In Buddhism, a Pūjā (offering or worship) is a ritual devotional action made to a Buddha, deity or to the Triple Gem. Within the traditional Buddhist framework of karma and rebirth, Pūjās lead to the accumulation of merit (Sanskrit: puṇya; Pali: puñña), which leads to: a better rebirth as well as progress towards nirvana.[2][3] The practice is also held to generate other positive qualities in a Buddhist practitioner, like gratitude, and inspiration. It is also seen as being able to stimulate the blessings (adhiṣṭhāna) and power (bala) of the Buddhas.[4] A pūjā can also act as preparation for meditation.[5]
Common elements of a Buddhist Pūjā include the recitation of certain formulas, prayers, and texts (such as parittas, sutras or dharanis) which are often accompanied by different physical acts like bowing, prostration and the hand gesture of the añjali mudrā. It often includes material offerings such as a lit candle or oil lamp,[6]incense,[7] flowers,[8] food, fruit, water or drinks.[9] These offerings are commonly placed in front of a Buddhist altar.
In some Theravada traditions, two different types of offerings are identified: material or hospitality offerings (Pali: amisa-puja or sakkara-puja) and practice offerings (Pali: patipatti-puja).[10][11][12][13]
Material offering
Material offerings are considered external offerings of "words and deeds."[13] Material offerings nurture generosity (Pali:dāna) and virtue (Pali: sīla).[14] The act further honors the Triple Gem (the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha), deepening one's commitment to the Buddha's path.
Material offerings might be imbued with the following symbology:
the lighting of a candle or an oil lamp represents the light of wisdom illuminating the darkness of ignorance.
the burning of incense represents the fragrant scent of morality.
flowers represents the aspiration to achieve the body of the Buddha with the thirty-two marks of the Buddha as well as the teaching of impermanence. Alternately, a Zen verse expresses the desire for the mind's "flowers" to "bloom in the springtime of enlightenment."[15]
food, fruit, water, drinks represents the nectar of Dharma and the wish to achieve it.
Traditional chants in Pali, when offering lit candles (padīpa pūjā) and incense (sugandha pūjā) to an image of the Buddha are:
With lights brightly shining Abolishing this gloom I adore the Enlightened One, The Light of the three worlds. With perfumed incense And fragrant smoke I worship the Exalted One, Who is great and worthy of worship.[17]
Similarly, a traditional Pali incense-lighting verse speaks of the Buddha's "fragrant body and fragrant face, fragrant with infinite virtues."[18]
By contemplating on an offering, one tangibly sees life's impermanence (Pali: anicca), one of the three characteristics of all things upon which the Buddha encouraged his disciplines to recollect. For instance, the end of a traditional chant in Pali, when offering flowers (puppha pūjā) to an image of the Buddha is:
Pujemi Buddham kusumenanena
Puññenametena ca hotu mokkham Puppham milāyāti yathā idam me Kāyo tathā yāti vināsa-bhavam[16]
I worship the Buddha with these flowers; May this virtue be helpful for my emancipation; Just as these flowers fade, Our body will undergo decay.[19]
Non-material offerings
Practice offerings may be manifested by practicing:
In the Pali Canon, the Buddha declared practice offerings (Patipatti) as "the best way of honoring the Buddha"[21] and as the "supreme" offering.[13] This is primarily an internal offering for mental development (Pali: citta, bhāvanā and samādhi).
"But Ananda, whatever bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, layman or laywoman, abides by the Dhamma, lives uprightly in the Dhamma, walks in the way of the Dhamma, it is by such a one that the Tathagata is respected, venerated, esteemed, worshipped, and honored in the highest degree." (Taken from Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta, Dīgha Nikāya)[22]
In Mahayana Buddhism, a puja (Chinese: 供養; Tibetan: cho, Wylie: mchod) often involves ritual offerings, prayers, and the chanting of Mahayana sutras, dharanis and mantras. It is an important practice in Mahayana tradition, where it serves to cultivate a sense of refuge and devotion to the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and other revered figures as well as to cultivate other spiritual qualities. Puja can be performed individually or in a group and is typically conducted in temples or monasteries, although it can also be done in home altars.
Mahāyāna pujas often follow standard liturgical forms, such as the triskandhaka (three-part) and saptānga-vidhi (seven-part) rituals.[23] These are classic Indic Mahayana pūjā forms. They initially derived from a basic three-part liturgy which consists of:[23]
Confession of transgressions (pāpadeśanā),
Admiration of others’ virtues (anumodana),
Dedication of merit (parināmanā).
