I've got a question for you guys, is there a difference in ritual and philosophy between the two? And if so what are the differences?
Interesting question. At the time of the Buddha there was no Hinduism or Buddhism. There were different philosophies. Many of those have been lumped together today, thanks to the Europeans, as Hinduism. Mahavira's teachings became Jainism and the Buddha's teachings became Buddhism. But at the time, philosophers and teachers weren't labeled in this way. Each taught, and was free to teach, the truth as they saw and experienced it. As far as ritual and puja, these were rooted very much in the vedic tradition. The Buddha in his time decried ritual, because it had become a soulless and bloody affair. But I don't believe the Buddha was against the use of puja and ritual as a means of chanelling the mind and focussing it on a syumbol of the higher truth, be that symbol Shiva or the Buddha or Guru or whatever. And puja is our way of displaying our lvoe and revernce for the great souls - our Gurus and those beings we see as symbolizing and livign the highest truth. It is a spontaneous outpouring of love, and therefore essential. Given the cultural context, the puja in Indian Buddhism must have been very much the same as in Hinduism. Indeed, in studying the sanskrit devotional literature of Indian Buddhism I am convinced this is so, since these are in the exact same style as Hindu devotional texts and many are clearly for particular ritual use (such as the garland of divine names - with each name a flower is offered in puja). However, as Buddhism migrated to Tibet and other parts, the puja aspect was either given us (as in Zen) or assimilated with local traditions and elaborated (as in Tibetan Buddhism). So Tibetan puja is still similar to Hindu puja, but it is not exactly the same, having a lot of cultural variations, additions and deletions. However, the spirit of the ritual, which is to direct the mind in love and reverence toward an ideal, is the same in both traditions, and indeed, I believe, in all religions. I hope this was a satisfactory answer. love and lotuses, Bhaskar
Hare Krishna! From Bhaskar ... Interesting question. At the time of the Buddha there was no Hinduism or Buddhism. There were different philosophies. Many of those have been lumped together today, thanks to the Europeans, as Hinduism. Mahavira's teachings became Jainism and the Buddha's teachings became Buddhism. But at the time, philosophers and teachers weren't labeled in this way. Each taught, and was free to teach, the truth as they saw and experienced it. As far as ritual and puja, these were rooted very much in the vedic tradition. The Buddha in his time decried ritual, because it had become a soulless and bloody affair. But I don't believe the Buddha was against the use of puja and ritual as a means of chanelling the mind and focussing it on a syumbol of the higher truth, be that symbol Shiva or the Buddha or Guru or whatever. And puja is our way of displaying our lvoe and revernce for the great souls - our Gurus and those beings we see as symbolizing and livign the highest truth. It is a spontaneous outpouring of love, and therefore essential. Given the cultural context, the puja in Indian Buddhism must have been very much the same as in Hinduism. Indeed, in studying the sanskrit devotional literature of Indian Buddhism I am convinced this is so, since these are in the exact same style as Hindu devotional texts and many are clearly for particular ritual use (such as the garland of divine names - with each name a flower is offered in puja). However, as Buddhism migrated to Tibet and other parts, the puja aspect was either given us (as in Zen) or assimilated with local traditions and elaborated (as in Tibetan Buddhism). So Tibetan puja is still similar to Hindu puja, but it is not exactly the same, having a lot of cultural variations, additions and deletions. However, the spirit of the ritual, which is to direct the mind in love and reverence toward an ideal, is the same in both traditions, and indeed, I believe, in all religions. I hope this was a satisfactory answer. love and lotuses, Bhaskar ........ To me, not only satisfactory, it's a wonderful answer. Thanks. Love, Kumar.
