Buddhism isn't a blind faith and far from superstition

WISDOM NOT SUPERSTITION
Similar to other religions, Buddhism has incorporated various types of traditions, custom, miracles, mysticism, fortune-telling, fung-shui, charms, talismans, mantras, prayers and many rites and rituals that may not be found in the original teaching. As a result, people give more attention to self-protection from evil spirits and to seeking good luck and prosperity, etc. They are only interested in discovering ways to get rid of misfortunes, difficulties and bad influence of stars, black magic, etc. by external powers. Thus, religious practices and beliefs are degenerated, and confined to worldly pursuits. People become superstitious because of their blind faith in the name of that religion.

The Buddha rejects superstitions but urges us to pursue wisdom. The Buddha teaches us to develop the most important practices: self-discipline, self-restraint, cultivation of morality and spiritual development. The Buddha also teaches us to cultivate the strength of will-power, wisdom, understanding of Mind and self-nature.

IDEAL WORSHIP, NOT IDOL WORSHIP
Regarding as a way of cultivation, some people place the Buddhist images to worship. However, if they pray the images requesting for guidance and protection for health and wealth for good luck and fame, for power and love, etc, or if they ask favours from the images and figures to forgive their evil deeds, then they are not in the right path of cultivation.

The worship of the Buddhist images is to pay respects to the Buddha, the greatest, wisest, most benevolent, compassionate man who has ever lived in this world. The images help people to recall the Buddha in their mind. They may be used as a symbol or an object of concentration to gain a piece of mind. The serenity of the Buddhist images influences and inspires them to observe the right path of conduct and thought.

The recollection of the Buddha produces joy, invigorates the mind and elevates man from states of restlessness, tension and frustration. Thus, the worship of the Buddha is not a prayer in its usual sense, but a meditation. Therefore, it is not idol worship, but "ideal" worship.

On the other hand, respecting the Buddha images without following Buddha's teaching is not the way of cultivation. All worshippers should endeavour to understand the spirit of the Buddha.

SPIRITUAL POWER, NOT MIRACULOUS POWER
In Buddhism, there are so-called Six Psychic Power, which can be attained through long and intense training in meditation. The Buddha has advised his disciples not to exercise such psychic power, such as walking on water, exorcising spirits, fortune-telling, etc. The people may be converted and attracted to a religion, not because they realize the truth, but because they harbour hallucinations. It is not appropriate. In Buddhism, miracles can hinder a person to attain enlightenment.

The Buddha says that a person can gain miraculous power without gaining spiritual power. However, it is dangerous because this power may be misused, and harmful to people. These so-called miracles are merely imaginations and hallucinations created by their own minds due to a lack of understanding of things as they truly are. The Buddha expressly forbade his disciples to use miracles to prove the superiority of his teachings. The Buddha teaches us to cultivate and gain the spiritual power, then we automatically have the psychic power too. The latter is the "side-product" of the former, but the Buddha advises us not to crave and cling to the psychic power, or any other responses in form. The change for the better arising from an understanding of Dharma.

Source: http://www.buddhistdoor.com

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Poem title in Khmer: Srohnoh Srok Preah
Written by Upasaka Kuy Sothon
Read by Jendhamuni Sos
Photos courtesy: Google

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[qualqui]

Beautiful prayer/meditation and luvin' the WONDERFUL images,....hmm...some things i thought were more akin to hinduism, like bathing in the Ganges river, also practiced by buddhists? Now i understand more fully why some westerners easily convert, to name one mexican cartoonist and political commentator, Eduardo Del Rio more commonly known as 'Rius',...thumbs up to ya dear Jendhamuni and thankin' ya for the AWESOME UPLOAD!! =D

[jendhamuni]

@qualqui The images of bathing in the Ganges river aren't buddhists my dear friend. They are hidu. I used them to describe the meaning of the poem. Buddhism does not teach us to bath just to get rid of bad sin. We are responsible for our own action. i.e. If you touch the fire, you are the one who'll get burn. If you kill someone you'll go to jail for your own bad action.

[BuddhistCleric]

@jendhamuni That is a good way to explain the difference between Buddhism and superstitous rituals (like bathing in water to wash sins or worship snakes etc.). India is a country with many intelligent people. I only wish that Indians also started following Buddhism. India (Bodh Gaya) is where the Bodhisattva became Enlightened to become a Buddha.

[jendhamuni]

@BuddhistCleric I thank you so much for paying attention to this video although it's in Khmer.

