LIZARD AND BIRD
LIZARD AND BIRD
In the ancient past, on a far-away island, there lived giant birds and lizards. The meat of the lizards was so sweet and delicious that the birds were always trying to find a way to catch them. But the lizards could easily see the birds swooping down from the sky. This gave them time to curl up and flash their sharp teeth to frighten the birds. Then the lizards quickly grabbed the birds by their heads and dragged them off to the pond to be drowned. So, many birds were lost and the rest could do nothing but go hungry.
One day after a raging typhoon, a man came to the island. His ship had been wrecked at sea. He had lost everything, all his belongings! Not even a piece of cloth was left to cover his nakedness. All he could do was sit cross-legged under a palm tree. The birds, lizards, and people of the island all agreed that this was a most unusual sight. They thought the man must be an ascetic or religious teacher and offered him food.
Then one day, the king of the birds came with more food than usual. He asked the ascetic if he could reveal the secret of how to safely catch the lizards. The ascetic said he could not do such a thing because the lizards were also his friends. “How can I betray my friends?” asked the ascetic. But the bird-king promised to bring him abundant food every day if he would just reveal the secret. The ascetic could not resist the temptation and accepted the bird-king’s offer.
It wasn’t long before the lizard king brought his offering of food. When the ascetic had finished eating, he leaned back with a sigh and said, “How clever you lizards are. Your talents and skills are so good that not even the smartest bird-king can catch you!” Then slyly he asked, “I wonder how you do that? Would you tell me please?”
“No, no!” said the lizard king. How can I tell you our secret? If I told you, the birds would eat us until none of us were left!”
Then the ascetic said, "Trust me, I will keep your secret. I just want to hear how clever you are. Please tell me how you do it. Please!” The naked ascetic tried everything he could to win the lizard’s confidence.
Thinking that the man must be an honorable religious teacher and feeling happy and puffed up by the ascetic’s flattery, the lizard-king dropped his guard. Proudly he said, "The lizards know how to protect themselves from the birds by swallowing small pebbles into their stomachs. We also curl up our tails to protect ourselves from being picked up by the birds. In fending off the birds, the lizards might bite the birds on the head and drag them down to drown in the pond. The weight of the pebbles in our stomachs makes us heavy and the birds cannot fly away with us. Silly birds! If they only knew how to catch a lizard by the tail and lift him to hang upside-down, the pebbles would be thrown up out of the lizard’s stomach, and then the lizard would become food for the birds.”
Now the ascetic knew the lizard’s life-saving secret. The next time the bird-king came, the man exchanged the lizard’s secret for his daily meals.
The bird-king practiced what to do and as soon as he had the know-how, he rode up on a whirlwind and caught the lizard by the tail. The lizard having been caught, was now hanging upside-down in the sky, throwing up all the stones he had swallowed. He reminded himself to be calm so that he could think of a way to escape from this disaster. Suddenly he thought out a way. He said, “I had brought this upon myself, and I do not blame anyone. However, before I become your food, let me chant a sutta for myself.’
‘Ha, silly Lizard King, do you think you will be protected simply by chanting a sutta? Well, you may chant any sutta as you wish. However, after your chanting, you will be my meal.’ Said the bird king.
The lizard king was very calm, and with a beautiful, melodious voice he chanted the sutta of ‘The Profits of Friendship’.
1. He is entertained well
When he is gone away from his home,
Many depend on him,
Who does not deceive friends.
2. Whatever countries he goes to,
Whatever market towns, royal cities he visits,
Everywhere he is honored,
He who does not deceive friends.
3. Thieves do not oppress him;
The king does not despise him;
He overcomes all foes,
He who does not deceive friends.
4. Unangered he comes to his own house;
He is happy in (an) assembly;
He is the best of relatives.
He who does not deceive friends.
5. Having respected others he is respected;
Honoring others he himself is honorable;
He holds splendor and fame;
He who does not deceive friends.
