Buddhism Rituals and the Contemplative Life

“Meditation is a form of self-blessing that leads us deeper into our own hearts, and in so doing reveals a deeper beauty in the world around us.”

ParamanandaFrom “Buddhist Reflections of Everyday Life”

Daniel R PowersPSY 2012

Individual Assignment #3

The Kadampa Meditation Center in Sarasota

Sunday’s Prayer’s for World Peace:Learning to Enjoy Everyone

The Kadampa Meditation Center in Sarasota

The Kadampa center follows the Mahayana Buddhist sect and traditions.

The Kadampa Meditation Center in Sarasota

The teacher conducts the course and meditation from this chair in front of the altar. The garden outside of the center is featured in the second photo.

Eightfold Path in Buddhism To Cease Suffering

When a person who practices dharma seeks enlightenment they must follow the four noble truths (as described in my essay) and the eightfold path as summarized below.

Right View ~ It is incumbent on us to embrace the impermanence of everything, and to produce the correct actions from our pure and desire-free thoughts.

Right Intention ~ The ability to control the mental forces that direct us on a moral path and assists us in developing a positive attitude towards all life.

Right Speech ~ In essence, to limit one’s conversations to being truthful, warm, gentle, and kind. We must remove any hurtful, lying, or negative statements from our daily speech.

Right Action ~ Refers to our physical actions towards yourselves and others. We must not deliberately harm ourselves or others, and we must show respect by honoring other’s property and/or personal space.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

Eightfold Path in Buddhism To Cease Suffering

Right Livelihood ~ Requires that we earn our living in honorable ways without causing harm to others or through illegal activity. Dishonorable ways would include: selling military hardware, raising animals for slaughter, slave trafficking, involvement in the meat industry, or selling drugs and/or liquor.

Right Effort ~ This path provides the basis for the entire principle behind the other seven path ways to enlightenment. If you don’t feel or exhibit the focus required to put the correct “effort” to following the path, the other seven pathways cannot be achieved.

Right Mindfulness ~ Relates to the need for our consciousness to be uncluttered and free from preconceived ideas. The ability to control this is set in the “four foundations of mindfulness” as first stated by Buddha; these involve observation of our physical being, our emotions, our thoughts, and the way we view stimuli.

Right Concentration ~ This final path relates to the need to set our mind into one direct point of thought. Meditation is the practice that should be used when trying to achieve this intense mental state. It is thought that as we deepen our meditation practice this “focused effort” can be applied to our normal “awakened” life occurrences.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

Eight Symbols of Buddhism

Images from Osel Shen Phen Ling copyright by Bob Jacobson

Banner – Signifies the triumph of Buddha against Mara (the Great Temptor). Mara represents desire, arrogance, and hedonism.

Conch – Different colors, and whether the conch opens to right or the left, determines its importance. Generally, it stands for the breadth of Dharma’s reach in one’s life.

Dharma Wheel – Eight spokes are symbolic of the eightfold steps. Said to have been used by Buddha during his first sermon after his enlightenment.

Eternal Knot – Represents Karma (cause & effect) and the intersection of compassion & wisdom

Fish – Symbolizes the ability for those who follow Dharma (the Great Law), to swim freely throughout life without the fear of “drowning” in suffering.Lotus Blossom - Like the conch, different colors of the lotus carry unique significance. Overall, this flower represents the growth someone experiences when reaching enlightenment.

Parasol - Serves to shield humans from suffering

Vase - Filled with valued and revered items, this vessel never empties (this symbolizes longevity and success).

Meditation/Ritual Symbols

Lord Buddha in Meditation

Buddha Singing Bowl

Ritual Damara

Monastery Gong

Dragon Altar TableTibetan Dragon Trumpet

These are just some of the ritualistic items used duringmeditation or chanting. Colors are also very important in Buddhism. Yellow and red are predominant as they are used in the robes of monks and nuns. Yellow signifies being grounded and denial of desire. Red represents life and reverence.

Photo Credit: http://www.ExoticIndia.com

Altar Prepared for Lotus Sutra Meditation

Photo Credit: www.DarmaForest.com

Buddha in Meditation

Photo Credits: HKoppdelany (2) and Javier Alfaro (Yahoo Groups)

Meditation Images

Photo Credits: Wanda Pietrzak, Kapros, and Sayuri (Yahoo Groups)