World Religions:Buddhism

Buddhism is a religious belief that requires an individual to devote their entire life to the word of Buddha. Even though Buddhism is considered to be a false religion by others due to the non belief of a God, Buddhism is misunderstood in the United States. A one on one interview I had with a Buddhist Monk gave me a tremendous amount of insight and respect for the religion. Throughout I will explain: the history and life of Buddha, the location of the Buddhist temple where my interview took place and the Monk who was interviewed, what it takes to be a Buddhist to the transition of becoming a Monk, Christianity versus Buddhism, Buddhist holidays and festivals, deities that are worshipped, and much more.

Buddhism is a religion that was created by a man named Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama sometime around the 5^th or 6^th B.C. All Buddhist pray and meditate daily, devoting their whole lives to Buddhism while working toward achieving the ultimate goal of self enlightenment. The lifestyle of a Buddhist must be positive and productive as well as having the highest respect for all living organisms on Earth. Novice Buddhist's also known as laymen are required to follow five basic rules that are similar to The Ten Commandments of the Christianity religion. Novices must follow these rules for at least three years before being allowed to move forward and become a Monk. Once an individual becomes a Monk, there will be 127 rules and 227 precepts, the individual must follow. The individual will be expected to follow these new set of laws every day for the rest of his or her life.

The information provided is for the Buddhist temple in which I visited for my interview.

The name of the Buddhist temple is Wat Lao Dhammaram, and it is located at 159 Richardson Road, Fitchburg, Massachusetts 01420. The telephone number is 978-342-8718 and the Monk that I interviewed on August 13, 2008 at 12:30 was Khamphou Chindamay.

The interview I had with Khamphou Chindamay was very exciting and knowledgeable. Mr. Chindamay discussed his life from the time he was a young man through present and explained some of the difficulties and obstacles he has had to face and overcame throughout the years of Monkhood. We discussed daily routines, such as prayer and study of the Dharma, the types of foods that are allowed to be eating and foods that are forbidding. We also discussed additional religions including beliefs of my own and what it was like being raised into Christianity. Furthermore, we discussed holidays and festivals, what it means to be a Monk, Americanized Buddhism versus Buddhism in native countries, Mr. Chindamays immediate family and much more (Chindamay, personal communication, 2008).

Before an individual is allowed to become a Monk he or she must first practice as laymen. Laymen are novice practitioners who are servants to the Monks on a daily basis. The laymen are required to read and study the Dharma and Indian language Pally for at least three years before making an attempt to become a Monk in a temple. All who seek to become a Monk must prove he or she has learned all the basic principles to perfection and is prepared to take on self sacrifice for all eternity here on Earth. Monks are not allowed to touch or speak to any women on any occasion unless it is an immediate family member such as a mother - sister or both the Monk and woman are surrounded by other individuals in a room. Any individual who enters or leaves a temple is required to get down on their knees and bow with their hands to their forehead three times to the Monk as a sign of respect.

For 18 hours a day, Monks are not allowed to eat any solid foods between the hours of noon straight through to six a.m. the very next morning. During this time, monks are only allowed to eat twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch. Monks cannot consume any type of tiger, lion, monkey, bear, snake, cat or dog. On the contrary, one is allowed to eat most American foods and meats such as cow, fish, chicken, and turkey. The food and clothing received to the Monks including their robes are all donated by members of society and practitioners and this is usually done once a month during the two day festivals. American Monks do not follow the lunar calendar for any of the Buddhist celebrations and festivals as they would if one were in their native country. American Buddhism has in fact assimilated a little to fit the needs of the laymen and working class of the Western civilization, so all festivals are held on Saturday's and Sundays at the end of each month to avoid conflict with busy work schedules.

Once an individual becomes a Monk, even if the individual is currently married, the individual must break all ties with their family and live in a temple. If a Monk violates any of the rules such as having any sexual relations, misconduct, killing living organisms, stealing and lying, the Monk will be forced to leave the temple forever. In the event an individual Monk decides he or she cannot deal with the stresses any longer and needs a lifestyle change, one is indeed allowed to leave the temple and Monkhood. Monks would rather have an individual leave than to break the rules.

Monks on a daily basis are expected to pray every morning at five a.m. for 30 minutes, followed by another prayer at six p.m. in the evening for 30 minutes. Another important belief in Buddhism is that of karma and reincarnation. Buddhists believe that any negative or positive action or thought created by a human will come back to that individual in the same manner but wore. If an individual does good, good things will happen for that person, but if an individual does something bad, bad things will come about in that person's life.

As for reincarnation, if the individual has not reached full self enlightenment while on Earth, he or she will be reincarnated back on Earth as any living organism and this will repeat until the individual has accomplished the task or lesson required. It is believed to be reincarnated back as a human is something extremely rare and special. Living the life of a Monk is extremely difficult and requires a tremendous amount of self discipline and I believe in order for one to succeed, the individual must be very unique and special (Robinson, 2007).

Christianity on the other hand is a religion unlike Buddhism where its practitioners believe in one Supreme Being "God" and in Buddhism the belief of any God is nonexistent. In Christianity, there are many prophets who are prayed to on a daily basis and are considered mediums that are a necessary part in the religion. Depending on the branch of Christianity, Some followers believe the only way for a prayer to be answered, communicate or be heard by God, is to prayer directly to the prophets. With my findings, I believe it is fair to say Jesus Christ, a prophet in Christianity, can be compared to the prophet Buddha in Buddhism. When sin is discussed between the two there is a major difference. In Christianity, the cause of sin is simply displeasing to God due to human nature, but in the Buddhism religion, one works hard to avoid sin in order to avoid personal suffering (Emerson, 2006).

