CatholicNews ■ Sunday May 27, 2007
and in rebirth/reincarnation
(the concept that consciousness
continues after death and finds
expression in a future life).
The highest goal for
a Buddhist is to reach
Enlightenment, a state of being
which is beyond suffering
and whence a deep insight
into the true nature of life has
been attained. The path to
Enlightenment is advanced
through the practice and
development of morality,
meditation and wisdom.
The core of the Buddhaʼs
teaching is found in the Four
Noble Truths (below) which,
according to tradition, he gained
insight into while seated beneath
a Bodhi tree (a sacred fig or
banyan fig tree).
• Dukkha: All existence is
unsatisfactory and filled with
suffering.
• Trsna: The root of suffering
can be defined as a craving or
clinging to the wrong things;
searching to find stability in a
shifting world is the wrong way.
• Nirvana: It is possible to
find an end to suffering through
enlightenment.
• The Noble Eightfold Path
is the way to finding the solution
to suffering and bringing it to an
end.
The Noble Eightfold Path,
in turn, is divided into three
sections: Sila (wholesome
physical actions), Samadhi (the
meditative concentration of
the mind) and Prajñâ (spiritual
insight into the true nature of all
things).
Sila is morality – abstaining
from unwholesome deeds. It
includes right speech (speaking
in a non hurtful, not exaggerated,
truthful way); right actions
(avoiding action that would
do harm); right livelihood (a
livelihood that does not harm
oneself or others, directly or
indirectly).
Samadhi is developing
mastery over oneʼs own mind.
It includes: right effort/exercise
(making an effort to improve);
right mindfulness/awareness
(mental ability to see things
for what they are); right
concentration (being aware of
the present reality within oneself,
without any craving or aversion).
Prajñâ is the wisdom which
purifies the mind. It includes:
right thoughts (change in the
pattern of thinking); and right
understanding (understanding
reality as it is, not just as it
appears to be).
Today, Buddhism is divided
primarily into three traditions:
Theravada, Mahayana, and
Vajrayana. While all three
traditions share essential core
beliefs, there are variations
in sacred texts, doctrines, and
practice.
Theravada (Southern
Buddhism) or Pali Buddhism – is
practised mainly in Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia and parts of Malaysia,
Vietnam, China and Bangladesh.
Mahayana (Eastern
Buddhism), also known as
Chinese Buddhism, is practised
predominantly in China, Vietnam,
Korea, Japan, Singapore and parts
of Russia. A branch of Mahayana
Buddhism is Zen Buddhism – a
mixture of Mahayana Buddhism
and Taoism which spread from
China to Korea and Japan.
Vajrayana (Northern
Buddhism), or Tibetan Buddhism,
is practiced largely in Tibet,
Mongolia, Bhutan and parts of
Nepal, India, China and Russia.
Most Buddhists in Singapore
belong to the Mahayana
tradition. However there are
also Theravada and Vajrayana
communities present here. It is
important to note that Buddhist
traditions are not exclusive and a
Buddhist can be both Theravada
and Mahayana at the same time,
or non-denominational.
Buddhism came to Singapore
primarily through the Chinese
migrants who settled on the
island in the early 19th century.
However these migrants brought
with them Chinese syncretistic
religions which combined
Buddhism with Confucianism
and Taoism. The first Buddhist
temple was built as early as 1828
but activities there were limited
to chanting and rituals.
It was only in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries that
Chinese Buddhist monks were
invited to cater to the spiritual
needs of the migrants and to
conduct dharma talks.
While older generation
Buddhists in Singapore still
practise their religion with
a mixture of Chinese folk
traditions, there has been a
reformist movement since
the 1980s, sometimes called
Protestant Buddhism, which
seeks to purify Buddhism from
a diluted belief to one that
is focused on canonical and
orthodox teachings.
There is a great variety of
Buddhist scriptures and other
texts, and different traditions
place varying levels of reverence
and value on them. Some view
the texts as religious objects in
themselves, others take a more
scholarly approach. Unlike many
religions, Buddhism has no single
central text that is universally
referred to by all traditions.
This complexity of the Buddhist
canons present a barrier to a
wider understanding of Buddhist
philosophy.
There are currently between
300-400 Buddhist temples (or
centres) in Singapore, some with
links to Thailand, China, Taiwan,
Sri Lanka, and even the U.K. and
the U.S.A.
Buddhist temples are funded
mainly by donations from their
devotees. There are also some
which raise funds by selling
religious items (eg. statues,
rosary) and books. While not all
temples have monks or nuns in
residence, all would have one or
more of the following: preaching,
chanting, dharma talks or classes,
and meditation. Some centres
also offer religious counselling
and praise and worship services.
Unlike Christians who
worship on Sundays and Muslims
who worship on Fridays,
Buddhists do not have a set
day in the week to worship as
a community. The Buddhist
calendar is based on the lunar
calendar and the monthly full-
moon days are usually days of
worship. Most temples observe
activities for the whole day
during a full moon. Some temples
also run “Sunday Schools”,
where children from as young as
three years are taught religious
and human values.
Although there is no central
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai
Lama prays at the shrine of Our
Lady of Fatima in Portugal in
November 2001 during a visit to
Portugal. CNS photo
TENZIN GYATSO, 72, is the
14th and current Dalai Lama, the
head monk of Tibetan Buddhism.