The second version of the three-part ritual is similar but adds a request to the buddhas to turn the wheel of the dharma (dharmacakrapravartana) instead of merit dedication.[23]
The ritual expanded over time to include more elements. In one sūtra translated into Chinese in 2nd century named the Dispelling the Regrets of Ajātaśatru Sūtra, a five-part puja is outlined which consists of:[24]
Refuge in the triple gem,
Confession of transgressions,
Rejoicing in the virtues of others,
Requesting the buddhas to teach,
Giving rise to bodhicitta
Over time, this grew into a more elaborate seven-part liturgy (saptāṅgavidhi, saptāṇgapūjā or saptavidhā anuttarapūjā), which includes:[23]
Obeisance or praise (Sanskrit: vandanā)
Offerings or worship (pūjana)
Confession of bad deeds (pāpadeśanā)
Rejoicing (anumodana)
Request for the buddhas and bodhisattvas to teach the dharma (saṃcodana or dharmacakrapravartanacodana)
Entreaty for the buddhas not to enter parinirvāṇa (prārthanā or aparinirvṛtādhyeṣaṇa)
Dedication of the merit from the ritual to the enlightenment of all sentient beings (pariṇāmanā)
This seven-part liturgy, notably found in the Bhadacaryāpranidhāna ("Vow of Samantabhadra's Deeds"), a part of the Gandavyūha section of the Avataṃsakasūtra, became a central element in many Mahāyāna practices. In Tibetan Buddhism, the seven part puja is a common structure adopted in many rituals and prayers. It is frequently recited before meditation sessions and is also a key feature in tantric pūjās.[23]
The specific actions in a Mahāyāna puja vary considerably depending on the tradition, but it generally includes offerings such as water, flowers, incense, fragrant food, and light (candles, butterlamps, etc).[25] These are taken to symbolize respect and reverence for the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Pujas may also involve the chanting or recitation of specific ritual texts or sadhanas, and the names or mantras of Mahayana Buddhas and bodhisattvas, such as Avalokiteshvara, Amitabha, and Manjushri. All these actions are believed to invoke blessings, purify the mind, and cultivate merit. Pujas may also include other practices like prostrations. The Mahayana view of a puja reflects the ideal of the bodhisattva, as such it is often accompanied by prayers for compassion, for bodhicitta, the attitude to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all beings, and the bodhisattva vows.
East Asian Buddhist rituals contain many of the classic elements of the Indian puja rituals. For example, many of the elements of the Indian pujas can be found in the Lotus Samādhi outlined by the Tiantai patriarch Zhiyi in his Great Calming and Contemplation. As noted by Swanson, this practice contains the following ten elements: [26]
Arrange and purify the room: the room must be cleaned, a copy of the Lotus sutra in placed a dais, incense is lit, a so on.
Purification of the body: bathing in scented water and changing to clean clothing
Making physical, verbal, and mental offerings: this includes ritual prostration, giving rise to bodhicitta, and the recitation of a prayer to the three jewels.
Petitioning the Buddhas and bodhisattvas: one recites several ritual formulas
Paying homage to the Buddhas through the recitation of several verses and formulas.
The “fivefold repentance”: (1) repenting the offences one has committed through the six senses, (2) ask the buddhas to teach Dharma, (3) rejoicing in the virtue of buddhas and bodhisattvas, (4) transferrence of merit, (5) sincerely taking the bodhisattva vows to save all beings.
Circumambulating a buddha statue while reciting phrases of homage
Reciting the Lotus Sūtra (either the whole sutra or in part)
Sitting meditation contemplating the nature of all things
↑ See, for instance, Indaratana (2002), pp. 11-12. Harvey (1990), p. 173, and Kariyawasam (1995), chapter 1, both maintain that flowers are the most common form of offering.
↑ Kapleau (1989), p. 193; Khantipalo (1982); and, Harvey (1990), p. 175, particularly in regards to Northern Buddhism.
↑ Indaratana (2002), p. 11. See also Harvey (1990), p. 175, who translates the light-offering verse in part as describing the Buddha as "the lamp of the three worlds, dispeller of darkness."
↑ Swanson, Paul L. Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight T'ien-t'ai Chih-i's Mo-ho chich-kuan, Volume I, pp. 305-311. University of Hawaii Press, 2017.
Bibliography
Harvey, Peter (1990). An introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, history and practices. Cambridge: Cambridge University. ISBN0-521-31333-3.
Indaratana Maha Thera, Elgiriye (2002). Vandana: The Album of Pali Devotional Chanting and Hymns. Penang, Malaysia:Mahindarama Dhamma Publication. Retrieved 2007-10-22 from "BuddhaNet" at
Khantipalo, Bhikkhu (1982). Lay Buddhist Practice: The Shrine Room, Uposatha Day, Rains Residence (The Wheel No. 206/207). Kandy, Sri Lanka:Buddhist Publication Society. Retrieved 2007-10-22 from "Access to Insight" (transcribed 1995) at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khantipalo/wheel206.html.
The Noble Eightfold Path or Eight Right Paths is an early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of rebirth, in the form of nirvana.
Pāramitā or pāramī is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as a noble character quality generally associated with enlightened beings. Pāramī and pāramitā are both terms in Pali but Pali literature makes greater reference to pāramī, while Mahayana texts generally use the Sanskrit pāramitā.
Sangha is a Pali word used in many Indian languages, including Sanskrit which means "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; in these languages, sangha is frequently used as a surname. In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used by religious associations, including Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. Given this history, some Buddhists have stated that the tradition of the sangha represents humanity's oldest surviving democratic institution.
Ānāpānasati, meaning "mindfulness of breathing", is the act of paying attention to the breath. It is the quintessential form of Buddhist meditation, attributed to Gautama Buddha, and described in several suttas, most notably the Ānāpānasati Sutta.
