Practicing Buddhists, When Was The Last Time You Visited A Temple?

[sbk]

Just curious, since the temple is such a huge part of life among the locals where I live do non-Thai practicing Buddhists visit temples too? Do you tambun at the Wat? and do all the other stuff Thai people do?

[luangtom]

My Isaan wife and I do go to temple at least once per month and participate in "tam bun" or whatever celebration is on the calendar. However, we avoid the Thai wat here in our area. The elitist attitude there prohibits one from participating to the fullest extent. If one is not "a real Thai from Bangkok" then they are not welcome there. So, we visit and support a Lao temple that is but a half-hour away. There is a mix of other Isaan folk as well as Lao worshipping there, plus the very welcome farang partners and practitoners. I try to get there more often, as I consult with one of the monks concerning vipassana meditation and study of the Kammathana, as taught by Ajahn Maha Boowa. Chok dee.

Edited May 9, 2009 by luangtom

[fabianfred]

I usually go to the village temple with the kids on special days...... Songkran.... Vesak.... Khao Pansa.... Ork Pansa etc.

I must admit that i don't have a great deal of respect for the village abbot..... he and his monks and novices rarely go on alms-round ..... a daily DUTY for monks. I have seen old monks in Chiangmai who get a Samlor to take them on alms-round each day...

I usually try and go and stay the day/night on Buddha day at the village temple during Pansa when many old folks take the eight precepts and dress in white.... we do chanting and meditation and I read dhamma books....

We are lucky in this area to have many Shan (TaiYai) people and they are generally more devout than the locals...

I also think that the basic temple going and merit making is good for the ordinary simple folk with their basic understanding of Buddhism which they have grown up with. It is as much a custom to them as a religion, and they probably do not look upon it seperately since it has been a part of their life since birth. Unlike we foreign converts who seperate Buddhism from the thai life style and we also study it more deeply.

I don't know what percentage of those who go to the temple each buddha day actually try and keep the five precepts seriously intact.... probably not that great.

The precepts being training rules which we undertake ourselves to try and keep...and they are the foundation for all other practice... so I think it is more important to keep them than to follow the rites and rituals associated with simpler beliefs. For those of simple belief and understanding the familiar rites and rituals are a comfort, as is the carrot and stick of heaven and hel_l. For those who study the Dhamma and practice Vipassana meditation, they can penetrate more deeply into the true dhamma. One of the requirements of Sotapanna is not to adhere to belief in rites and rituals (or rather the belief that they can protect us, erase karma, or speed us to Nirvana).

The practice of Vipassana being the core teaching of the Buddha, and the fastest way to achieve Ariyahood, is not just about formal sitting and walking sessions, but intended to bring mindfulness into our daily lives.

So as making merit is a goal for those whose beliefs are still at a basic level, those who penetrate more deeply do good for the love of good, rather than to accumulate merit....in effect producing neutral karma...the kind which Ariyachon do.

So i think that to try and bring mindfulness into daily life and keep the five precepts as well as we can (the mindfulness helps with this too).... is more valuable than ordinary temple attendance. Not to decry the latter.... we have to practise according to our own level of understanding.

[mauGR1]

I visit Temples sometimes,last year quite a few times because i was having some troubles.After few visits to the local"Wat" i met what you might call a "Arahant".Well,i'm not familiar with this term,and i don't know if it's correct,but i could feel the spiritual power beaming off the Guy,and other people including my GF,could feel the same.To make it short ,when he touched my head,abundant tears flew from my eyes,instantly washing my sad feelings away.Well normally i don't ask material benefits to Monks or Gods,but He gave me a twisted branch of some special wood to protect my living area,it seems it worked!Few days after we went to see him again,knowing he had to go back to his meditation retreat,but he was already gone.When we asked another monk about him,he looked unhappy, telling me"all monks are the same"Well,i don't think this is true,everybody can see that,even two drops of water are not exactly the same.Feeling a bit guilty,we made our ritual donations and went away.Am i wrong to think that there are better monks,like there are better doctors or better carpenters?I ask this question because i see there are in this Forum section some people who are seriously in the practice of Buddhism: if i'm looking for a enlightened Monk in a Temple,is there any polite way to ask?

PS

Do anybody know the name of the tree the Monks use for protecting houses,assuming there are different kind of trees that have a particular role in Thai white magic?

[agent69]

Am i wrong to think that there are better monks,like there are better doctors or better carpenters?I ask this question because i see there are in this Forum section some people who are seriously in the practice of Buddhism: if i'm looking for a enlightened Monk in a Temple,is there any polite way to ask?

We should not fixate ourselves on one particular monk or any supernatural power a monk may demonstrate. I was taught that we should not be discussing which monk were better (whatever the definition of 'better' in this context is) nor be criticising a monk because we will never know the whole truth.

