RS common test: places of worship

• A temple - place where Buddhists come together to practise - heart of Buddhist community
  
• A shrine - area with statue/image of Buddha/Bodhisattva - provides focal point for meditation + devotion
  
• A monastery - place where community of Buddhist monks/nuns live

Temple - centre of religious life - study, meditation + practise.

In a temple there is usually: 

• A main hall - where Buddhists practice together. Contains Buddha rupa (statue)
• A  meditation hall - quiet space for meditation
• study hall - meetings + lectures
• shrine - dedicated to Buddha
• stupa - tower

Shrines

• can be found - temple/monastery/home
• provide a focal point for Buddhists to meditate + express devotion
  
• make offerings at shrines - show gratitude - Buddha's teachings 
• offerings can act - reminders of Buddha's teachings. For example:

Candle - light symbolises Buddha, wisdom + enlightenment - drive away darkness of ignorance

flowers - wilt + decay, remind Buddhist - all things impermanent

incense - symbolises purity, reminds Buddhists importance of practising pure thoughts, speech + behaviour

• Monastery - place where Buddhist monks/nuns live simple life.
• some monastries like small villages - house lot of people
• stupa - important part of monastery 

Worship (puja) expresses gratitude + respect for Buddha + teachings

Chanting - type of worship involves reciting from Buddhist scriptures

Buddhists may chant mantras 

Buddha - usually focus of worship. worship helps Buddhists to:

• Express gratitude towards Buddha + acceptance of teachings
• deepen understanding of Buddha's teachings 
• move closer to Buddha + what he symbolises

Type of worship:

• private worship in home 
• bowing 
• reciting mantras
• rituals + ceremonies in groups
• meditation 
• making offerings
• chanting sacred texts

• early days of Buddhism - sacred texts - remembered + taught orally - not  written down
• Chanting was used to memorise + pass on teachings + texts.
• chanting - devotional practice - thought to increase receptivity towards Buddha + teachings 
• also helps calm + focus mind - concentration
• Eg. 3 refuges, 5 moral precepts, Bodhisattva vows

• Mantra - sequence of sacred syllables chanted out loud/silently 
• mantras help to concentrate the mind + function form of meditation
• some believe mantras have magical powers 
• often associated w spiritual qualities of a Buddha/Bodhisattva
• Eg. Om mani padme hum is common mantra - Tibetan Buddhists - associated with Bodhisattva who represents compassion. Chanting this helps Buddhists connect with quality of compassion

Meditation is a practice of calming + focusing the mind + reflecting deeply on specific teachings to deveop insight into nature of reality

samatha meditation - type of meditation involves calming mind + developing deeper concentration. Important - Theravada Buddhism - preparation for vipassana meditation.

Mindfulness of breathing - popular technique - samatha meditation. Requires meditator 2 become aware of breathing + to focus attention on it  

• Meditation - important practice in most Buddhist traditions
• Range of meditation techniques that help Buddhists to develop samatha (calm) and vipassana (insight)
• Meditating often begins w mindfulness of body + breath 
• Objects may be used as focus of concentration - pic of Buddha etc
• "Even the gods envy those awakened and mindful onese who are intent on meditation" - Buddha in the Dhammapada

In samatha meditation - breath can be used to become more 'mindful'. Mindfulness is quality of attention + awareness 

• breath used as focus for attention + how body responds to each breath
• aim is to become aware of details of breathing + tiny movements in body 
• when someone finds mind wandering during meditation - bring attention back to their breathing 
• become more able to concentrate + focus on breath
• leads them to feel more present + aware 

• Instead of focusing on breathing - meditator could focus on kasinas
• 10 kasinas. include elements such as - earth, water + fire, + colours such as blue, red + yellow 
• Eg. focus on bowl of water/red circle 
• object gives something to focus on 

• Focusing on single object creates calm + tranquil mind 
  
• also helps develop concentration + focus 
• acts as preparation for vipassana meditation 
• samatha meditation can help Buddhists to feel happier + more alive 

"Do not encumber your mind with useless thoughts [...] remain in the simplicity of the present moment." - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche 

vippasana meditation - type of meditation that involves developing understanding of nature of reality. Second main type of meditation in Theravada Buddhism

Often called 'insight meditation' - aim is 2 penetrate + gain insight into true nature of reality. Usually consists of reflecting on 3 marks of existence 

• meditator may change focus between range of different objects, emotions, experiences etc
• Eg a feeling of annoyance, own body, sound of falling rain 
• aim of focusing object is to understand true nature + how its characterised by 3 marks of existence 
• Eg meditator contemplates how breath shows characteristics 3 marks of existence

The main aims are to:

• understand how all things are characterised by 3 marks of existence
• develop greater wisdom + awareness about world 
• ultimately achieve enlightenment 

Zazen means 'seated meditation'

