PHILOSOPHY, LAWS, AND PRACTICES

Like all great religions, Buddhism teaches the importance of godly or holy values. Buddhism teaches that if a person has a pure mind, everything he or she does will be pure and decent; and that if a person has a pure heart, all happiness will come to him or her.

Truths and Virtues

The highest virtue is universal charity-giving all you can to anybody who needs help. The Buddhist philosophy of charity is evident in the following excerpt from the 10 blessings asked of Buddha:

To serve wise men, and not to serve fools, to give honor to whom honor is due, this is the greatest blessing. To dwell in a pleasant land, to have done good deeds in a former birth, to have the right desires for ones self, this the greatest blessing. To succor father and mother, to cherish wife and child, to follow a peaceful calling, this is the greatest blessing. To give alms and live righteously, to help one relatives and do blameless deeds, this is the greatest blessing. They who act like this are invincible on every side, on every side they walk in safety, and theirs is the greatest blessings.?

For arriving at the truths of religion, Buddhism teaches an eightfold path consisting of these virtues: (1) right views, (2) intention, (3) speech, (4) action, (5) livelihood, (6) effort, (7) mindfulness, and (8) right concentration. Movement toward these truths will assist the devotee toward abolishment of all desire, hatred, and ignorance. In his teachings, Buddha acknowledged that this goal was a long process. Therefore, he taught that each person could have an unknown number of lives in which to attain supreme reality.

Reincarnation

Buddhism teaches reincarnation, a religious belief common in the east. Reincarnation proposes that a person is born many times. In each new life, the person is better than in the life before. Buddha taught that the good are rewarded by being born into higher forms of goodness, and those who achieve the highest form of goodness finally escape both life and death. These people, having reached their final stage of goodness, are not born again and, therefore, do not die again, but remain forever in the Buddhist paradise, called Nirvana.

Religious Objects

In Buddhism, special objects may be used in worship services and other ceremonies.

BELLS AND DRUMS.?In pagodas, bells or drums are used for announcements. They are located on or near the porch of the pagoda. The bells are used to announce a meeting or special event. The drums are used to sound the presence of dignitaries.

GONGS.?In both pagodas and homes, Buddhists use gongs to announce the time of a service or meeting, to mark the different phases of a ceremony, and to set the tempo for chants.

BEADS.?As an aid to meditation, devout Buddhists may use a string of 108 beads. Each bead symbolizes one of the desires a devout Buddhist must overcome to be eligible to achieve enlightenment.

CANDLES AND LAMPS.?Buddhists commonly use lighted candles and lamps to symbolize how Buddha teachings lead to enlightenment.

INCENSE.?Burning incense as an offering in memory of Buddha is also widely practiced.

FOOD, WINE, AND WATER.?Buddhists place food, wine, and water before the altar of Buddha. The food, wine, and water signify that the best is first shared with Buddha. Only the presence of the food is essential for the purposes of worship, and the items themselves are later consumed by the worshipers.

FLOWERS.?Traditionally, Buddhists use flowers in several different rituals. Buddhist families may place flowers before Buddha during worship in the pagoda or on personal altars in the home. A Buddhist may present flowers when calling upon monks or older relatives, or place flowers on graves.

Now that we have looked at the fundamentals of Buddhism, let talk about another major religionhristianity.