Images, Holy Waters, Holy Thread, Talismans and Amulets

Society in general is better educated now than it has been in the past, but in spite of vast advances achieved in the field of scientific knowledge, may people still suffer from fear, suspicion and insecurity. The root cause of these states of mind stems from ignorance, uncertainty and craving. Because of our ignorance of the non-existence of a permanent self, we believe in our ego and this belief gives rise to craving. We are filled with insatiable desires and fear of losing that which we possess. We fear that we will be harmed or that we will face ‘bad luck’. So what do we do? We turn instinctively to our animistic past and depend on special talismans and amulets to protect us. The Buddha has clearly stated that external objects are not strong enough to protect those whose minds are waek and confused. Our only security is to take refuge in our knowledge of the truth and in our realization of the true nature of the self and other phenomena. Once we understand that there is no reality in a self that can be harmed, we become secure and confident. No harm can come to him who is unafraid, unselfish or undeluded.

However, it does not mean that Buddhism condemns the use of certain religious objects like a pendant of the Buddha image to give a sense of security. Many great men had found solace and comfort by contemplating on the serene and calm image of the Buddha. The first Prime Minister of India, Mr Nehru said that when he was imprisoned by the British his only source of comfort was a tiny Buddha image which he had with him. Of course the image itself has no magical power. But what it symbolized was the great qualities of the Buddha who had himself remained calm and unaffected by the attacks made against him by his enemies and it was this symbol that reminded Nehru of his strength with which he could face adversity calmly. We too can carry images of the Buddha or inscriptions of the sutras around with us to give us confidence. Many sutras end with the invocation:- ‘By the power of this truth, may victory be mine’ or ‘may happiness be mine’. This shows that as Buddhists we do not believe in the animistic power of images or talisman, but that they are to be regarded as mere aids which could help us to gain confidence in ourselves.

In the same way some Buddhists also go to temples, to collect bottles of holy water and pieces of string over which the sutras have been recited with great concentration. These also give psychological strength and confidence to the user because they remind him of the truth which was uttered in the sutras and which recall the words of the Buddha.

>Source: Excerpts from ‘The Buddhist Way’, By. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda
Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia.

Let Us Pay Our Respect to Venerable Acariya Thoon

Venerable Phra Acariya Thoon Khippapanno passed away in November 2008. Let us pay our respect to this great dharma teacher, who has followed and practised the forest dharma tradition.



Pictures from Wat Pa Ban Kor, Tambon Kheua Nam, Amphur Ban Pheu, Udon Thani.



The teachings that the Teacher has left behind.

Teachings from Than Chao Khun (NOR) Noraratanarajmanit

Picture: A statute of Venerable Chao Khun Nor

Personal magnet

Those who have a good heart or sympathy for other people are blessed with their own virtues. Some of these virtues include perseverance, industriousness, strength and benevolence. Since these people are not arrogant, they stand to be loved or receive help from those around them.

The gentle will receive love and help from others. Gentleness is the personal magnet of a virtuous person. If you retain the virtues, they will help you achieve your goals anytime, in the present and the future.

Give what you want

You must remember that if you would like to receive kindness (metta) and sympathy from others, you should extend kindness and sympathy to them, too. Then you'll get kindness and sympathy in return. This is the law of the powerful spirit. If you do this, all of the success you aspire to will be achieved, without a doubt.

A state of elation

Avoid the words "not feeling well". Don't allow what they mean to happen to you. Let it go and get it out. Even before "not feeling well" happens to you, let it go. If you are not careful, it could make its way into your feelings again. Then you must get it out. Don't let the idea of not feeling well remain in your mind, because you'll get used to it. If you do, you will become a weak person, and whenever there are any small mistakes, you will not feel well. This "not feeling well" is the enemy and the devil. It stirs your mind, making the nerves and brain work abnormally. The body will function in an abnormal way. Before we do anything, or while we're doing something, we must feel good after finishing it. Our mind or spirit must be in a state of elation. This will boost the body and the mind. We have to enjoy living.

Peace

The Lord Buddha teaches that peace is real happiness. We may find happiness by watching a play or a movie, socialising with others, being in love and getting married or receiving honours, but these kinds of happiness are marred by other suffering that need to be tackled constantly or alleviated. This is unlike happiness that is gained from peace or serenity, which is an in-depth happiness without any interference from suffering and without any need of further improvement.

This happiness can be realised in a very simple way - with our mind. When we're in a quiet corner, we can also have peace. If we live in a social environment, we can have happiness by separating our mind to search for peace. Although the social environment is troublesome, it can't bother our mind.

When we suffer from physical pain, we can strive for peace of mind, and then the physical pain cannot make us suffer. When the mind is at peace, the body will also be at peace. All suffering will disappear.