Exactly that's what the poem is all about. Many so-called Buddhists and Cambodian are still practicing some of these superstitous rituals. I definately agree with you and wish to see more Indians following Buddhism. I am hoping to visit Bodh Gaya in the next 2-3 years.

[BuddhistCleric]

@jendhamuni Those suprstitious beliefs involve 3 elements (Nithya = Certainity, Sukha = Satisfaction, Atma = Self). In Buddhist belief there a 3 elements (Anicca = Uncertainity, Dukkha = Disatisfaction, Antama = Non self)

How can one person follow Nicca, Sukha, Atma as well as Anicca, Dukkha, Anatma at the same time? It is self-contradictory. It does not make sense. It is something people do because they subconsciously doubt the teachings of the Buddha

[jendhamuni]

@BuddhistCleric Thank you so much for posting these three elements here so others can learn from you here. It's so sad whenever I see buddhist monks who ordained for buddhism practice superstitious rituals. It's really really sad. Many of them are still doing that. If they doubt the teaching of Lord Buddha, why ordained, chanted buddhism, but practicing something else such as the blind faith.

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric they told the uneducated that if u do this, all ur sins will be taken away. U tell fibs sometimes to make people do things - u can't read too much into everything that happens

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric the Buddha warn against making him a God? How many Buddhists adhered to that? which part of that is Buddhism? Is that part where the Buddha said not to make him a God or the part which did?

We started with the ritual of bathing to cleanse our sins. First, the Priests wanted people to come to the Temple after taking a nice bath, cleaned themselves & put on fresh clothes. it is like going to a wedding - going to a Temple is a good thing, we must look our best

To ensure that,

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric Not really - just because things happen in a religion does not mean the religion teaches that. Are all muslims terrorists? Does islam teach terrorism? At one time jews found refuge amongst muslims - they were fleeing christian persecution. Are all priests pedophiles?

If u read the history of any religion including urs - there are divergent opinions & things happen

Ur own religion has divided into how many? Hinayana & mahayana? There is Theravada Buddhism & what not

Did not

[BuddhistCleric]

@ramaraksha01 Sati puja, Mass sacrifices, ashvameda, caste system is all in the Hindu scriptures. Not all followers are competent in following a religion but it s the scriptures that define what practices are involved in a religion. The great Indian scholar Ambedkar was a critique of Hindusim. Disrespecting and criticising are 2 different things. No religion is above criticism (and that goes for Buddhism as well). We have to accept things through reason and not through respect.

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric "contains many practices such as Sati puja (widow burning), the infamous caste system and animal sacrifices

Bigot alert! I see u read our books looking for dirt? That's disgusting. Sati was a response to the rapes perpetuated on defenseless women aftr their men lost the war. That's in the past

As for caste sytsem - that is like saying all white people are racists - another disgusting thing to say

This has been one sick conversation, i have to say

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric A clean body makes for a clean mind - that is the central teaching. But lay people misunderstand - teachings get distorted

I wish you could show some respect for other religions & their teachigns - something the Buddha himself would have done

Apparantly one can call oneself a Buddhist but remain a bigot

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric democracy does not mean that any body gets sanctuary

We Hindus revere the Buddha as an incarnation of the God Vishnu. Hinduism teaches us to respect all faiths, give respect to all religions - especially religions & people like the Dalai Lama

As for washing the body, sir, before u go to the temple, u are supposed to wash urself - it's a question of neatness

The lay people were told that it washes away sins - to make them wash up, that's all

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric I heard about open warfare sometime ago in South Korea where Buddhist monks openely attacked each other. Do they represent your faith? Can I use that & mock Buddhism?

"Dalai Lama has a place in India because of democracy (not because of Hinduism)" - that's just totally disgusting. U take our help & not even a thank u for it?

There are many democratic countries in the world that would turn away the Dalai Lama because they don't want to scare China

Just because one is a

[ramaraksha01]

@BuddhistCleric "According to Hinduism if one sacrifices a 100 horses then that individual will reincarnate as Indra" - as the saying goes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing - the frog who sits in the well and thinks this must be the whole universe

Pl do not read a fragment of our stories & assume it must be so. It is a very ancient faith - lot of things happened & things done but that does not mean that everything done is sanctioned

[BuddhistCleric]

@qualqui yes Jendhamuni is correct. In Buddhism washing the body with water does not get rid of sin. Evil deeds will have its consequences in either this life or some other life.