Tibet

CNN’s Rick Sanchez discusses the differences between the two faiths with a Buddhist scholar.

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I need to write a report on a buddhist service. I normally attend a roman catholic mass, and I must include a comparison of the two masses.

it depends on the sect of Buddhism that you’re comparing to, really. They can be as diverse as any of the Christian gatherings (if you haven’t, try visiting another Christian church and you’ll be surprised how formal Roman Catholicism is).

The only one I’m familiar with is Nichiren Buddhism, and it’s been years since I’ve been at one of their gatherings so I’m not the best direct resource. I’m sure, if you decide to pursue this group, that you can contact someone from Soka Gakkai International for some information on it. http://www.sgi.org/

I know there are many different varieties of Buddhist practice, but what do the vast majority of them think happens after we die.

My mom is a Nichiren Daishonin Buddhist and she believes in re-incarnation.

My dog died recently and she is hoping he will be re-incarnated as a human being.

I thought re-incarnation was a Hindu thing.

"After-life" is sort of a misnomer. There is nothing after life, some sects of Buddhism simply believe you never truly die, just simply move onto a new form. The idea is that you are composed of atoms, these atoms after your death are recycled and reused in nature, thus that which was ‘you’ is now everything else. There is no "self". Your identity or ‘ego’ dies along with you. We return back to emptiness [all things are made of emptiness, it is that which is the pure true nature of things] So you never actually die because you were never actually ’something’ in the first place. Just a specific configuration of atoms/information that developed the ability to say "ME". [in truth there is no clear distinction between you and the rest of the world, it is all one]

However some sects believe that awareness or consciousness is as much a substance as is atoms/molecules, as such this subjective experience would then also be recycled. So that upon death you may wake up in another person’s bed, with none of your previous memories or inclinations and you would have all of the memories, tendencies, emotions, identity of this new person. This would then be you. So the cycle from this interpretation is that we just keep waking up from dreams over and over again living out new lives thinking they are real. The only way to break the cycle is to achieve Nirvana.

Buddhist song

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My dad’s wife’s brother passed away unexpectedly and I want to send flowers or something but am not sure what the Buddhist tradition is for paying respects. If I can do something to help the family with arrangements that don;t have to do with funeral arrangements, like buying supplies they may need to take to the funeral home or send the type of flowers normally at a Buddhist funeral, or maybe even donate money to the temple on the decease’s behalf. But I don’t want to do anything to offend anyone either. Any suggestions?

first you should ask what type of Buddhist they are. Flowers would be fine. The White Lotus would be cool.

An interview with Gudo Nishijima, a zen buddhist, on the practice of zazen, or zen meditation. Took place at a zen center on the outskirts of Tokyo.

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I am doing a project concernig Buddha, and to get more into my project i was hoping to get my self more involved and aware of the goings on in the Buddhist religion. How do you use a temple is what I’m trying to ask and what rules are you to follow to be a buddhist. I have no time to visit a temple so your answers would be greatly appreciated. Please i need some help.

In the tradition that I follow one removes his or her shoes before entering the temple as a sign of respect. Temples are used for either private prayers and meditation or for formal teachings (like Christians attending Sunday services). In a formal teaching one will engage in practices such as prostrating to the teacher, chanting prayers in Tibetan, making offerings, etc. There’s never any pressure to take part in such practices. Some practices (such as chanting in Tibetan) are done out of respect for our teachers, most of whom speak Tibetan. Other such practices are common to many schools of Buddhism. But, you should not feel that you need to engage in them unless doing so feels positive and natural to you! It is customary to stand as the teacher enters the room and to remain standing until he or she is seated. We also stand as the teacher leaves the room.

By prostrating, we use our body, speech and mind to show our respect for the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Furthermore, as Lama Yeshe said: "Why do we make prostrations at the beginning of the teaching and meditation sessions? It’s to beat our ego down a bit. Ego-centric pride looks at things very superficially and never sees the nature of reality. When we prostrate, we are not prostrating to the material objects on the altar but paying homage to true, understanding wisdom." (~ from "Ego, Attachment and Liberation" the. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archives). If you’d like to offer prostrations, place your thumbs inside your cupped hands, and then place your cupped hands on the top of your head, then place your hands in the space between your eyebrows, move your hands at your throat, and finally, place your hands at your heart. The reason for placing the folded hands on the top of the head is because the Buddha had, as one of the thirty-two marks of a great man, a protrusion at the top of his head. The hands are then brought to the forehead at mid-point between the eyes where a second major mark, the so-called "third eye", is located. The folded hands are brought to the throat (lips) in honor of the Buddha’s speech. Finally, they are brought to the chest since the heart is the seat of the Buddha’s perfect wisdom.

