When I was a child, at Dhamma sermons, the assembled lay devotees would call out “Sadhu” even before the sermon started, when the monk was saying, “Dear devotees, the Lord Buddha once………”. I was listening to it with some sarcastic thoughts, and as time went on, those sarcastic thoughts became an investigative study.
Looking at the Sri Lankan Buddhist lay society, it would be fair to point out that most Buddhists have only respectful devotion and faith in the Lord Buddha. The Gautama Buddha is another philosopher born in India in the 6th century AD. On the other hand, I think it would be appropriate to call Him a revolutionary philosopher. Because the Buddha presented an ideology that was different from the contemporary teachings such as Śramaṇa and Brāhmaṇa. The foundation of Buddha’s philosophy is based on the relationship between our mind and actions. When we compare the thoughts and philosophy presented by contemporary Indian religious authors, we know that His philosophy led Indian society in a new direction and encouraged people to think critically as well as to investigate things. Having presented such a new philosophy, He never asked people to worship and make offerings for Him. Instead of making offerings and sacrifices, He asked all the disciples to examine the truth preached by Him with discernment.
People who enjoy life’s happiness and joy in a pleasant way experience sorrow and grief in an unpleasant way. They embrace pleasant and joyful experiences with love and reject unpleasant and sad experiences. It is a fact that many people do not realize that we can gain the mental strength to not embrace and reject any of these things, and many do not have the strength to realize it.
We all want to have pleasant and joyful experiences with us always. We all dislike sorrow and sadness. The Buddha pointed out through the Four Noble Truths (Caturārya Satya) that suffering is something that we inherit in life, that suffering has its causes, that suffering must be ended, and that there is a way that leads to the end of suffering. In order to end suffering, the path we should follow is clearly indicated as the Noble Eightfold Path (Arya Aṣṭāngika Mārga). It is said that one who walks along the Noble Eightfold Path will gradually establish himself in sīla, and the one who is established in sīla can easily build the contemplation (samādhi). As a result of contemplation, the noble one who gains wisdom attains Nibbāna, where there is eternal happiness. Thus, he simply preached about the suffering of life and the way to end it.
The Buddhists who behave physically, verbally, and mentally in this philosophy of the Buddha, where such a universal truth has been explicitly explained, have not grasped its essence when studying many behaviours. It is clear that although the lay Buddhist devotees listen to the Dhamma sermons with great respect and devotion, they have not properly understood how to walk along the Noble Path shown by the Buddha. Rather than the growth of wisdom among Buddhists, only devotion to Buddha, respect, and faith have increased.
Devotion to Buddha, respect, and faith that has developed in this way has inspired them to create extremely beautiful Buddha statues and to make offerings to those statues with the respect that rises from the highest place in their hearts. Some people who make offerings to the Lord Buddha with various food, drinks, fragrant flowers, incense, and light, believe that they will accumulate a great wealth of merits and that the power of merits makes the journey to Nibbāna faster, and also, that power naturally directs themselves to Nibbāna. Some also wish to be born in the heavenly world with the power of merits. As Buddhists, we accept that despite how fast it makes the journey to Nibbāna and being born in the heavenly world, one must have a saṃsara habit to even think of doing such wholesome deeds. But it should be noted that only accumulated merits cannot redeem us from this saṃsara. However, if we consider these wholesome deeds as a step in someone’s worldly development, we can be happy that at least one day they will end this path of devotion and turn to the path of wisdom. If the Gautama Buddha had to roam around the saṃsara for many aeons (Kalpaya) from the time of Dīpankara Buddha in order to attain Nibbāna, we do not know how long we have to wander in this saṃsara who are only trying to accumulate merits.
