I love chanting the Pali suttas, they bring a calmness to the mind, I know they don’t have ritualistic powers but they are teaching from a great human being who wanted to spread world peace while the world was at war with each other. We should definitely keep the Buddha teachings alive .
I like what you say about meditating with aversion or attachment to certain rituals. For me every single particle in this universe is a door to enlightenment. Once I got a cheap buddha from a yard sale and put it on a cardboard box makeshift altar. I thought this was a perfect reminder of impermanence and not to cling. It took many years for me to realize that this buddha holds his hand in a mudra of protection. Something I feel a deep need for and thought i would never have. That moment I felt great gratitude which opened in me a childlike love for something that had send this blessing gesture in my direction. Call it secular coincisence. I all it magic. For magic is not a belief. It is an inner experience that gets things moving
Excellent Doug. You're so right that emblems and practices may become attachments or aversions. I love the story of a group of Zen monks who were in danger of freezing to death. They had no hesitation in chopping up a wooden statue of the Buddha to light a fire and stay warm. The Buddha lives on in the Dharma. The images are for our own inspiration and no more.
Ha! Thanks for the story, martynsnan. Funny how I flinch inwardly at the thought of chopping up a wooden statue, but there it is. Indeed, the teaching is what is most important.
This is reminiscent of the scene in Bill Murray's version of "The Razor's Edge" where he burns the pages of a book, presumably a copy of the Upanishads, to keep the fire going. Once he lets go of attachment to the books he has his satori moment.
There are indeed allot of both clinging and aversion when it comes to imagery. Often the debate turns into an argument of whether or not you are a true Buddhist if you have a statue or not, if you partake in rituals or not. In my experience you are often seen as lesser of a Buddhist if you do own a statue and partake in rituals these days, at least in the West. This is of course not constructive in any way, both are valid stances. So thank you for presenting a balanced viewpoint in your video, Doug.
I think Buddhism is in your heart regardless, personally speaking a love a beautifully decorated shrine and imposes many statues and thangkhas, it just brings me great joy when I walk into my room. And I see absolutely no harm in having something beautiful and peaceful you can focus on and it is really transformative. But I understand the principles of attachment and I know I wouldn’t be any less of a Buddhist without them, but even in the most austere shrines around the world you will find some kind of statue or reliquary and I see no harm at all in your spiritual path bringing you joy 😊🙏🏽
very thought provoking talk, Doug, thanks. I had dismissed rituals to a great extent but I think you made some very good points in their favour. Best wishes
I have a mixture of symbols picked up from different phases of my practice. I do my meditation standing up, but I still do the three bows (from Zen) to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. My meditation also still ends with a single bell. There is Chinese calligraphy on the wall (it says, roughly, "Honor the teacher and follow the way.") We keep our statues elevated, we treat them with care when we move or clean them. As per custom. Even if one practices with guru deities, there isn't a necessity to believe in deities, they are, as Doug says, "useful".
Doug! I was really ready for this video. I've been thinking a lot about reconciling my interest in ritual with my secular, skeptical spiritual life. I think a safe, healthy approach to ritual (and, to a larger extent, cultural objects) is to look at them as unconscious art. As a devout non-catholic, I think the calming beauty of the Vatican and the sacred traditions of the church hold both artistic and meditative merit. It's infinitely intriguing the way complex ritual and enculturated lives evolve, and speaks to people's innate desire for peace, order, and beauty; or at least to the enduring power of ritual memes. Fantastic video, as always.
Thanks Aaron, that's very kind of you. I agree, the power of these beautiful memes can be useful in practice. But only so long as we hold them lightly and don't start clinging to them as essential. We have to be able to step out of them too from time to time.
Thank you for all of your effort making these videos, really like your channel! A video about the differences in practices like in hinayana, mahayana and vajrayana would be extremely helpful! Also wondering if there is any information about what kind of practice the Buddha himself did. (Did he meditated on different let's say Buddha forms or only vipassana?) Thank you in advance
One of my more popular videos is on the three main schools of Buddhism: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FAazFDC8m6M.html . But I would suggest we avoid the term "hinayana" which is a pejorative that in its essence reflects no actual school of Buddhism. As to the Buddha's own practices, most of my videos discuss aspects of this, since my focus is mainly on the early Buddhism of the suttas. "Vipassana" is an idea stemming from 19th c. Burmese practice, so although aspects of it do go back to the Buddha, as a set practice it's essentially modern. For more, see: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PNZRDPpszkI.html
The best icons for me are the readings from the words -books of Buddha's teachings. I donated all my Buddha Statues to the Humans Society resale store (good karma). At first, I did find that my mind was haunted by the thought that Buddha was going to curse me! I dismissed the silly thought, and happy to say, my little dharma practice is going well without them.