Depending upon one’s physical condition, the prostration may be a full-length prostration (in which the whole body is outstretched on the floor), a five point prostration (the knees, palms and forehead only touch the floor), or simply bowing the head if one is physically unable to perform either of the former. All these actions we believe both collect merit and purify one’s self: they purify the obscurations of the body, speech and mind.

Visiting non-Buddhists who do not choose to make prostrations or those unable to do so may stand quietly while others offer their prostrations. It’s thoughtful to avoid walking directly in front of someone who is making prostrations. Usually, at the last session of a series of teachings, prostrations are not offered at the closing, as a sign that we welcome the teacher’s future return.

People are welcome to bring flowers or food for the altar as an offering to the Buddhas. We consider this to be a wonderful way to accumulate great merit. Afterwards, the food is donated to a local homeless shelter.

Before and after the teachings, we recite a few short prayers in Tibetan. The purpose is to correctly set our motivation for listening to the teachings and for paying respect to our teachers. Dharma books, sacred texts and holy objects represent the teachings of the Buddha, so it’s best to avoid placing a practice text, Dharma book, or any holy object directly on the floor. Instead we place them on a clean cloth, a desk or table, or even on top of a backpack or bag rather than the floor. People try to avoid stepping over a text or other holy object that is in their path. It’s polite to move your texts or hold them if someone needs to walk by.

One may sit on a cushion on the floor or on a chair—whatever is most comfortable. A point of etiquette is to not extend your the soles of your feet towards the teacher, altar, or holy objects. If you need to stretch your legs, you can turn to the side.

It is traditional for both men and women to wear modest clothing, even in hot weather, and avoid wearing revealing clothing (backless or low-cut tops, etc.). If you like to dress this way, you can always cover your legs or shoulders with a light shawl in the presence of the lama. If you will be sitting for a long period of time it is best to wear loose clothing for the sake of your comfort.

Tibetans offer khatas (a scarf) to friends, acquaintences, loved ones and teachers as a way of showing respect and affection. After a teaching, it is customary to offer the teacher a khata as a way of thanking him. To do so, fold the khata in half with the open edge facing away from you. Put both palms together and drape the scarf over them. Assuming the lama is sitting, kneel down, bow your head and hold the scarf at the level of your forehead. If you would like to make a donation to him, discreetly place the envelope on the table ( I have never known anyone from being turned away due to a lack of funds) and then offer the scarf. He will respond by putting the scarf around your neck. He may choose to say prayers for you or touch you gently on the head by way of a blessing. Then you can stand up.

I hope this helps.

May all be at peace.

John

I’m rethinking my religion, Christian Baptism. Most of my beliefs are Buddhist, and I agree with almost all of the Buddhist beliefs and practices. But one of my major frustrations with the Christian religion is their stance on homosexuality and evolution, and also stem-cell research. Does anyone know where the Buddhist religion stands on this?

There is no specific instance in which the Buddha condemns homosexuality (at least that I have found) though there are no lines in the sand.

One of the 5 Precepts is to abstain from sexual misconduct. This has been explained to me that it is more along the lines of not cheating on your spouse, not harming yourself or others by your sexual conduct (rape or molestation). As long as homosexual sex is consensual and loving then there is no inherent ‘harm’ in it.

Again, as far as I know, Buddhism has readily accepted evolution. As a complete generalization, most of the Buddhists that I know, myself included, embrace science and the search for both questions and answers regarding the world at large. Everything is impermanent, everything is interconnected, and there is no creator God.

My personal view on stem-cell research as Buddhist, is that I object to a ‘life’ destroyed specifically for the purpose of research but I have no objections to cells taken from adults or fetuses that have been aborted so long as they haven’t been aborted for that purpose. This may or may not be the opinion of other Buddhists.

As with any other religion, beliefs on all of these are likely to vary given the branch and location.

Prajna-paramita Hrdaya Sutram by Imee Ooi

http://www.alyta.com/HeartSutraSanskrit.html

Imee Ooi’s website

http://www.immmusic.com/

Heart Sutra – Sanskrit-English
Translated by Zuio H. Inagaki

http://www12.canvas.ne.jp/horai/heart-sk.htm

(If you find a better site/translation, please post it. Thanks)

Namah sarvajnaaya
-Adoration to the Omniscient!

Aaryaavalokiteshvara-bodhisattvo gambhiiraayaam prajnaapaaramitaayaam caryaam caramaano vyavalokayati sma: panca skandhaah; taamshca svabhaava-shuunyaan pashyati sma.
-When Holy Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva performed the deep practice in the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom, he contemplated that there were five aggregates but observed that they were devoid of essential nature.