Offerings of flowers and lamps, fruits, dairy food, and incense as well as robes are now very popular. Kapruk Pūjā where no Kapruk can be seen, and the offering of Seventy-Three Knowledges (Tesattati Ñāṇā Pūjā) in which seventy-three types of incense offered and Pāramitā Pūjā made for the spiritual virtues of the Lord Buddha, are organized in different ways everywhere by winning the attention of thousands of Buddhists. Unsatisfied with these, Buddhists have also included Mahamāyā Pūjā and Yaśōdharā Pūja‘ among them. We have to think twice about this course of action that leads them away from the true Dhamma. Although such offerings are good, attractive, bring joy to the mind, and also colourful, they are not made according to Buddha’s teachings. All that gives us mere pleasure. We cannot attain emancipation (Vimukti) from it. Therefore, the bhikkhus should provide proper guidance to the Buddhists to understand the true Dhamma in order to achieve spiritual healing.
It is mentioned in the Thēravāda texts as well as in the Mahāyāna texts that Lord Buddha has given instructions on this even to His disciples on various occasions.
”yē maṃ rūpēna cādrakṣur – yē maṃ śabdena cānvagu
mityā druṣṭhi samādānā – satvā gacchanti durgatiṃ”
As mentioned above in the Mahāyāna texts ‘if anyone sees me in form and hears in sound, such a person will fall into misbelief and go to hell’. Thus, just because we are fond of the image of the Lord Buddha and make offerings for it, or just because we are fond of the Buddha’s Dhamma and listen to the Dhamma, that does not make the path to attain emancipation (Vimukti). As well the devotion and respect for the Buddha that arises while listening to the Dhamma is of no use. Thus, those who love to make offerings to the image and voice of the Buddha have been identified as misbelievers. Also, according to the Therāvāda scriptures, the Lord Buddha informed the Vakkalī Thero about this in the Vakkalī Sutta of the Saṃyukta Nikāya.
”Alaṃ Vakkalī, kiṃ tē iminā putikāyēna diṭṭhēna?
yo khō Vakkalī, Dhammaṃ passati so maṃ passati
yo maṃ passati, so Dhammaṃ passati
Dhammañhi, Vakkalī, passanto maṃ passati;
maṃ passantō Dhammaṃ passati”
(Saṃyukta Nikāya, Vakkalī Sutta)
“Vakkaliya, what is the use of seeing this decaying body? Vakkaliya, one who sees the Dhamma, sees me, and whoever sees me, sees the Dhamma.”
We can learn many things from this. This is how Lord Buddha constantly guided His disciples. Seeing His image, listening to His voice, appreciating Him, making offerings, and honouring Him, do not cause attaining emancipation (Vimukti). The universal truth that He pointed out should be understood. A person who grasps it will be happy and will be consolated. Here we must also talk about the faith (śraddhā) of the Buddhists. In the ‘Sathipaṭṭhāna’ magazine, the Buddhist’s faith has been analysed on various occasions. Belief that is formed by examining and confirming with a discerning intellect, and a strong belief that is formed blindly without any understanding, belong to faith (śraddhā). In other words, faith is a belief in something or a person and a belief without any basis in understanding. Faith is also born in believing in the unlimited virtues of the Lord Buddha and believing that He is a special person with a wealth of virtues. But we should keep in mind that the faith (śraddhā) that occurs in believing in His qualities, or believing that He has those qualities, is useless. No emancipation comes to us only by chanting those virtues and making offerings while remembering such unique virtues. In Buddhist teaching, faith (śraddhā) is divided into: Amūlikā Śraddhā (rootless faith) and Ākāravatī Śraddhā (reasoned faith). Amūlikā Śraddhā is the belief that is formed about something or someone without any basis, and the belief that is built with a foundation through experience is Ākāravatī Śraddhā.
It must be noted here that a person with no faith or devotion cannot walk on this path of Dhamma. Therefore, this should not be understood as an attempt to undervalue one’s faith or devotion. This article only attempts to explain that no emancipation comes to us through faith or devotion itself. See the truth; See the Dhamma; Think critically about Dhamma; Question; Investigate; Behave in Dhamma; Practice Dhamma; Reach Nibbāna, the ultimate happiness that can be attained from it. It requires discernment.
May the Buddhists, who are only collecting merits, end the path of devotion and enter the path of wisdom.
Written By – Dr. Shermila Milroy
© satipatthana magazine