Is Buddhism a Religious that Should be Restricted to Books and Rites and Rituals Only?

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From Buddhist Encyclopedia

• From a chapter in the book - The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived by Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thero

To judge from how Buddhism is practise by its adherent in some countries before long, Buddhism, will get transformed into a religious system that is totally different from what the Buddha intended.

The five precepts, which are cardinal vitues of a Budddist, have now become five phrases recited at the beginning of a ceremony or a meeting. The five precepts which should be implemented hundred per cent have now become a series of Pali words that are hundred per cent non-implemented.

Today, the five precepts are found only in the who administers five precepts to the devotes. Out of thousands of people who recite the five precepts in all these places, only about one or two will observe them. The only human community that pledges to abstain from five sins, that people do or that may happen accidentally is the Buddhist community. If these pledges are scrupulously kept the greatness of that human community could be maintained.

Buddhism is a religion that one must practise while living it. Buddhism means that best way a human being should live. Buddhism is the religion that teaches the right way to conduct life. It is of no use that Buddhist subject-matter should be found in books, or that one should keep on thinking about it. The virtues and principles found in Buddhism should be adapted to one's daily life, and must be experimented with. If that does not happen one cannot say that real Buddhism, true Buddhism, exists.

Rites and rituals and stupas and shrines are not the essence of Buddhism. These, too, are necessary for the survival of a religion, just as the bark is necessary for the tree to exist. When religious structures and religious rites and rituals get eroded, the religion dies off. Therefore, they, too, are necessary. But, they are not the true essence of a religion. Religions are not there for the use of animals but exclusively for the use of . If man does not follow religion, or else if man does not make use of the religion, if be does not lead his lift in accordance with religion, that religion will get restricted to books and to external rites and rituals.

Religion in some countries, is getting transformed into that kind of status. In reality, the Buddha did not think of a group of people who would sculpt, carve, build or draw his image in terracotta, clay, wax or stone, and would keep on worshipping them. It is all right to worship them. There is no harm in that. But, that is not exactly what the Buddha expected of the Buddhists. The only thing he expected was that they would tred the Noble Path he indicated. But, without following that Path, if they kept on worshipping him from morning till night, not just one day but a hundred years, one cannot realize Nibbana. If one must realize Nibbana one must invariably the Path he indicated. One can become a true Buddhist only if one followed the Noble Eight-fold Path he advocated.

Buddhism is not a religion that adores a given person. It is religion that upholds virtues. We consider the Buddha to be our religious teacher because of his great and noble virtues. We worship not his body but his virtues. This way, our religious leader is the body of noble virtues. When there are no virtues there is no Buddhism. There are thousands of such virtues as generosity, charity, loving-kindness compassion, sympathyu, humility, equanimity, being of service to others, and patience. Where there are no such virtues, there is no Buddhism. We must explore our own selves and must try to see not casually but honestly and seriously, how many of those virtues are found within ourselves. We must give thought to this.

Most of those who describe themselves as Buddhists are filled with thousand of such vices as thievery, deceit, dishonesty, falsehood, grasping, jealousy. Many are engrossed in a tremendous struggle impelled by hunger for wealth, for power, for glory, and for office. They have forgotten what is seemly and human, not to say anything about Buddhism. Those who think of religion regularly are rare. It is restricted to funeral service, alms giving, protective chants, and to the observing of five precepts. Buddhism is one particular place. Buddhists are elsewhere. When you consider these matters we find that it is high time that we had a discussion to devise ways and means to introduce Buddhism into the daily lives of people in a practical and pragmatic way. If society distances religious practices and the religious way of life there must be a reason for it. We must and find out what that cause is.

Religion has to be adapted to the needs of human life, and also to the needs of the present time. Bur, it should be so adapted that no harm is done to the primary principles and main aims of the religion.

If people cannot be corrected by sermons, and if people do not follow the Doctrine they have heard, that format has to be given up and a new method that is more suitable should be explored. Such a a new system should be implemented.

The Buddha did not preach the Doctrine to Kisa Gotami, who was sorely distraught because of her love for her child. He devised a method that would enable Kisa Gotami herself to understand the nature of death. Therefore, there are many ways in which those who cannot be disciplined by sermons could be corrected.

The most outstanding feature of the Buddha's way of teaching, was his capacity to understand the needs of each individual person. In consequence, the Buddha's way of teaching had a freshness of approach, in germs of the audience. His supreme method should inspire today's Buddhists.