What need to do when I came to a Buddhist temple?
What need to do when I came to a Buddhist temple?
When I first come to a Buddhist temple for the liturgy, what should I do, what should I think about, how should I pray to Buddha Amitabha?
- PadmaVonSamba
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- Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 1:41 am
Re: What need to do when I came to a Buddhist temple?
Your motivation should be to benefit all beings.
That is the purpose of Mahayana practice.
It is the motivation for why you recite the liturgy,
It is the motivation for why you pray,
even if you are praying for your own welfare.
That is ultimately the reason to be reborn in a pure land.
Then, even your mistakes will benefit others.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
Re: What need to do when I came to a Buddhist temple?
Thank you for helping me understand Buddhism!PadmaVonSamba wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:36 pmYour motivation should be to benefit all beings.
That is the purpose of Mahayana practice.
It is the motivation for why you recite the liturgy,
It is the motivation for why you pray,
even if you are praying for your own welfare.
That is ultimately the reason to be reborn in a pure land.
Then, even your mistakes will benefit others.
Re: What need to do when I came to a Buddhist temple?
If I can offer a Jōdo Shinshū perspective, even prior to coming to a temple and even before we have heard of Amitābha for the first time, we have everything we need. Amitābha has already provided all the requirements for us to attain birth in the Pure Land and attain Buddhahood. I can only encourage you to listen to the Dharma and reflect on your own relationship to Amitābha Buddha.RonBucker wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:17 pmThank you for helping me understand Buddhism!PadmaVonSamba wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:36 pmYour motivation should be to benefit all beings.
That is the purpose of Mahayana practice.
It is the motivation for why you recite the liturgy,
It is the motivation for why you pray,
even if you are praying for your own welfare.
That is ultimately the reason to be reborn in a pure land.
Then, even your mistakes will benefit others.
With regards to prayer, the question is really what you mean by "prayer." Do you mean asking for favours or good luck? Or simply, what is the procedure for chanting or reciting liturgy? If the latter, then it is up to the temple you are attending. If the former, then I understand that we should try to gain an understanding about how, from a Buddhist perspective, everything arises due to causes and conditions and our prayer is usually not a sufficient condition to change our material situations—moreover, the ultimate question is one of motivation, as PadmaVonSamba mentions. Is the motivation to attain Buddhahood? If so, prayer is not really necessary from the Pure Land perspective. What is important and vital to all Pure Land sects, however, is the Nembutsu (Jp.; Chn. Nianfo), or recitation of the Buddha's name: Namu Amida Butsu.