• practised in Zen Buddhism
• leads to deeper understanding of nature of existence
• generally begins with sitting, relaxing + a period of mindfulness of breathing 
• meditator then sits with awareness of the present moment 
• thoughts + experiences come + go + meditator returns again + again to present moment 

Meditation often practised sitting on floor - cross legged

• However, also possible to meditate whilst walking - as part of samatha/vipassana meditation
  
• consists of walking slowly + combining movement of feet with in + out of breath 

"your objective is to attain total alertness, heightened sensitivity + a full unblocked experience of the motion of walking." - Henepola Gunarantana

• Visualisation of Buddhas + Bodhisattvas - used in Mahayana Buddhism - part of meditation 
• Buddhists may use Thangkas (painting of deity) or mandalas (symbolic picture of the universe can be created in sand/painted etc)
• These practices allow Buddhists to connect with the spiritual qualities of a Buddha/Bodhisattva

• The meditator visualises an object in their mind 
  
• may first use an image for inspiration then visualise it 
• they try to imagine object in great detail, examining all qualities + characteristics of it 
• object functions as a focus of concentration - meditator will try to hold detailed picture of object in mind for as long as possible
• object may also connect with spiritual qualities 

Deity visualisation:

• when meditate - Tibetan Buddhists visualise deity
• focuses not just on visual features but spiritual qualities 
• may imagine themselves as that deity in order to absorb spiritual qualities 
• may also help awaken their Buddhist nature 

• Buddhist tradition teaches - when a Buddhhist dies, their kammic energy leaves their body and is reborn in a new one 
  
• death not seen as an end but a transition between one life and the next
• funeral practices vary between different Buddhist traditions + countries 

• little money usually spent on funerals 
  
• instead - family + friends may donate to a worthy cause + transfer merit to deceased
• Rituals that transfer merit to deceased may be performed by family members or other mourners. Eg. may offer cloth to make new robes to a monastery - behalf of dead
• at funeral itself, following may happen:
• shrine may display deceased's portrait, along with an image of the Buddha + offerings to Buddha 
• monks often attend funerals of lay people + perform rituals or give sermon 
• deceased may be cremated/buried - cremation - traditional + more common
• all mourners send good thoughts to family + contemplate impermanence  

• sky burial - traditional funeral practice - Tibet. Body left in a high place - gift to vultures 
  
• tradition arose due to lack of wood for cremation + problems with frozen ground for burial
• NOW more common to burn body 
• revered teachers - always cremated + remains placed in stupa - become a site of worship
• ceremonies involving prayers + offerings of yak-butter lamps may be made every 7 days for 49 days after death 

• In Japanese Pure land Buddhism - coffin may be placed with head pointing West, towards direction of Sukhavati. Those assembled chant Amitabha's name - process around the coffin
  
• common across all Japaneses traditions - relatives to gather after cremation + pick out the bones from ashes, using chopsticks 
• As in Tibet, these remains may be kept for 49 days + prayers offered every 7th day

• Festivals allow Buddhists to celebrate important events in history, while retreats provide an opportunity for intensive practice 
  
• Wesak is a Theravada festival that celebrates the Buddha's birth, enlightenment + passing away
• Parinirvana Day - Mahayana festival - commemorates Buddha's passing away

Buddhist festivals:

• an opportunity to meet + practise together
  
• some are specific to certain traditions/couuntries 
• most major festivals celebrate events in Buddha's life 
• some concerned with other Buddhist figures (such as Bodhisattvas)
• a day/period of celebration for religious reasons 
• opportunity to remember + celebrate Buddha's life + teachings 

Buddhist retreats:

• may involve meditation, talks + study groups, workshops + rituals 
  
• aim to help people deepen understanding of Buddhist practice
• held in monastries/Buddhist centres
• period of time spent awat from regular life - focus on Buddhist teachings
• 1 example - vassa: annual retreat when Theravada monks dedicate more time to meditation + study

Significance + meaning:

• commemorates 3 major events in Buddha's life: his birth, enlightenment + passing away 
• opportunity to honour + remember Buddha + teachings
• light used during festival - symbolise hope, enlightenment + overcoming ignorance 

celebrations:

celebrations vary from one country to the next, but Buddhists may:

• light up homes w candles, lamps/lanterns
• make offerings to Buddha + give gifts to local monastery 
• attend local temple/monastery to take part in worship/meditation/listen to sermons on the Buddha's teachings + life
• take part in ceremonies where caged animals released - symbol of liberation

Significance + meaning:

• celebrated during February to remember Buddha's passing into Parinirvana (final state of nibbana)
• solemn occasion when Buddhists reflect on own future death + remember friends/relatives who have recently passed
• Buddhist teaching of impermanence - focus for the day

Celebrations:

• read + study Mahaparinirvana Sutra (Buddhist scripture that describes Buddha's last days)
• meditate + worship at home/with others in a temple/monastery
• go on retreat to reflect + meditate/go on a pilgrimage: many Buddhists visit Kushinagar in india - where Buddha believed to hav passed