As a non-religious person, there was a time when I avoided religious stuff as the devil avoids holy water. 😂 But today I see it like you: "Is it useful to my practice or not?" Yes? Good! No? Goodbye! 😁 😊🙏🏻
I took a course with the Buddhist Churches of America/Orange County with the Rev. John Turner. He said something that I really liked: "You don't have to do anything, but you must do something." In other words, choose you practice and do it!
My simple view is you should do what benefits you, as long as it does not harm others. I do believe it dangerous to view rituals as good or bad. What is important is having correct view. Many seem to fear rituals, while other view rituals as needed. Both are likely neither correct or incorrect. It depends upon how we view the rituals. The value I see in your video is thinking of how we might offend others. I would not view rituals done that would intentionally offend others to be worth the cost.
I definitely like ritual behaviors-- imbuing simple actions and movements with lots and lots of meaning and focus and reflection on what is real-- as long as it isn't confused with anything even remotely resembling magic, or goofy fantasies of "just imagine/envision and make it real" types of things. Definitely like rituals with a lengthy historical tradition such as the Hajj, Eucharist, and so on.
Thanks for the video. Here in my hometown in Brasil, Salvador, I often go to sangha that follows Tibetan tradition. I really can’t go along with deities. I like the teachings, meditate, and practice and contemplate. So these touched me a lot
I've learned that we shall not carry our Mala as a fashion accessory as well as the Budha. They only shall be use for meditation purposes. But in my opinion, it's great to see a Budha statue even if it's not in a meditation place, if it means something for me it can mean something different for other people. We shall not be harsh on that...
Being part of a lineage which relies heavily on imagery, smells and chants, when at home I use a simple white Buddha ornament, it is more than enough for me. But that probably comes from my Protestant image-less upbringing.
It was interesting to watch this video after your later one on Rules and Rituals. It occurs to me that rituals can be used to comfort us and calm our thoughts. For instance at the time of losing a loved one through death, resorting to the rituals of a funeral in any culture or belief can make the difficult necessity of disposing of the physical body easier and provide comfort to mourners. How elaborate or simple these rituals may be is of course another matter. Are repeated actions found just in the everyday - getting up, cleaning teeth etc forms of rituals? The downside of them is that while calming, they can become mindless.
A Buddhist monk and friend said to me last week that meditation can be considered mind hygiene. Just as we pay attention to dental hygiene by cleaning our teeth every day - so we need to meditate to clear our heads.
Very true Scarlett! All of us have our little "daily rituals", though ordinarily as you say they're pretty mindless. That said, making something skillful into a "daily ritual" can be a good way to integrate it into our lives so we don't forget to do it.
You’re very welcome Greeny! I’m not aware of any early Buddhist texts that discuss images of the Buddha at all, much less argue against them. There may be later texts but they would post date the Buddha’s lifetime.
With respect and Metta.Sir can I ask you a question ?Buddhism is based on equanimity, equality, so why you add secular Buddhism.....is there any part of the world where there is insecularity is found in Buddhists ? The foundation itself is in secularity, equality, that's why Buddha gave Dhamma to Upali Napita ( the barber) Amrapali ( the lady with multiple partners) so why there is necessity of putting secular word in front of Buddhism? The word Buddhism is sufficient to occupy the Morals , concepts , doctorines .... Much Metta, Be happy , be liberated, be happy be happy 🙏
Well these are cultural preferences, not ones described in the early texts, so it depends on the culture. But my understanding is that Buddha statues should be placed up off the floor so they are in a position of some prominence, rather than down in the dirt so to speak. That's not to say they can't be outside, but again I think culturally they would probably be put on some sort of a pedestal. Since in Western cultures we don't really have those thoughts, perhaps we can approach it differently. Up to you!
Thank you, Doug. This is the answer I was hoping and expecting that you would give. For myself, I find that some use of the bells and other items you mentioned can help set a meditative environment, but too much use can take me out if the present moment and make meditation harder. Somewhere along the way, I've picked up the notion that the more my practice looks different from the rest of my life the harder it is to take the insights from meditation off the zafu and apply them to my life away those few minutes of zazen. The "smells and bells" forms, at least for me, can make my practice detached. Somehow, I don't think that's effective.