6. He honors (others and) receives honor;
He is disposed to veneration (of noble friends like the Buddha)
And receives back veneration (in future births);
He attains glory and fame,
He who does not deceive friends.
7. He shines like the fire;
He is brilliant like a deity;
He is not abandoned by property;
He who does not deceive friends.
8. Cows give production to him;
Whatever is sown in the field produces plants;
He enjoys the fruits of sons,
He who does not deceive friends.
9. Whether from cavern or from mountain,
Or from a tree, (if that) man has fallen;
Dropped, he gets support,
He who does not deceive friends.
10. With roots and pith matured,
Like banyan tree (that) a wind (does not shake),
Foes do not oppress (him)
He who does not deceive friends.
Thus the lizard hung in the air and chanted the sutta. Hearing this, the bird ridiculed the lizard saying, “Lizard-king, my tragic hero, you trusted the ascetic and lost your life-saving secret. Now you are chanting the benefits of one who does not deceive friends. It seems to me deceiving is the way to make a living. In the past, I found it very difficult to catch any one of you for my food. Now, it is easy. I am not the only one who deceives. You see, even the naked ascetic deceives to earn his daily meals.”
"Indeed, deceiving is a way to make a living. However, it is a wrong way of livelihood. One who lives on wrong livelihood suffers in bad karma. One should choose not to deceive, because he will surely enjoy the good karma. ” replied lizard king.
“Well, you are right in that aspect. Still, I have to live on your meat. What else can I live on?”
The lizard king answerd, ‘You can be a vegetarian and live on fruits, nuts, and grains. Why must you live on the meat of other beings? It says in the Dhammapada, ‘He who seeks his own happiness by harming others who also desire to have happiness will not find happiness hereafter. He who seeks his own happiness by not harming others who also desire to have happiness will find happiness hereafter.’ So, having compared oneself to others, one should treat others the way one treats oneself.” lizard king said.
“Yes, this is true,” replied the bird-king, “but we are genetically made this way. And besides, we have gotten used to the sweet taste of your meat.”
The lizard, knowing that the bird-king still had mercy in his heart, continued his persuasion. "Let us go to the ascetic and you will find my words to be true. After that, I will teach you how to find good grains and nuts. Trust me, love will break the nature of food chain, and you can be a good vegetarian and give up eating lizard meat. Let us go now.”
At last the bird-king was convinced. So, together they went to the naked ascetic, and after bowing, the lizard-king said:"I trusted not only my life, but the lives of my whole tribe to you, and you gave me your word that you would never reveal my secret. But you exchanged our lives for your daily meals. You sold our lives! You do not deserve to be an ascetic because you betrayed your true friend. You also betrayed your true nature as a religious teacher. Now, let me ask you a question. Do you feel remorse for what you have done to me?”
Upon hearing this, the ascetic felt very ashamed for what he had done. He apologized and asked for forgiveness from the lizard king. The lizard king forgave him, and asked him to cultivate loving-kindness. The ascetic vowed to develop loving-kindness. He said, “I will practice loving-kindness and be more compassionate in the future.”
“Let us be true friends to each other,” proclaimed the bird-king. “Have faith and trust in me. I will be your protector. I will watch for you when I am soaring in the sky.”
To this very day, this is the reason why some birds eat only fruits, nuts, and grains and do not live on lizard.
The Buddha's Last Words and the Meaning of Practice
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Following the Buddha's Foot Step
The Buddha’s Last word and
the Meaning of Practice?
Meditation is becoming more and more popular nowadays. There are many different traditions and different schools in each tradition. Visiting one meditation center, you might learn a certain practice. Visiting another meditation center later on, you might learn another form of practice. With so many different practices being taught, is there any common practice that is shared in all the practices?
The meaning of practice is to purify of the mind. The opening verse of the Dhammapada says that the mind is the forerunner of all activities. When the mind is tainted, suffering will follow one just as the wheel of a cart follows the foot-step of the ox which pulls the cart. Likewise, when the mind is pure, then happiness will follow one just as one’s shadow follows one.