A peaceful mind is needed to support a peaceful body, and a peaceful body is needed to support a peaceful mind. Both a peaceful body and a peaceful mind are needed to attain all the success that you wish for.

Be grateful for mistakes

We must remind ourselves that "to do no wrong is to do nothing!" Mistakes are our great teacher. We have to be grateful to ourselves whenever we realise we have done something wrong. And we should feel good when we have met a great teacher, which is the mistake. When we make a mistake, we must remember it well. This is a good example, so that we won't do it again. We can then start again by avoiding carelessness.

Conscience is immortal

We will do no wrong if we have a conscience. The conscience protects our body, our speech and our mind at every moment. If we get it wrong, it means that we do not have a conscience, allowing carelessness to get out of control.

It is the natural way that human beings and animals and other plants fight for their life. Life is fighting. If we can't continue to fight, we're dead. But if we have a full conscience, then when we die, death will only happen to our body. The Lord Buddha and other enlightened monks had a full conscience at every moment. Therefore, they never did anything wrongly. They attained the immortality of dharma, or dharma that would never perish. We can also call this state nirvana.

The three guides

With the power of the Trisikkha: Sila (precepts), Samadhi (insight) and Panya (wisdom), we can win over our enemy, which is desire.

We can win over the rudeness, which represents an ugly desire in the lowest form and encroaches over our body, our speech and our mind with sila. We can win over love or hatred or passion, which represents a desire in medium form with samadhi. We can win over understanding, knowing what is right and wrong or the reality of the body, which is the finest desire, with panya. Those who have studied and practised trisikkha thoroughly and completely will transcend all suffering.

Good deeds are their own reward

We must do only good deeds. When we do good deeds but don't receive any blessing, it is still good. If we do bad deeds, we can't become good from fake blessings. Doing bad is like throwing a stone into the water. The stone will sink immediately to the bottom. Nobody can make the stone float. The bad deed will result in disaster and calamity like the stone sinking into the mud under the water.

Good deeds will bring honour, dignity and fame. Other people will respect us. Although our enemies would like to harm us, they can't, because they will suffer their own defeat. Please aim for the good deeds without fear of any obstacle. Let those who have faith in the Three Gems have luck and happiness and achieve what they set out to do.


We only have a few days

Jasmine is known as the most fragrant, the whitest and the purest of all flowers. Life is like acting in a theatre. We should aim at being the main character with the character of the jasmine. Don't be the bad guy. The jasmine will blossom for only a couple of days before it dies. Let us behave ourselves in the best way while we're still alive, like the blossomed jasmine. Do only good deeds.

Source: Misplaced the source information. Will try to check and update.

Views on Charms and Black Magic

Picture: A Temple at Ampher Meung, Ubon Ratchathani (Isaan)


It is common practice among many Asian communities to think that they are the victims of black magic and charms whenever they face some unhappy experiences in their lives. At the slightest indication that something unpleasant has happened they would often run off to consult seers, astrologers, mediums and ‘bombohs’. Of course the livelihood of these vendors of magic and charms depends on telling their customers that something is wrong or that some evil forces have been employed by someone to bring about their family misfortune. They then claim to be able to counteract these evil forces and charge large sums of money by promising to ‘cure’ them. More often than not the only effect is that these unsuspecting victims end up becoming lighter in their pocket and as a result are none the wiser for their experience. Popular Buddhism has not been spared by the antics of these quacks and charlatans, some of whom even going to the extent of masquerading themselves as monks to make a fast dollar form their unsuspecting victims. But the Buddha has declared in no uncertain terms that many of the misfortunes are essentially created by the untrained impure minds and it is only through our own efforts and understandings that we will be able to overcome them.

In this country particularly there are a great number of such beliefs. This may be because the three major races have their own peculiar beliefs, and a great deal of interchange had taken place so much so that there had developed a tremendously varied set of beliefs which are uniquely Malaysian.

The Buddhist cure for misfortune of any kind is as scientific as the methods of modern psychiatry. It is summarized in the Second Noble-Truth – The Cause of Suffering. Before we can look for a crue to misfortune (ill luck, bad health, loss of someone or something, personal and family problems) we must get to the root of it. We must examine rationally what actually is happening and understand that only we alone can overcome the misfortune. Concentration certainly will strengthen the mind to understand the cause of the problems in order to find a solution. In the case of sickness, a calm mind helps to effect a cure faster. By merely appealing to the Supernatural to overcome misfortune is not the proper solution to end suffering. We must reflect calmly that misfortune is the lot of anyone who is born into this world and that what happens to us must be looked at rationally so that a reasonable solution could be found. This is not fatalistic – it shows that each individual, using the Right Effort can rid himself of misfortune.


