4.2 - how buddhists worship

puja

worship

puja expresses ... and ... for ... and his ...

puja expresses gratitude and respect for the Buddha and his teachings

what does chanting involve

reciting from the Buddhist scriptures

what may Buddhists chant

mantras

mantras

short sequences of sacred syllables, chanted out loud or silently in the mind, over and over again

who is usually the focus of worship however, who else can be worshipped

- the Buddha is usually the focus

- other Buddhas/Bodhisattvas may also be worshipped

what are 3 things that worship helps Buddhists to do

- express their gratitude towards the Buddha and acceptance of his teachings

- deepen their understanding of the Buddha's teachings

- move closer to the Buddha and what he symbolises

what are 6 different activities that can be classed as Buddhist worship

- rituals and ceremonies carried out in groups

- reciting mantras

- meditation

- making offerings

- chanting sacred texts

- bowing

- private worship in the home

why was chanting used in the early days of Buddhism

- to memorise and pass on teachings and texts

- as they were not written down

what is chanting

a devotional practice

what 3 things is chanting thought to do

- increase receptivity toward the Buddha and his teachings

- help to calm and focus the mind

- increase concentration

what is an example of something a Buddhist might chant

the 3 refuges or 5 moral precepts or the Bodhisattva vows

mantras help to ... and so function as a form of ...

mantras help to concentrate the mind and so function as a form of meditation

what do some Buddhists believe mantras to have and what are they often associated with

- some Buddhists believe mantras have magical powers

- they are often associated with the spiritual qualities of a Buddha or Bodhisattva

what is om mani padme hum

a common mantra used by Tibetan Buddhists

what is om mani padme hum associated with and so how does it help Buddhists?

- it is associated with the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara who represents compassion

- and so chanting this mantra helps Buddhists connect with the quality of compassion

what is a mala and what is it used for

- a string of prayer beads

- used to help count the numbers of recitations of a mantra

how many times may a mantra be recited

up to hundreds or thousands of times