Just before the Buddha passed away, he might have chosen one of the deepest teachings such as emptiness or nibbana to conclude his 45-year teaching career. However, he told his disciples of the driving Dhamma that propelled him to enlightenment. The Buddha said: “Formations are bound to vanish. Strive to attain the goal by appamaada” (SN 6:15)
What is he meaning of appamaada ? The Pali word appamaada is usually translated into English as “untiringly,” “earnestly,” or “with diligence,” conveying the notion of sustained, determined effort. These give the impression that the Buddha’s last message was to stick with the practice. There are other translations such as “unrelenting mindfulness” in Sri Lankan commentaries and “heedfulness, vigilance, wariness, care" in Thai. However, the Buddha himself, on another occasion, expressed the nuance of appamaada as carefully guarding the mind against defiling mental states, while at the same time strengthening it in terms of the five faculties: faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom (SN 48:56). This passage points out that appamaada is not simply holding onto the practice untiringly and diligently. Rather, appamaada means the purification of the mind by practicing the five faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.
Manyu The Curious Little Monk
MANYU THE CURIOUS LITTLE MONK
Manyu was a very quick-witted little novice among his little fellow monks. Their teacher had a most peculiar practice. He would enter his room with the door locked. He would then bow three times to a wooden box kept on a shelf. Then, he would take something out and rub it with his hand. After that, the master would at times chant some verses and sometimes he would murmur, as if to talk to himself or with a very close friend. At times, he might hold the mysterious thing for a long while without doing anything. After that, he would bow three times and put the object back in its place on the shelf.
All the little novices were very curious to know what was inside the wooden box. So, they sometimes tried to see through the key hole or through the window. They could not see anything very clearly. Each time they asked their master about the object, the master tried to protect it. He told them not to touch it without his permission. They all wondered what it was.
One day, the master went out on some business. They could not resist the temptation to steal a look at this mysterious thing. They went into the master’s room and opened the box. There, they found something wrapped neatly with a piece of cloth. They unwrapped the piece of cloth and what they saw was nothing but an ordinary monk’s bowl. It was used, as they could tell from the chipped places. There was also a note together with the bowl. From the note, one could tell that the bowl belonged to their teacher’s teacher. As they were wondering why their master gave so much devotional respect to this simple plain bowl; the bowl slipped from their hands and was broken. Every one was scared and did not know what to do. They looked at each other (with large frightened eyes. Not knowing what to do, they finally turned to Manju for his quick wit to solve the difficult situation. Manju thought for a moment, then finally promised to solve the problem on the condition that they would give their share of manju to him whenever manju was offered in the morning as breakfast. (Manju is a kind of Japanese baked desert. This is how he came to be called Manju.)
In the evening, their teacher came back, but Manju was not playing outside as he usually did. Instead, he sat in the meditation hall. He sat and sat without any movement. The master noticed something unusual and went over to see what was going on.
The Master asked him, “What are you doing?” thinking there must be something wrong with this quick and wise young novice. Manju answered, “This morning the thought occurred to me that you are alwaysteaching us that all formations are impermanent. But I was thinking maybe this is not so. Maybe I can find an exception by meditating. So, this is the reason I have been meditating.” “Well, have you found any exceptions?” the Master asked. “No, not yet Manju replied. But, I am pretty sure there must besome exceptions, at least one. Are you sure that all formationsare impermanent?” asked Manju. “Oh, yes, I am absolutely sure. All formations are impermanent,” answered the Master. “Really sure? All formations are impermanent with no exception?” asked Manju again. “Yes, I am absolutely sure. No exceptions!” answered the Master without hesitation. Then, Manju took out the wooden box and told his Master, “Here comes the impermanence of your bowl.” He then showed the broken bowl to the Master.
As the Master gazed down at the broken bowl on the floor, the memory of his own teacher came back to him. His teacher had taught impermanence with loving-kindness and patience when the Master was a young novice. So, he said softly, “You are right. The bowl is impermanent indeed! Put it back on the shelf!”