Source: Excerpts from: ‘The Buddhist Way’, By. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda
Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia

Real Fortune

Picture: A temple from Yasothorn Province (Isaan)


Real Fortune

Laypeople are full of problems and desires and are always eager to know their future etc. There is no need to go to mediums or fortune-tellers for that purpose. All the prophets and messengers, including the Buddha, have said that we reap what we sow. If you do good now, you will have good rewards in the future; if you do bad, you will regret it. Hence, look at what you are doing now and you will know your future. Everywhere around us there are many spiritual beings. When we keep the 5 precepts, we will have 25 Dhamma protectors looking after us. Isn’t that better than putting our faith in mediums and fortune-tellers?

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In Malaysia, there was a man who asked me to bless a lucky amulet that he was wearing so that he could win the lottery! I told him that if I could give him gambling luck by doing that, then the road would be full of people queuing up with amulets of all shapes and sizes and the queue would even stretch all the way to Thailand! I told him that real fortunes lies in being able to understand and practice the Dhamma and that whatever problems he was facing were due to past Kamma. Only wisdom and non-attachment would give him lasting relief from his sufferings. He did not understand what I meant, or rather, he did not want to listen. Before he left, he still asked me to bless his amulet and to teach him to chant a mantra that would give him luck. I feel sad for this man....……

But, of course, keep in mind that all your problems are non-problems compared to the biggest problem that all of us face – Death! (Page 85 – partial).

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................I am here just to show you the way. Sometimes, devotees may ask me to bless their homes and offices or even sprinkle water on them, and once in a blue moon, I do comply with their wishes – when I see that they are too rooted in their old superstitious ways to listen to me. Once I have done so, they are normally ready to learn what I have to teach them; and I often tell them sincerely that my blessing of their premises really will not make them rich. Nothing will work to give them luck except their own goods deeds. (pg 86 - Partial)

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Question:- When I listen to Bhikkhu, I feel that I understand and yet do not. What should I do?

Ans. This is normal. No one can understand another person completely. It all depends on your cultivation in your previous lives. What you hear is my concept. You need to think it over for yourself and work out your own truth. Then your doubts will disappear. Why do so many people take on the Buddha’s teaching and repeat them without true understanding? They do not reflect on His teachings, but run around looking for interpretations outside themselves. Such people are only working on further rebirths for themselves. Calm yourself and look within for the answers. (page 97).

Source: Excerpts from The Truth of the Messengers, Questions and Answers
With Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu1, 1st edition Dec - 2006

Religious Rites

Picture: Temple in Buriram Province (Isaan).



‘Religious symbols aid devocation’

Although religious rites, rituals and ceremonies are not favoured by intellectuals, such practices are nevertheless important for developing and maintaining the devotional aspects of a religion and for creating a sense of inspiration among the masses. For many people, cultivating devotion is the first important step towards the experience of a religion. If there is no devotional and cultural aspects attached to Buddhism, people may be drawn to some other kind of beliefs or practices, even though they are aware that such practices are steeped in superstition or blind faith.

It is important for religions to have some harmless rituals and reasonable practices for people to express their devotion and spiritual feelings. Many of the Buddhist ceremonies help to cultivate good habits and positive emotions amongst the followers who consequently become more tolerant, considerate and cultured people. When performed with understanding and earnestness, these traditional practices tend to strengthen one’s belief as against a mere intellectual approach. Buddhism without any devotion would be rather cold, detached and academic.

Source: Excerpts from ‘The Buddhist Way’, By. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda
Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia.

Do Buddhists worship idol?

Picture: Inside Chedi of Wat Phra Buddhabath Huay Tom, Ampher Li, Lampoon Province.

Do Buddhists worship idol?

‘Not at all! A piece of clay or bronze or jade is not the object of our respect and worship. When we bow before Buddha images, we are recalling the qualities of the enlightened beings. It is their impartial love and compassion, generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration and wisdom that we are showing respect to. The statue or painting serves to remind us of the qualities of the Buddha, and it is the qualities, not the clay, that we are bowing to. We need not have a statue in front of us in order to bow to or respect the Buddhas and their qualities.

For example, if we go to a place far away from our family, we think about them and feel much love. But we also like to have a photo of them with us to remember them better. When we look at the photo and feel love for our family, we are not loving the paper and ink of the photo! The photo merely strengthens our memory. It is similar with a statue or painting of the Buddha.

By showing respect to the Buddhas and their qualities, we are inspired to develop these extraordinary qualities on our own mind streams. We become like the people we respect. When we take the love-kindness and wisdom of the Buddhas as our example, we strive to become like them’. (Chodron, 2002, p. 20-21)

Source: Chodron (2002).