Lay Buddhist Practices
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Offerings · Bows 3 Refuges · Chanting
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Buddhist Devotion is an important part of the practice of most Buddhists.^[1] According to a spokesman of the Sasana Council of Burma, devotion to Buddhist spiritual practices inspires devotion to the Triple Gem.^[2] Most Buddhists use ritual in pursuit of their spiritual aspirations.^[3]

Examples of devotional practices:

• bowing:
  • to images of the Buddha, and in Mahayana also of other Buddhas and bodhisattvas; such images originated some centuries after the Buddha's time
  • to religious superiors:
    • a monk to a monk ordained earlier
    • a nun to a nun ordained earlier
    • a nun to a monk, regardless of date of ordination
    • a lay person to a monk or nun
• offering flowers, incense etc. to images
• chanting:
  • the Three Refuges
  • protective chanting: in the Samyuktagama, the Buddha is portrayed teaching a verse and mantra that monks may chant to protect themselves from snakebite. The verse is mainly about loving-kindness, compassion, and doing no harm to all beings. The mantra is given to trae in Chinese transcription of the Sanskrit. This episode does not occur in the counterpart sutta in the Samyutta-Nikaya, and may have been added after the Sarvastivada/Vibhajjavada split.^[4]
  • mantras and dharanis in Mahayana: includes the Heart Sutra and om mani padme hum
  • homage to Amitabha in Pure Land Buddhism
  • homage to the Lotus Sutra in Nichiren Buddhism
• pilgrimage:
  • according to sources^[5] recognized by most scholars as early, the Buddha, shortly before his death, recommended pilgrimage to four places:
    • his birthplace (Lumbini, now Rummindei in Nepal)
    • the site of his enlightenment (Bodh Gaya)
    • the site of the preaching of his first sermon (near Benares)
    • the place of his death (Kusinara)

Other places were later added, particularly in other countries, where pilgrimage to the original sites would be daunting.

A very important form of Buddhist devotion is Pure Land Buddhism, which is practised by most Chinese monks, some combining it with Chan (Zen).^[6] It exists as a group of independent denominations in Japan, the most radical, and largest, of which, Jodo Shinshu, holds to a subtle idea of effortless salvation .

See also[link]

Buddhism portal

• Puja (Buddhism)

Notes[link]

1. ^ Harvey, page 170
2. ^ Morgan, pages v, 73
3. ^ Macmillan (Volume One), page 139
4. ^ Choong Mun-keat, The Fundamental Teachings of Early Buddhism: A comparative study basted on the Sutranga portion of the Pali Samyutta-Nikaya and the Chinese Samyuktagama; Harrassowitz Verlag, Weisbaden, 2000, pages 105-106. See also Anguttara Nikaya, volume II, page 72 (Pali Text Society edition pagination) and the Atanatiya Sutta in the Digha Nikaya, number 32, in volume III.
5. ^ Digha Nikaya, volume II, pages 140f (PTS pagination)
6. ^ Welch, page 396

References[link]

• Harvey, Peter, An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History and Practices, Cambridge University Press, 1990
• Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism, 2004
• Morgan, Kenneth W., ed, The Path of the Buddha: Buddhism Interpreted by Buddhists, Ronald Press, New York, 1956
• Welch, Holmes, The Practice of Chinese Buddhism, 1900-1950, Harvard University Press, 1967

Chin Kung, AM (淨空; pinyin: Jìngkōng) (b. 1927) is a Buddhist monk from the Mahayana tradition. He is the founder of the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, an organization based on the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism.

He was born in Lujiang County, Anhui Province, China under the birth name of Hsu Yeh-hong (Xú Yèhóng 徐業鴻). He spent thirteen years studying Buddhism and Philosophy under the guidance of Professor Fang Tung-mei (方東美), Changkya Khutukhtu (章嘉呼圖克圖 a master in Mongolian Buddhist tradition), and lay teacher Lee Ping-nan (李炳南). He entered the monastic life in 1959, where he was ordained at Lintzi Temple at Yuanshan in Taipei, Taiwan. It was then that he received the name of Chin Kung, meaning "pure emptiness".

Master Chin Kung is well known for using modern technology to spread the Buddha's teachings. His lectures are recorded on audio, video tapes and CDs for wide distribution in many temples, including many Buddhist temples and centers where people can pick up books to distribute to other places.

He has sponsored the printing and the distribution of Buddhist texts worldwide, as well as portraits and pictures of various buddhas and bodhisattvas. All these items have been distributed free of charge.

In recent years, Chin Kung has emphasized the Infinite Life Sutra and the Pure Land cultivation method of Buddha recitation which is concerned mainly with the recitation of Amitābha Buddha's name.

Chin Kung was the ordination master for the late actress Chen Xiaoxu. He is currently residing in Australia.

Achievements[link]

Chin Kung had worked categorically on Buddhist teachings to bridge gaps and reconcile misunderstandings between different faiths through interfaith visits and dialogues, especially in Asia and Australia. In recognition of his achievements, he has been bestowed several awards and honours.

In 2002, he was awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of Queensland, Australia and an Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University, Australia. In December 2003, he was awarded the Honorary Founding Patron of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia. In April 2004, he was awarded the Honorary Doctor Degree of University of Southern Queensland. He was then further granted the Honorary Doctor Degree of Syarif Hidayatullan State Islamic University, Jakarta Indonesia in June. In August, he was invited to present a paper at the 2004 Okayama Topia for International Contribution NGO Network Conference on the United Nations.

In June 2005, Chin Kung was appointed as a member in the General Division of the Order of Australia by Queen Elizabeth II.^[1] He was recognised for service to the Buddhist community in Queensland, particularly through the promotion of Buddhism and the fostering interfaith activities between diverse ethnic groups, and to the community through support for educational and health institutions.

In 2006 he sponsored and attended actively the solemn and sumptuous celebration of the 2550th birthday of the Buddha Shakyamuni, which took place in the office of the UNESCO in Paris, organized by the Venerable Tampalawela Dhammaratana, ex-president of the Buddhist Union of France, it was an event of international scale, that left a big influence in the Buddhist and not Buddhist world, by the distribution of its message of world peace and peace of mind in the heart of each.

Understanding of Buddhism[link]

Chin Kung categorizes Buddhism in practice into four different types.^[2]. First, the traditional Buddhism, the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, which is very rare in our days. Second, the religious Buddhism, which does not represent the real Buddhism but it becomes recognized by the society, since temples nowadays no longer practice intense teachings and meditation as they used to be. Third, the academic Buddhism being taught in many universities today, where we see Buddhism being treated purely as philosophy. This is not comprehensive either since Buddha's education covers everything essential to human beings rather than being one branch of the whole knowledge. Finally, the total degeneration of Buddhism into a cult. This type of Buddhism came into being in recent forty years and does great harm to the society. Chin Kung tries to correct the misunderstanding and lead the public back to the original form of Buddhism as taught by Buddha Shakyamuni.

References[link]

External links[link]

• 阿彌陀佛
• Master Chin Kung | facebook
• Official site of the Amitabha Buddhist Society
• Biography of Ven. Master Chin Kung
• Journey to Peace
• Collected talks of Master Chin Kung