Hearing this, Manju was happy, and he wrapped the broken bowl with the piece of cloth, put the broken bowl back in wooden box quickly, and made a bow to this teacher. As he was turning to leave, his teacher said,
“Oh, Manju! I almost forgot to tell you one thing. Since everything is impermanent you have to be mindflul taking care of what you have!”
Manju, with his hands joined, bowed and left. He thought about what his teacher told him for a long time. Finally, he said to his brother monks, “I have enough manju now. You may keep your share of manju and do not need to give your share to me!” Every body was very happy, and Manju was very happy too.
Why Faith and Devotion? (5)
Recitation of the Buddha’s Name
Buddha recitation is one of the main practices of the Pure Land.
However, the practice of reciting the name of the Buddha does
exist also in the Theravadin tradition, so it crosses the boundaries
of schools.
Recitation of the Buddha’s name leads to one-pointedness of mind,
or samadhi. The Buddha whose name is evoked in Pure Land
practice is Amitabha Buddha, also known as Amida Butsu in Japanese,
Amituofo in Chinese, A Di Da Phat in Vietnamese.
Although the Buddha taught both monastic and lay people, in ancient
times the Buddhist path was primarily a monastic tradition. Monks
could sit in meditation and study the sutras in the monastery. Lay
people had to work and raise families, many could not read or write,
so their role was primarily to support the monastic sangha.
Pure Land was an attempt to bring the practice to lay people. The practice
that was extremely simple by design - chanting Amitofo’s name. This
method could be practiced by lay people who have to work all day, and
who may not have been literate. It can be done while walking, working in
the fields, and requires no formal training. In other words, it’s a practice
for us laypeople! It’s predicted that this will be the last of the Buddhist
cultivation methods to die out in this world.
Some individuals recite the Amitofo mantra to be reborn in Amitofo’s
Buddha land after their death. This Pure Land is an environment
perfectly conducive to practice – when the birds sing, they sing the
Dharma. When the flowers bloom, they bloom the Dharma. It is an
ideal setting for practice.
However, we can also recite this mantra in order to attain samadhi
and see the “Pure Land” in this very life. We don’t have to view
the Pure Land as a physical place, but as a quality of our own mind.
If we practice in this way, we’re already living in the Pure Land right now.
Practical tips & my experience
The first time I tried this practice it was very moving. I had a deep reaction
to it, and I am glad to be able to share the practice with you today.
1. Know what you’re saying. Do your best to pronounce the name correctly.
2. You can recite loudly or softly depending on the situation.
3. It may be helpful to chant along with a recording.
4. Walking while reciting can be powerful – this closes the sense doors
and is conducive to samadhi.
5. You can use a mala – one name for each bead working around the string.
6. The speed of the recitation can vary - if I’m groggy or feeling lethargic,
quick recitation perks me up. If I’m too energetic, slower recitation calms
my mind. So it’s a very flexible practice.
Circumambulation
Just as prostration, circumambulation is a physical expression of devotion and
veneration for the triple gem. It is typically done in a clockwise direction and
in an odd number of times. There is something special about a circle. Circles
are never ending, they contain no divisions, they convey protection.
Buddhists usually circumamblate around something sacred, such as
stupas, Buddha images, shrines, or holy sites. Some Tibetans circumambulate
Mt. Kailash. The trip is 32 miles at altitudes of up to 19,000 feet. Pilgrims also
go to circumambulate the Bodhi tree.
We do circumambulation every week in our evening services at my temple
in Connecticut. We actually walk around our group of cushions, so we are
circumambulating the community of practice which is lovely.
Practical tips & my experience
1. When in public (like in a city park) don’t walk so slowly that people think you’re strange.
2. Coordinate your breathing with the walking.
3. Focus on the sensations in soles of the feet.
Closing
I would like to close by reading one of my favorite scriptural passages.