Buddhist music is music created for or inspired by Buddhism and includes numerous ritual and non-ritual musical forms. As a Buddhist art form, music has been used by Buddhists since the time of early Buddhism, as attested by artistic depictions in Indian sites like Sanchi. While certain early Buddhist sources contain negative attitudes to music, Mahayana sources tend to be much more positive to music, seeing it as a suitable offering to the Buddhas and as a skillful means to bring sentient beings to Buddhism.
Ātman, attā or attan in Buddhism is the concept of self, and is found in Buddhist literature's discussion of the concept of non-self (Anatta). Most Buddhist traditions and texts reject the premise of a permanent, unchanging atman.
In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Its object is typically the Three Jewels, which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Taking refuge is a form of aspiration to lead a life with the Triple Gem at its core. In early Buddhist scriptures, taking refuge is an expression of determination to follow the Buddha's path, but not a relinquishing of responsibility. Refuge is common to all major schools of Buddhism.
Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) or Sāvaka (Pali) means "hearer" or, more generally, "disciple". This term is used in Buddhism and Jainism. In Jainism, a śrāvaka is any lay Jain so the term śrāvaka has been used for the Jain community itself. Śrāvakācāras are the lay conduct outlined within the treaties by Śvetāmbara or Digambara mendicants. "In parallel to the prescriptive texts, Jain religious teachers have written a number of stories to illustrate vows in practice and produced a rich répertoire of characters.".
Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are bhāvanā and jhāna/dhyāna.
Upāsaka (masculine) or Upāsikā (feminine) are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism who are not monks, nuns, or novice monastics in a Buddhist order, and who undertake certain vows. In modern times they have a connotation of dedicated piety that is best suggested by terms such as "lay devotee" or "devout lay follower".
The brahmavihārā is a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables or four infinite minds. The brahmavihārā are:
loving-kindness or benevolence
compassion
empathetic joy
equanimity
Anussati means "recollection," "contemplation," "remembrance," "meditation", and "mindfulness". It refers to specific Buddhist meditational or devotional practices, such as recollecting the sublime qualities of the Buddha, which lead to mental tranquillity and abiding joy. In various contexts, the Pali literature and Sanskrit Mahayana sutras emphasise and identify different enumerations of recollections.
In English translations of Buddhist texts, householder denotes a variety of terms. Most broadly, it refers to any layperson, and most narrowly, to a wealthy and prestigious familial patriarch. In contemporary Buddhist communities, householder is often used synonymously with laity, or non-monastics.
A prostration is a gesture used in Buddhist practice to show reverence to the Triple Gem and other objects of veneration.
An Uposatha day is a Buddhist day of observance, in existence since the Buddha's time, and still being kept today by Buddhist practitioners. The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind," resulting in inner calm and joy. On this day, both lay and ordained members of the sangha intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge and express communal commitment through millennia-old acts of lay-monastic reciprocity. On these days, the lay followers make a conscious effort to keep the Five Precepts or the ten precepts. It is a day for practicing the Buddha's teachings and meditation.
The Mettā Sutta is the name used for two Buddhist discourses found in the Pali Canon. The one, more often chanted by Theravadin monks, is also referred to as Karaṇīyamettā Sutta after the opening word, Karaṇīyam, "(This is what) should be done." It is found in the Suttanipāta and Khuddakapāṭha. It is ten verses in length and it extols both the virtuous qualities and the meditative development of mettā (Pali), traditionally translated as "loving kindness" or "friendliness". Additionally, Thanissaro Bhikkhu's translation, "goodwill", underscores that the practice is used to develop wishes for unconditional goodwill towards the object of the wish.
Among Buddhists, death is regarded as one of the occasions of major religious significance, both for the deceased and for the survivors. For the deceased, it marks the moment when the transition begins to a new mode of existence within the round of rebirths. When death occurs, all the karmic forces that the dead person accumulated during the course of their lifetime become activated and determine the next rebirth. For the living, death is a powerful reminder of the Buddha's teaching on impermanence; it also provides an opportunity to assist the deceased person as they transition to a new existence. There are several academic reviews of this subject. In Buddhism, death marks the transition from this life to the next for the deceased.
Devotion, a central practice in Buddhism, refers to commitment to religious observances or to an object or person, and may be translated with Sanskrit or Pāli terms like saddhā, gārava or pūjā. Central to Buddhist devotion is the practice of Buddhānussati, the recollection of the inspiring qualities of the Buddha. Although buddhānussati was an important aspect of practice since Buddhism's early period, its importance was amplified with the arising of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Specifically, with Pure Land Buddhism, many forms of devotion were developed to recollect and connect with the celestial Buddhas, especially Amitābha.
In Buddhism, an Arhat or Arahant is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved Nirvana and has been liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth.
Buddhānusmṛti, meaning "Buddha-mindfulness", is a common Buddhist meditation practice in all Buddhist traditions which involves meditating on a Buddha. The term can be translated as "remembrance, commemoration, recollection or mental contemplation of the Buddha." It is also one of the various recollections (anusmṛti) taught by the Buddha in the sutras.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