(In Mongolian Dalai means
ocean and Lama means teacher,
signifying the depth of his
wisdom),
After the collapse of the
Tibetan resistance movement in
1959, Tenzin Gyatso fled to India,
where he established the Tibetan
government-in-exile) and sought
to preserve Tibetan culture and
education among the thousands of
refugees who accompanied him.
A charismatic figure and
noted public speaker, Tenzin
Gyatso is the first Dalai Lama
to travel to the West, where he
has helped to spread Buddhism
and to publicise the ideal of Free
Tibet. In 1989, he was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize.
Here are some of his quotable
quotes:
– If you want others to be
happy, practise compassion. If
you want to be happy, practise
compassion.
– My religion is very simple.
My religion is kindness.
– Our prime purpose in this life
is to help others. And if you canʼt
help them, at least donʼt hurt them.
– Whether one believes in a
religion or not, and whether one
believes in rebirth or not, there isnʼt
anyone who doesnʼt appreciate
kindness and compassion. ■
authority or governing body for
Buddhists in Singapore, they
have an umbrella organization,
Singapore Buddhist Federation
(SBF), that represents the various
Buddhist organizations. The SBF
established the Buddhist College
of Singapore which opened
last September. The college is
administered by the Kong Meng
San Phor Khar See Monastery.
The college specializes in
Mahayana Buddhism but
welcomes staff and students
of other traditions. It offers a
bilingual programme that leads
to a BA degree in Buddhist
Studies. The SBF has also set
up and funded many charity
organizations such as free clinics
and homes, and other institutions.
Besides the SBF, there is
also the Buddhist Fellowship,
a non-sectarian lay Buddhist
organization founded to
propagate the dharma in new and
creative ways whilst promoting
fellowship amongst Buddhists.
More English-speaking
Chinese, especially the younger
Singaporeans, have been
embracing Buddhism in recent
years because of the availability
of modern Buddhist music,
Buddhist books, websites and
courses conducted in English,
A person who wants to
officially be a Buddhist would
normally undergo a religious
ceremony in the temple known
as “taking refuge in the Triple
Gem” – the Buddha, dharma and
Sangha (community of ordained
monks and nuns). It is called the
Triple Gem because it represents
three qualities regarded as
excellent and precious, like a
gem. As they pay respect to the
Buddha, learn the dharma, and
follow the advice of the Sangha,
Buddhists believe they are able
to attain wisdom and happiness.
As Buddhists, they also willingly
follow the Five Precepts, which
are the avoidance of killing, of
stealing, of misusing sex, of lying
and of using intoxicants.
Owing to the syncretism of
Chinese religions and the
influence of folk traditions on
Buddhism, there is sometimes
confusion, even among those
who call themselves Buddhists,
on the topic of deities and prayer.
Because of their non-belief
in the existence of a God or a
supreme being, adherents of
Buddhism in its original form
take Buddhism to be more a
philosophy than a religion;
for some others, Buddhism is
not even a philosophy but an
education with the Buddha as the
great teacher.
The goal of the Buddhaʼs
teachings is to break through
delusion and achieve
enlightenment which is
obtained at three levels: Arhat
(Proper Enlightenment),
Bodhisattva (Equal and
Proper Enlightenment) and
Buddha (Perfect, Complete
13
Enlightenment). Buddha,
Bodhisattva and Arhat are
common titles, not names for
specific persons. Analogously,
they are comparable to titles
like Doctor, Master or Graduate
for those who have earned
educational degrees.
Contrary to what some
people think, the many variety of
Buddha and Bodhisattva statues
do not represent polytheism, the
worship of more than one god.
Rather, each statue serves to
inspire wisdom and awakening.
They represent certain aspects of
Buddhism and remind followers
of a particular virtue.
A statue of the Buddha
with hands rested gently in the
lap and a compassionate smile
serves as a reminder to strive to
develop peace and love within
oneself. Bowing to the statue is
an expression of gratitude for the
teaching.
Guan Yin Bodhisattva, the
most popular Bodhisattva in
Singapore, represents great
compassion and kindness. Her
statue would serve as a reminder
to apply compassion when
dealing with the world, both with
persons and the environment.
However, there are
“Buddhists” who worship images
of the Buddha and Guan Yin
Bodhisattva as deities and pray
for the relief of suffering, to
eliminate obstacles and even to
ask for special favours. This is
regarded by Buddhist purists
as a misconception and even
superstition because the statues
are merely expressions of
concepts in Buddhism.
Joss sticks or incense, an
influence from Chinese folk
traditions, have merely a
symbolic function in Buddhism.
The fragrance from the joss sticks
symbolizes the fragrance of pure
moral conduct. This reminds
Buddhists to cultivate good
conduct.
Orthodox Buddhists say that
they do not pray. When they
chant, they chant the Buddhaʼs
sacred words of love, wisdom
and compassion from scriptures
which help them to meditate.
There are many forms of
meditation in Buddhism. Yoga,
in the form of mental exercise, is
just one form and is distinct from
the popular Yoga practised widely
today as a physical exercise.
Buddhism shares some features
with Christianity in areas of
morality, justice and peace. Two
Buddhist texts parallel Christʼs
golden rule in Mt 7:12: “In
everything do to others as you
would have them do to you.”:
– “... a state that is not
pleasing or delightful to me, how
could I inflict that upon another?”
Samyutta NIkaya v. 353.
– “Hurt not others in ways
that you yourself would find
hurtful.” Udana-Varga 5:18. ■