It is the final chapter of the Diamond Sutra. In the Diamond Sutra, Subhuti,
a young disciple of the Buddha, asks the Buddha how to respond when
people ask him how to practice. The Buddha acknowledges that this
is a good question. The Buddha’s response comes in the form of dialectics,
which are inherently difficult to explain. But in essence, the Buddha’s answer
is to study, observe, and explain the 6 paramitas (Dana – giving; Sila – precepts;
Kshaniti – patience; Virya – effort; Dhyana – concentration; Prajna – wisdom).
In the final chapter, the Buddha talks about awakening a true, pure faith.
The first time I read this, I wept. Often when I re-read it, I weep. It has awakened
in me a pure, true faith. This translation is taken from The Buddhist Bible,
edited by Dwight Goddard.
Subhuti respectfully enquired of the Lord Buddha, “Honored of the worlds!
In future days, if a disciple hears this teaching or a part of it – a section or
a sentence – will it awaken true faith in his mind?”
“Subhuti, do not doubt it. Even at the remote period of five hundred years
after the nirvana of the Tathagata, there will be those who, practicing charity
and keeping the precepts, will believe in sections and sentences of this Scripture
and will awaken within their minds a true pure faith. You should know, however,
that such disciples, long ago, have planted roots of goodness, not simply before
one Buddha shrine, or two, or five, but before the shrines of a hundred thousand
myriad asamkyas of Buddhas, so that when they ear sentences and sections of
this Scripture there will instantly awaken within their minds a true pure faith.”
Transfer of merit
May any merit gained by this practice and teaching today be transferred to all
sentient beings in all the Dharma realms.
This is a Dharma talk composed by Jennifer Wheeler and Julie Wagner,
given on two different occasions in slightly different forms, at Chuang Yen Monastery.
Why faith and devotion (4)
Offerings
Offering food is one of the oldest and most common rituals of Buddhism.
www.about.com had some wonderful information about offerings that I’ll
share with you here.
Offering Alms to Monks
The first Buddhist monks did not build monasteries. Instead, they were
homeless spiritual seekers who begged for their food. Today, in predominately
Theravada countries like Thailand, monks still rely on receiving alms for
most of their food. The monks leave the monasteries early in the morning.
They walk single file, oldest first, carrying their alms bowls in front of them.
Laypeople wait for them and place food, flowers or incense sticks in the bowls.
The monks do not speak, even to say thank you. The giving of alms is not
thought of as charity. The giving and receiving of alms creates a spiritual
connection between the monastic and lay communities. Laypeople have a
responsibility to support the monks physically, and the monks have a
responsibility to support the community spiritually.
The practice of begging for alms has mostly disappeared in Mahayana
countries, although in Japan monks periodically still do. They wear large
straw hats that prevent the monk and the lay person from seeing each
other. In this way, there is no giver and no receiver. This purifies the act
of giving and receiving.
Practical tips & my experience
I enjoy making offerings to monastics. I am so grateful for their practice –
which they do for all of us – all of us! –not just themselves. And some
of them offer teachings - written, spoken, and by example. The fact that
these monastics share the Dharma with us is wonderful, and it gives me
great pleasure to respond with an offering. No matter how generous,
my offering can never match the magnitude of their sharing the Dharma.
1. Keep food healthy, light, vegetarian, free from intoxicants and caffeine.
2. Avoid strong foods like garlic and onions as these are not recommended
in some systems of traditional eastern medicine.
3. Be aware that some monastics follow a tradition wherein they consume
food only before noon.
4. Do not be offended if they do not say ‘thank you’. Part of giving is the
practice of non-self, erasing the division between giver, receiver,
and gift. In this spirit, monastics may not say thank you or even
acknowledge the gift. This is not rude, it is a deep practice.
Other Offerings
Ceremonial food offerings also are a common practice in Buddhism.
Offering food on an altar is an act of connecting with the spiritual world.
It is also a way to transform our own greed and open our heart to the
needs of others.
A Buddhist offering is not a sacrifice it never involves killing and it is
not given in order to please the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Rather,
it is an act of veneration for the triple gem. As such, it is a wholesome
practice. Most Buddhist altars display some sort of offering. Making
offerings allows one to practice giving, express gratitude and
respect, and reflect upon interdependence.