Ask around. People do talk about monks. Their best monks may not be your best one. I would say the best one would be the one that suits you. And when you find one, you will know.

[mauGR1]

Am i wrong to think that there are better monks,like there are better doctors or better carpenters?I ask this question because i see there are in this Forum section some people who are seriously in the practice of Buddhism: if i'm looking for a enlightened Monk in a Temple,is there any polite way to ask?

We should not fixate ourselves on one particular monk or any supernatural power a monk may demonstrate. I was taught that we should not be discussing which monk were better (whatever the definition of 'better' in this context is) nor be criticising a monk because we will never know the whole truth.

Ask around. People do talk about monks. Their best monks may not be your best one. I would say the best one would be the one that suits you. And when you find one, you will know.

Thanks mate,you made a good point,i don't feel the same everyday,too.Best Wishes.

[phetaroi]

We should not fixate ourselves on one particular monk or any supernatural power a monk may demonstrate. I was taught that we should not be discussing which monk were better (whatever the definition of 'better' in this context is) nor be criticising a monk because we will never know the whole truth.

Ask around. People do talk about monks. Their best monks may not be your best one. I would say the best one would be the one that suits you. And when you find one, you will know.

This actually brings up a related point. In quite a few temples you will see statues of a particular monk and people "worshiping" at the statue. I haven't decided how I feel about that, although my first thought is that we should be following Buddha, not a "mere" monk. Thoughts?

[agent69]

We should not fixate ourselves on one particular monk or any supernatural power a monk may demonstrate. I was taught that we should not be discussing which monk were better (whatever the definition of 'better' in this context is) nor be criticising a monk because we will never know the whole truth.

Ask around. People do talk about monks. Their best monks may not be your best one. I would say the best one would be the one that suits you. And when you find one, you will know.

This actually brings up a related point. In quite a few temples you will see statues of a particular monk and people "worshiping" at the statue. I haven't decided how I feel about that, although my first thought is that we should be following Buddha, not a "mere" monk. Thoughts?

When we prostrate, we always pay respect to the Phra Ratana Trai (พระรัตนตรัย) which represents the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Worshiping an image of a Bhudda or a monk like a god would probably be based on the Hinduism influence.

I do pay extra respect to a few monks as my teachers. Anything more than that I believe that it might lead us to gi laeht (กิเลส) all these temptations that might lead us to wrong doings or cloud us from the enlighten path.

[fabianfred]

showing respect to those worthy of respect is one of the ten ways to make merit....

some statues of famous or revered monks...thought to be arahants...fall into this category.... especially if they were our teachers or they were important in the particular lineage we follow...eg. ajarn Chaa

Showing respect by prostrating is not worshiping or praying to them......

[luangtom]

We should not fixate ourselves on one particular monk or any supernatural power a monk may demonstrate. I was taught that we should not be discussing which monk were better (whatever the definition of 'better' in this context is) nor be criticising a monk because we will never know the whole truth.

Ask around. People do talk about monks. Their best monks may not be your best one. I would say the best one would be the one that suits you. And when you find one, you will know.

This actually brings up a related point. In quite a few temples you will see statues of a particular monk and people "worshiping" at the statue. I haven't decided how I feel about that, although my first thought is that we should be following Buddha, not a "mere" monk. Thoughts?

I asked the same question once. I asked it of an English-speaking monk that I met at Wat Mahathat. He likened it to a Christian of Roman Catholic orientation calling upon a particular saint to intercede or intervene on one's behalf. They are not worshipping the particular statue of the monk, they are asking intercession or guidance from the teachings of that monk that is venerated. I have never asked any other ajahn about it.

[sabaijai]

I go about once a week, but since that choice didn't appear, I didn't vote

[phetaroi]

We should not fixate ourselves on one particular monk or any supernatural power a monk may demonstrate. I was taught that we should not be discussing which monk were better (whatever the definition of 'better' in this context is) nor be criticising a monk because we will never know the whole truth.

Ask around. People do talk about monks. Their best monks may not be your best one. I would say the best one would be the one that suits you. And when you find one, you will know.

This actually brings up a related point. In quite a few temples you will see statues of a particular monk and people "worshiping" at the statue. I haven't decided how I feel about that, although my first thought is that we should be following Buddha, not a "mere" monk. Thoughts?

I asked the same question once. I asked it of an English-speaking monk that I met at Wat Mahathat. He likened it to a Christian of Roman Catholic orientation calling upon a particular saint to intercede or intervene on one's behalf. They are not worshipping the particular statue of the monk, they are asking intercession or guidance from the teachings of that monk that is venerated. I have never asked any other ajahn about it.

Hmmmmm...I can accept that.