Most holidays in Buddhism are to commemorate events that took place in Buddha's life when he was alive. All holidays are established by the lunar calendar but are celebrated on different times depending on the country in which Buddhism is being practiced. Most festivals will frequently start with a visit to a local temple where one will bring different types of food for an offering to the Monks. It is known that some individuals will go to the extent of offering food to the homeless or less fortunate in order to earn extra credit for this carrying out of good deeds. Here is a small list of Buddhist holidays and events that the Buddhist celebrates (Religion Facts, 2008).

• A Buddhist's New Years will usually start on the first full moon in either March or April depending on the country and will last for three days. Most individuals who are of Christian faith will celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31 and January 1^st, the first day of the calendar year (Buddhanet, 2008).
• Vesak or Buddha Day is the actual birthday of Buddha and is considered to be one of the most important celebrations of all holidays. Vesak takes place on the first full moon day in May and is done by every Buddhist throughout the entire world. In Christianity, the celebration of Jesus Christ's birthday is done on Christmas day, December 25^th usually followed with presents and a feast (UrbanDharma.org, 2008).
• Sangha Day, also known as Magha Puja Day or Fourfold Assembly Day, is a day when all Buddhists memorialize when Buddha made a trip to the Veruvana Monastery located in Rajagaha. This holiday takes place in March on the full moon day of the third lunar month. Sangha Day can be compared to Palm Sunday, a holiday celebrated on the 6^th Sunday of Lent, which commemorates the time when Jesus Christ rode into the town Jerusalem on a donkey and members of the community laid out palm branches and cloaks in his path. Jesus was crucified five days later (Religion Facts, 2008).
• Dhamma Day, also known as Asalha Puja Day, is a celebration to Buddha's first lecture at the Sarnath Deer Park. This was considered the day of the "turning of the wheel of the Dhamma" (Harrison, 2008).
• Ulambana or Ancestor Day is celebrated on the first day of the eighth lunar month; it is believed that the gates of hell open up for 15 days and ghosts travel the world. To help alleviate the sufferings of these ghosts, food is offered. On the 15^th day, the actual day of the ancestors, individuals from around come and visit the burial ground where their ancestors are put to rest and make certain offerings. Although not a Christian holiday, most Christians allow their children to participate in Halloween. Halloween is celebrated on October 31^st, the day thought when the separation between the deceased and the living disappear. Bomb fires and feasts are usually carried out depending on the geographical location of the Halloween celebration, but almost always, young children dress up wearing costumes for trick or treating to collect candy. Wearing of the costumes is to ward off any ghosts that may have rising (UrbanDharma.org, 2008).

In Buddhism there are eight wrathful deities or eight dharampalas that are worshiped. These deities are the defenders of Buddhism and will wage war against any demons and all enemies of Buddhism. The known existence of these deities was due to an initiation sometime during the 8^th century by a well known magician-saint named Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava supposedly conquered these eight deities and forced them to protect the Buddhist faith (Khandro.Net, 2008).

The eight deities are: Lha-mo, a stern Goddess that protects the city of Lhasa. Lha-mo is the only furious female deity in Buddhism. Most individuals believe a religion in which one was raised to follow is the only true religion with all other religions being false, teaching its followers incorrect interpretations created by humans. After a journey for self knowledge, I have come to realize many religions are in fact extremely different but in the same sense, the teachings, rituals and primary goals are all intended to lead each of its followers toward a path of self enlightenment or righteousness. While researching Buddhism and Christianity, I took the time to look deep into the foundation and history of each, discussing the history and life of Buddha, the interview with the Buddhist Monk, what it takes to be a Buddhist and how to move to the level of Monkhood, Buddhist holidays and festivals, and certain deities that are worshipped by both Christianity and Buddhism. What I have found is whatever religion one decides to follow, as long as it leads the individual to a happy, productive life then it cannot be wrong.

References

Buddanet. (2008). Buddhist Ceremonies. Festivals and Special Days. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://www.buddhanet.net/festival.htm

Emerson, R. (2006). Buddhism vs. Christianity. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/buddhism/buddhism_christianity.html#Buddhism_Christianity

Harrison, H. (2008). Missourian. Dhamma Day Celebrates Buddhist Teachers. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/07/16/dhamma-day-celebrates-buddhist-teachers/

Khandro.Net. (2008). Wrathful Deities. Eight Dharmapalas. Retrieved August 26, 2008, from http://www.khandro.net/deities_wrathful.htm

Religion Facts. (2008). Buddhist Holidays & Festivals. Retrieved on August 19, 2008, from http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/holidays.htm

Religion Facts. (2008). Christianity: Palm Sunday. Retrieved August 11, 2008, from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/palm_sunday.htm

Robinson, B. (2007). Buddhism's Core Beliefs. Core Beliefs of Buddhism. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htm

The Exotic India. (2001). Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism: Aesthetics and Mythology. Retrieved August 12, 2008, from http://www.exoticindiaart.com/wrathful.htm

UrbanDharma.org. (2008). Buddhist Festivals and Holidays. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/holidays.html