to make the place what it is now. While I was at the temple, I watched the Hindus perform an ancient Vedic ritual called the Abhishek, a ritual bathing to honor the murti of their God.
There are many different kinds of ritual, practiced in many different religions and religious act. A ritual can be defined as any repetitive sequence of acts. http://voices.yahoo.com/defining-religious-rituals-prayers-passages-peoples-5286671.html?cat=34. Muslims perform the prayer of Salat. The steps to perform Salat are to warm up chant bow and warm down all while doing this they are praying to Allah. They perform Salat 5 times per day. The prayer of Salat is so important to Muslims because it is the most important pillar to Islam. http://www.ask.com/question/why-is-salah-important-to-muslims. The purpose of Salat is an act on an a persons connection and total submi...