Thanks Mark, yes "smells and bells" isn't for everyone. It's an aesthetic cultural accretion that we may find inspirational or not, as the case may be.
Wow How cool. Your aims/ teaching and ideals are , even dualistic points to a Non - Dualistic Reality. We never left. We have obsurities, judgements, preconceived notions/ labels. As my Manual for Development tells me not to deny duality. So to modify, I try to dismantle this thing called " ego" in 24 segments. Enlightenment is a Recognition... Not a change at all.
I love Buddhist statues of Tibetan Buddhism I like the incense I like the rituals, but I find Tibetan Buddhist temples too colourful from inside and the way they venerate the Bodhisattva are too weird for me. On the hand, I like zen Buddhist temples, but zen Buddhism seems to be too easy to be true. Finally, Pure Land Buddhism seems good but reciting Pure Land Sutras without meditation isn't enough for me.
My local Sangha (which I no longer go to after educating myself) is NKT. Along with images and statues of the Buddha they had a statue of their 'leader'. It was the straw the broke the camel's back. Even though I was only going their for the meditation and never felt any overt moves to ensnare me; I could no longer justify adding to their coffers. So I practice alone. I was wondering what you thought of venerating deities? The other Buddhas. I read once they were only representative of the particular trait like 'compassion' and not meant to signify a separate entity?
I feel like deity worship and the veneration of deities as inspirational symbols can be distinct practices. What we may regard as simply symbolic in the west, folk practitioners in the east may regard as divinely real. For me, ritual ought to occupy a distinctly non-worship role.
Yes, thanks for the questions Patrick. As to devotional practices, personally I don't find them helpful, mostly because I don't believe in the existence of such beings. You're right that some teachers, or that teachers at some times, portray deities/Buddhas/bodhisattvas as simply personifications of important traits such as compassion. (E.g., Avalokiteśvara/Guanyin/Kannon). In that case, devotional practice can be seen as devotion to compassion as an ideal rather than to a particular person or deity. As Aaron notes, many folk practitioners are more literalist than that, though of course we need not be. So I don't think that devotional practice *needs* to be a problem, even for a secularist. It can be reinterpreted. Still, each of us has to find that approach to practice that fits best with our general outlook, and that inspires us best. If venerating deities doesn't do that for you (as it does not for me), then look elsewhere. 🙂
I dont think rituals, icons, etc. Are inherently. I think that religion are built on ritials and icons because they reflect a certain dimension of humanity. My experience has been that searching for a so called secular life has always come up short so long as i evadrd or rejected rituals. Theres something "superstitious" about the human mind and that part of the mind seems to only be properly satisfied through some sort of ritusls.
I was going to ask you about this topic today and you happened to do a video on it. Such a coincidence. I had my personal feelings regarding this topic and I was wondering if you agreed with me. It looks like you do :)
I'm guilty I do have a mini alter at home where i practice yoga and meditation.,,, I use candles and sounds to set the mood in motion. But I know that those are just a tool more like a book mark to continue to work from within..
That's right Maribel, no reason to feel guilty about it. If you find having images around to be useful or motivational for your practice then that's great!
Have you heard of anyone making a ritual out of the 2 refuges you discussed in your other video? That might be particularly appealing to secular practitioners.
Yes, almost certainly true, though I have heard that somewhere in the Chinese Āgamas there may be mention of a Buddha image. Though if so it is probably a later interpolation.
Atheist fundamentalists are usually far from free of ideologies, and "secular" here seems to be a euphenism for atheist, as the speaker even used the phrase "quote inquote secular", as if to clarify that it is a euphenism. I don't know much about Buddhism, but commitment to atheism is different than good teachers who express atheist opinions occasionally. No matter what one believes, there are things we don't know.
Thanks for your thoughts greenspringvalley. One can indeed be an "atheist fundamentalist" just as one can be an "anti-atheist fundamentalist". Indeed the latter type are much more prevalent worldwide. Fundamentalisms, which in this case I take to mean clinging to, and identifying with, ideologies, are always problematic.
@@DougsDharma It appears that they discard methods and concepts with the exception of zazen. Focus on the ungraspable kind of thing. Slap each other and what not.
Zen has to be interpreted as a skillful means to get across the aims of the eightfold path, in particular meditation and wisdom. Zen does include ethical strictures as well, although they are not the same as those used by monastics in early Buddhism.
@@DougsDharma Stephen Bachelor has alot of good things to say about his Zen experience, whether or not it matches up to "early Buddhism". Zen is also probably the least dogmatic form of Buddhism in general.