It is a common practice in some traditions to make food offerings
to the hungry ghosts. Hungry ghosts represent all of our greed and
attachments. By giving away something that we crave, we transform
our attachments. Eventually the offered food is left out for birds and wild
animals.
Some common offerings and their symbolic import are:
1. Flowers. Flowers are beautiful, yet, impermanent. They represent
the sense of touch.
2. Fruit. Fruit represents the result of our spiritual cultivation and the
law of cause and effect. Fruit represents the sense of taste.
3. Incense. Aromatic incense purifies the atmosphere as well as
the mind. Incense represents the sense of smell.
4. Light. Light extinguishes darkness in the same way that wisdom
dispels ignorance. Life represents the sense of sight.
5. Chanting. Chanting helps us recite the teachings. It represents
the sense of hearing.
6. Grain. Grain is a basic dietary staple necessary to sustain life.
7. Water. Water signifies the force of life and washes away impurities.
8. Scarves. Scarves are symbols of good will and friendship.
Practical tips & my experience
I enjoy making offerings. Sometimes I make food and incense offerings to
hungry ghosts, and I place offerings on the graves of my ancestors and my
pets. I also offer incense in my morning practice. And I sing a gatha, so I
offer a song along with the incense. The gatha I sing is from Venerable
Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition:
The fragrance of this incense invites the awakened mind to be truly
present here with us now.
The fragrance of this incense protects us and unites us.
Precepts concentration and insight, we offer to all that is.
Namo Bodhisattvabaya. Namo Mahasattvabaya.
1. Be creative or keep it as simple as you like.
2. Don’t expect a reward. There is no cosmic score board wherein
you give an offering and get something in return.
3. The physical offerings should be clean, good quality, attractive, and acquired through honest means. This will help us to avoid doubts about the quality of our offering.
4. Imagine that the offering generates great joy.
評論 (1)
觀看/發評論
« WarewolfX 張貼於 Wednesday, Oct 21 at 08:48 AM »
I always think the best offering is ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I think is to offer ourselves in a serene manner in front of the shine. Through doing this, we let our inner buddha coming out. The more we do this, the better we can transfer Buddha's teaching from sutura to our lives. In time, we can fully integrate these teachings into our lives
Why faith and devotion (3)
Devotional Practices
Lama Surya Das states that what makes a practice devotional is the
quality of our hearts and minds when we engage in the practice. It’s
certainly possible to bow or prostrate or circumambulate in a rote and
mechanical way. But true devotion can also be expressed through these
beautiful practices.
Done in this way, devotional practices soften your aversions. They strip
away your ego. They reduce you to a tender heart. They help you become
more uncomplicated, vulnerable, and humble. They enlarge your mind and
your heart so that you can experience more joy.
I’m going to talk about three devotional practices; bowing, offerings, and
circumambulation.
Bowing
Rev. Heng Sure is famous western teacher who is well known for his bowing.
He undertook an over six hundred mile pilgrimage from South Pasadena to
Ukiah California, repeatedly taking three steps and one bow to cover the entire
journey. In the entire two years taken to make the pilgrimage, he observed a
practice of total silence.
He states that one of the reasons for Buddhism’s current rapid growth in the
West may be because meditation seems egalitarian, and free of dogma; it
demands no adherence to a creed. But he goes on to note that when we
encounter prostrations, we develop aversion. He states that as Westerners,
we tend to think of bowing and prostrating as a gesture of defeat or abasement.
We think that to show someone else respect is to make ourselves less. He
states that prostrating irritates our senseof democracy, seems inherently
unequal, humiliating, and submissive, seems to replace self-determination
with servility. Moreover, because bowing takes one to the earth, it may appear
unsanitary and superstitious.
We don’t really want to bow down to anyone or anything, but we want to receive
the teachings. So what do we do when we are in a temple and we are asked to
prostrate? Usually, because human beings tend to succumb to social pressure,
we just bow even though we really don’t want to. And at first it may feel silly,
or insincere, or unpleasant. But over time, with wisdom, bowing becomes an
offering up and opening of oneself.