Hello, and thanks for the replies everybody. It was actually for an essay last year which has now been in and market. Reached a similar conclusion Bhaskar! Got 18/20 and some very good feedback. Will post the essay below for anybody curious and wanting something to read. Sugestions by lecturer were that Buddhist puja can be just as elaborate as Hindu, and choosing a British Hindu puja might would have been better for parity with my FWBO example (Couldnt find an eastern example of a Buddhist puja anywhere in the library). Enjoy [FONT="]What is the ritual and philosophical difference between a Hindu puja and a Buddhist puja?[/FONT] [FONT="]Puja[/FONT][FONT="] is a feature of both Hinduism and Buddhism. The word puja from the Sanskrit meaning to worship or revere is a traditional offering to a deity or esteemed figure in return for receiving a blessing or good fortune (Blackwell, 6). This essay will look at examples of puja from both Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions. For Buddhism the Seven Fold puja will be examined from within the developing ecumenical tradition of the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO). In Hinduism the puja which takes place during the Haritalika or ‘Tij’ Vrat will be examined, as well as what the women who carry it out expect to gain from it.[/FONT] [FONT="]In Hinduism the puja can take place as part of a larger ritual known as the Vrat. The Vrat is a fasting vow which is undertaken to benefit the individual in a number of ways, these can include economic, marital and health benefits. Within the Vrat vow the puja offering takes place. In his book ‘Because it gives me peace of mind’ Pearson quotes a Brahman as saying that the purpose of the puja is to ‘bring us closer to God – by purifying ourselves and creating an atmosphere of good feeling’ the Brahman then goes on to state that God is not affected by the puja, it is the individual performing it that is (Pearson, 138). The puja can be elaborate and expensive or it may be a simple procedure such as offering flowers to an image of a deity. A common puja practices in the home is known as a devapuja – an offering to a deity shrine in the home. [/FONT] [FONT="]One common puja takes place within the Haritalika (Tij) Vrat. This Vrat undertaken by women is known as the ‘Tij’ due to the fact it takes place in the third day of the waxing fortnight of Bhadrapad (Pearson, 158). Married women take part in this vrat for the sake of their husband’s health, unmarried women can also take part in order for them to find a husband, and widowed women can undertake it in order to not be widowed in the next life. The puja offering for this vrat as described by Pearson takes place in the home. The women meet in the ‘puja room’ and perform a ‘very simple’ offering. A clay image of Shiva (one of the primary deities, sometimes referred to as the destroyer) and Parvati (a consort of Shiva) are situated on a table in the room. The deities in this case are related to the desires outcome of the puja. A pandit recited mantras and stories related to the particular vrat while the women sprinkle the image of the deity (Murti) with water from the sacred Ganga river. The image is then sprinkled with flowers and unhusked rice and incense is lit and circled around the murti. The image is presented with offerings of apples, bananas and cucumber as well as sweets and other items (Pearson 159). The Vrat then continues with other formalities and eventually ends. [/FONT] [FONT="]In Buddhism and the FWBO tradition the Seven Fold puja is undertaken. To briefly summarize, this puja’s constituent parts are as follows; The person first gives worship where an offering in made, followed by salutations, going for refuge in the Three Jewels where Participants show reverence to the Buddha and take 'refuge' (i.e. seek support) in the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings) and the Sangha (the community of Buddhists. Next come confession of faults, rejoicing in merit, entreaty and supplication and finally merit and self-surrender (Tejananda, p.23). In the first stage an offering is given to an image of or shrine to the Buddha. Although the entire process is known as the Seven Fold Puja, it is this first part which is the puja in the sense of an offering or worship. These offerings can be of flowers, lights or incense sticks and can also include what are known as the ‘ordinary offerings’; Water, flowers, incense, light, perfume, food and sometimes music (Sangharakshita 1990, p.53). [/FONT] [FONT="]As the Hindu and Buddhist puja both involve offerings to an image of a deity or of the Buddha, both rituals appear the same on the surface. The same offerings are often used in both traditions. The puja can also take place as part of a larger ritual. This is, however, where the similarities end. Within the Hindu tradition puja is an act of making offerings to and worshipping a deity. This is not the case with Buddhism as within the FWBO tradition the Buddha is considered to be a man, who became enlightened and who is not a deity. This is at the heart of the philosophical differences between the two traditions. With the Buddha being a man he is simply being respected and the enlightenment, which he achieved also open to those who follow him. In Hinduism deities are worshipped. The Hindu puja is seen as a way to form a relationship with and bring the deity into the lives of those carrying out the offering. The participants are hoping to receive a blessing in real life, and in the case of the Tij to gain a healthy husband. In Buddhism the meaning of the offering is different. Nothing is expected in return in the form of a blessing or anything material. The act of the offering is seen as being virtuous, and the offering is made solely as a mark of veneration and respect. By making the offering the participant is seen as acknowledging the worth of the Buddha (Tejananda, p.23). [/FONT] [FONT="]In this essay examples of puja have been looked at within the Hindu tradition and within the Buddhist tradition. Similarities have been seen in terms of making offerings, but equally differences have been observed, particularly in the greater elaborateness of the Hindu puja. A difference in basic philosophical standpoint, reflected in the two meanings for puja in Sanskrit, is also clear, with the thrust of the Hindu puja being concerned with worship and that of the Buddhist puja being concerned with reverence of the Buddha.[/FONT] [FONT="]Bibliography[/FONT] [FONT="]Flood, G. ed., 2005. The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. [/FONT] [FONT="]Pearson, A.M., 1996. Because it Gives Me Peace of Mind. New York: State University of New York Press. [/FONT] [FONT="]Sangharakshita., 1990. Sangharakshita: Vision and Transformation. Birmingham: Windhorse Publications. [/FONT] [FONT="]Tejananda, D., (Date Unknown). Faith Devotion and Ritual. In Puja and the Transformation of the Heart: An Introduction to Bodhisattvas and Devotional Practice. Birmingham: Windhorse Publications.[/FONT]
Eek ^^ two different user names (both mine) in the same thread. Thats a bannable offence here, but I'm not going to change it, i'll live dangerously!!
Buddhist puja killed the notion of necessity of performing animal scarifices in Hindu yajnas. Since then oujas resorted to better karmic practices. This is fact. Buddhist pujas are done with the four pillars - freedom fro extremes of nihilism and eternalism, also freedom from hedonism and austerity.
Buddhist pooja is followed by the Buddhism which includes a different pooja samagri than of Hindus. Buddhism has its own rituals which varies from Hinduism and which are only followed by Buddhist.