Iha Shaariputra ruupam shuunyataa shuunyataiva ruupam, ruupaan na prithak shuunyataa, shuunyataayaa na prithag ruupam, yad ruupam saa shuunyataa, yaa shuunyataa tad ruupam.
-In this case, Shaariputra, form is voidness and voidness is itself form; voidness is not different from form, and form is not different from voidness; that which is form is voidness, and that which is voidness is form.

Evem eva vedanaa-samjnaa-samskaara-vijnaanaani.
-So it is for perception, conception, volition and consciousness.

Iha Shaariputra sarva-dharmaah shuunyataa-lakshanaa, anutpannaa, aniruddhaa, amalaa, na vimalaa, nonaa, na paripuurnaah.
-In this case, Shaariputra, all things have the characteristics of voidness; they neither arise nor perish; they are neither defiled nor pure, neither deficient nor complete.

Tasmaac Chaariputra shuunyaayaam na ruupam na vedanaa na samjnaa na samskaaraa na vijnaanaani.
-Therefore, Shaariputra, within the voidness, there is no form, no perception, no conception, no volition, nor consciousness.

Na cakshuh-shrotra-ghraana-jihvaa-kaaya-manaamsi.
-Neither is there eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind.

Na ruupa-shabda-gandha-rasa-sprashtavya-dharmaah.
-Neither is there form, sound, smell, taste, touch nor concepts.

Na cakshurdhaatur yaavan na mano-vijnaana-dhaatuh.
-Neither is there realm of sight, etc., until we come to the non-existence of realm of consciousness.

Na vidyaa, naavidyaa, na vidyaa-kshayo, naavidyaa-kshayo, yaavan na jaraa-maranam na jaraamarana-kshayo, na duhkha-samudaya-nirodha-maargaa, na jnaanam, na praaptir apraaptitvena.
-Neither is there wisdom, nor ignorance, nor extinction of wisdom, nor extinction of ignorance, etc., until we come to the non-existence of old age and death and the non-extinction of old age and death. Neither is there suffering, cause of suffering, extinction of suffering, nor the path leading to extinction of suffering. Neither is there wisdom nor acquisition because there is no grasping.

Bodhisattvasya prajnaapaaramitaam aashritya viharaty acittaavaranah. Cittaavarana-naastitvaad atrasto, viparyaasaatikraanto nishtha-nirvaanah.
-Depending on the bodhisattva’s Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom, one dwells without any mental hindrance. Because of the absence of mental hindrance, one is fearless; freed from delusory thoughts, one will reach Nirvana.

Tryadhva-vyavasthitaah sarvabuddhaah prajnaapaaramitaam aashrityaanuttaraam samyaksambodhim abhisambuddhaah.
-All Buddhas dwelling in the three periods realize the highest, perfect enlightenment depending on the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom.

Tasmaaj jnaatavyo prajnaapaaramitaa-mahaamantro mahaavidyaa-mantro ‘nuttara-mantro ’samasama-mantrah, sarvadukha-prashamanah, satyam amithyatvaat, prajnaapaaramitaayaam ukto mantrah.
-For this reason, know that the Great Mantra of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom is the Great Wisdom Mantra, the Unsurpassed Mantra, and the Unequaled Mantra. It extinguishes all suffering, and is true and real because it is not false. It is the Mantra proclaimed in the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom.

Tad yathaa gate gate paaragate paarasamgate bodhi svaaha.
-Namely, “Gone, gone, gone to the other shore;
Gone completely to the other shore.
Svaha.”

Iti prajnaapaaramitaa-hridayam samaaptam.
-Thus ends the Essence of the Transcendent Wisdom Sutra.

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I have read many different explanations from buddhists on what the "soul" is. What schools of buddhist thought even believe in the eternal soul and what is there evidence compared to the others who believe in a flux?

The Buddha taught that there were three "marks of existence" that are present in and characterize all existing things:
- Suffering
- Impermanence
- Non-self

"Non-self" describes the complete lack of self-identity or essential nature within existing things.

The term "existing things" refer to the complete range of mental phenomena: forms, feelings, impulses, perceptions, consciousness. None of these mental phenomena have any self-nature or singularly defining characteristic.

This does not mean that souls do not exist. The Buddha acknowledged that there might be a non-bodily essence that could exist. But he asserted that one could never have any evidence for the existence of such an essence based on mental phenomena.

Since everything that appears to human beings constitutes mental phenomena, we can’t know that souls exist.

Some Buddhist traditions, especially within the vast Mahayana movement, refer to something known as "Buddha-nature." This is sometimes described as eternal and always present, yet not depending on name and form. Other Buddhist traditions point to this teaching as evidence that Mahayanists have imported the notion of "soul" into Buddhism.