It is a way of removing our armor and other ego baggage we may be burdened
with. Lama Surya Das says that in this way, prostrating is like leaving our shoes
at the door of a shrine.
I see prostrating as an act of total humility, but not humiliation. At the same time
that it is an act of humility, it is also an act of supreme confidence in the path.
We do not stay down on the ground. We get back up. I also see bowing and
prostrating as a recognition of interdependence. Bowing erases the line between
me and you, self and other. It is perfect communication. No words necessary.
And this release of ego, this recognition of interdependence, this lack of need
for words– it cultivates great joy.
Lama Surya Das describes bowing as “An elegant traffic signal of the body,
voice, and mind. Every bow says: Slow down. Drop the ego. Meditation zone
ahead. Proceed with cushion.”
Practical tips & my experience
I love prostration. Some memorable bows for me include –
bowing to my husband at our wedding;
bowing to my teacher;
bowing to Thich Nhat Hanh while on retreat.
I start every day bowing to my husband when we drink our coffee together.
It is good for our marriage to start each day this way.
1.
Quick prostrations can help if you are sluggish – they work up a sweat and
make the heart beat quickly. Slower prostrations can have a soothing
effect when the mind or heart are over-stimulated or agitated.
2. Counting prostrations helps maintain mindfulness. You can also use
a hand-held bell to time your prostrations.
3. There are several ways to do prostrations. In the Tibetan tradition, full
prostrations are used. In my tradition, we do five-pointed prostrations,
with the legs, arms, and head touching the earth. Palms turned up to
indicate a desire to receive the teachings. We also place our hands on
our forehead, mouth, and heart, saying “Buddha, Dharma, sangha”.
Why Faith and Devotion? (2)
Devotion
The Oxford dictionary defines “devotion” as great love or loyalty.
“Veneration” is defined as respect or awe inspired by the dignity,
wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person. Some of our practices
are designed to express and cultivate devotion and veneration.
I enjoy devotional practices,because devotional practices allow us
to live our life like a ceremony. Devotional practices give our life beauty,
order, comfort, and they give deeper meaning to the activities with
which we construct our day to day lives.
We tend to think of devotion as components of the Mahayana school,
as epitomized in the Lotus Sutra, for example. But, the concepts exist
in the Theravadin tradition as well. Nyanaponika Thera, a Theravadin
monk, wrote this very beautiful passage about devotion:
“We may now ask: Is it not quite natural that feelings of love, gratitude,
reverence and devotion seek expression through the entire personality,
through acts of body and speech as well as through our thoughts and
unexpressed sentiments? Will one, for instance, hide one’s feelings
towards parents and other loved ones? Will one not rather express
them by loving words and deeds? Will one not cherish their memory
in suitable ways, as for instance, by preserving their pictures in one’s
home, by placing flowers on their graves, by recalling their noble qualities?
In such a way, one who has become critical of the devotional aspects
of religion may seek to understand the outward acts of homage customary
in Buddhist lands when, with reverential gesture, flowers and incense are
placed before a Buddha image and devotional texts are recited not as prayers
but as meditation.
Provided that such practice does not deteriorate into a thoughtless routine,
a follower of the Dhamma will derive benefit if he takes up some form
of a devotional practice, adapting it to his personal temperament and to
the social customs of his environment. Buddhism however, does not in
the least impose upon its followers a demand to observe any outward
form of devotion or worship. This is entirely left to the choice of
individuals whose emotional, devotional and intellectual needs are
bound to differ greatly. No Buddhist should feel himself forced into
an iron-cast mould, be it of a devotional or a rationalistic shape.
As a follower of the middle way, he should, however, also avoid
one-sided judgment of others, and try to appreciate that their
individual needs and preferences may differ from his own.”
Genesis 1 http://bbintl.org/bible/niv/nivGen1.html
24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.
25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.