Religous Practices That Shape Religious Identity Flashcards
Going for refuge
By taking refuge in the 3 jewels, Buddhists are looking for something positive to trust, somewhere to grow and develop away from the dangers of ignorance craving and attachment. ‘purify, uplift and strengthen the heart’ Harvey.
The 3 jewels (refuges) (Tritatna)
Jewels reminds buddhists of their precious nature.
The Buddha, The Dhamma and The Sangha.
Commitment to these means they must reject the 3 poisons.
Taking refuge
To become a Theravada buddhist, they must recite 3 times the refuge formula “i go for refuge to the (Buddha/Dhamma/Sangha). This helps them move away from craving and attachment and to remind them of calm, wise and spiritual people so help them develop these qualities.
Taking refuge in the buddha
It involves recognising the possibility of your own enlightenment and seeing in him an example of how human beings can escape suffering.
Taking refuge in the Dhamma
Exploring the teachings of the Buddha, not just blindly following them.
Taking refuge in the Sangha
It entails sharing your spiritual journey with the Buddhist community.
Going for refuge (Theravada)
It forms part of the regular practice of chanting and helps Buddhists to reflect on the qualities of each jewel.
Going for refuge (Mahayana)
Pureland buddhists- the buddha refuge focuses on Amitabha.
Zen buddhism- focus on the buddha nature within all people.
The sangha refuge in Mahayana includes noble bodhisattvas .
Heritage buddhists (brought up)
Going for refuge is something they have been brought up with. It is simply part of what they do to be a buddhist. They will continue to go for refuge until they reach enlightenment.
Convert buddhist
Someone converting to buddhism, going for refuge is the first step of official conversion, this will be chanted in the presence of an ordained buddhist teacher. They may do it on a daily basis as part of their practice. And some may use it for comfort and support through a hard time.
General role of meditation
Meditation allows buddhists to access the other 2 strands of the path, morality and wisdom.
The general term for meditation is Bhavna. Meditation can be defined as experiencing an altered state of consciousness.
Meditation and the buddha
The importance of meditation to buddhism is shown by the fact that the buddha was meditating when he gained enlightenment.
Aim of meditation
Keown- “the goal of meditation is not to be elsewhere but to be right here, fully conscious and aware.” It shows that it’s not about relaxation, but about being aware. Another main aim is to become more aware of the greed and hatred, this allows them to make positive changes towards enlightenment.
Types of meditation
Samatha (calmness meditation)
Vipassana (insight meditation)
Metta bhavana (loving kindnedd meditation)
Zazen or sitting meditation
HSamatha meditation
Calming or focused meditation, to help concentrate. Select an object to meditate on, usually breathing, it’s aim is to no longer be distracted by the outside world or thoughts. Benefits- heightened concentration.
Lovingkindness meditation
Here a person tries to cultivate the bramhaviharas (god like status) of unconditional love, having these attitudes will lead to acting positively towards others.
Vipassana meditation
The aim wasn’t to achieve tranquility but to gain deep philosophical insight into the nature of things. This type of meditation makes a buddhist aware of the noble truths and the marks of existence. It helps let go of ego and selfishness by freeing them of the illusion of self. It develops more compassion.
Zazen
Zazen is practiced in Zen buddhism, It involves the belief that nibbana and samsarea are 2 sides of the same coin and are both in the here and now.
Dana- selfless giving or generosity
It is one of the 3 means of gaining ‘karmic fruitfulness’ or ‘merit’ along with moral virtue (sila) and meditation (bhavana). Any act of giving, whether selfless or not, has positive karmic benefits, but giving with selfless motives leads to a better karmic result.
Giving to the monastic sangha
Buddhist monks and nuns do not own possessions and may not own money, so they rely on the lay community for food, shelter, clothing and medicine. The monks/nuns teach the dhamma meaning they’re giving back to the lay community.
Results of dana
Generosity results in joy and happiness, it also helps to reduce greed and attachment to material possessions.
Punya- merit
Buddhists believe that performing good actions with the right intentions will purify their karma and gain merit. Merit is aimed to reach others in the world, rather than a selfish reward.
Developing punya
Buddhists wish to perform acts which are karmically fruitful and want to avoid ‘apunna’ or ‘papa’- evil or bad acts which bring ill fortune.
Links to meditation
The merit to go to others is very similar to the structure of the metta bhavana (lovingkindness meditation).
Misunderstandings
Merit should be shared not banked in some way to off set bad deeds. Like many lamps being lit from just one (Harvey). Without a selfless attitude merit doesn’t develop.
