Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

April 29, 2014 HUMA 2300 MW 2:30 - Religious Service Paper Meditation in Buddhism Swirling white smoke dense with the aroma of chemicals, a hint of passion flower, laced with golden frankincense, Indian sandalwood, and other spices fill the spacious alter. The incense burns dimly, and the low chanting persists for another half hour. Meditation is an important way to achieve peace, purity of mind, enlightenment, and spiritual release. Ways to effectively meditate includes burning incense, proper focus, and chanting. According to an article published in Buddhism Today, Buddhists use meditation to achieve a mind that is stable and clear, not distracted or confused.i The purpose of this paper is to explain about the Buddhist theory of spiritual enlightenment called meditation, and incorporate this into my conversation with a Buddhist leader. Follow me on my experience at Chua Lien Hoa, a Mahayana Buddhist Temple, and discover the practice of meditation through my interview with one of Chua Lien Hoas Religious leaders Man Thu Sa. I have been to many Buddhist temples in my life growing up with my family practicing Buddhist traditions; however, I never fully understood the concept or teaching of Buddhism. As I walk up through the front of the Buddhist temple here in West Valley City, I ascend on their grand pyramid like steps, that lead up to the elevated alter room. The giant mahogany doors look distinguished, and I push them open with some effort. There in the center of the large imperial room, was a magnificent 8 foot statue of the Enlightened One, Siddhartha Gautama. I take off my shoes and neatly tuck them into the shoe racks provided, as this is a customary sign of respect.

Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

The meditation ceremonies are about to commence in about 15 minutes, and so I hurry to do what I have been guided to do all my life with no real knowledge of why. I have to light incense and plant it on the alter, this is to pay respects to the Divine and enlightened ones. According to Bodhipaksa from Wildmind Buddhist Meditation, One of the most common forms of ritual action is to light incense. Its best if this is done mindfully. ii Bodhipakas theory of ritually burning incense for meditation is extremely useful, because it sheds light on the difficult problem Ive had of not understanding the mindfulness factor. Adding to Bodhipaksas theory, I would point out that being mindful while burning incense means to actively engage our thoughts with a purpose in mind. Whether that be to connect with a higher being, to bring harmony within our mind, or to pray to our ancestors like Buddhist religions do. According to Dr. C. George Boeree, Buddhism began by encouraging its practitioners to engage in smrti or mindfulness that is, developing a full consciousness of all about you and within you.iii After planting the incense firmly, I bring both my palms together, bow my head, and close my eyes. As the spiced aroma of the smoke arises from the dim pink ember, I mindfully pay respects to the statue of Siddhartha Gautama. I asked to help me be more mindful of what will proceed here at the temple, ending with A di pht in Vietnamese, which is the equivalent to Amen. Coming back from my prayer, opening my eyes I see Man Thu Sa is standing next to me quietly with her head bowed too. Man Thu Sa is the daughter of the man who commissioned Chua Lien Hoa Temple to be built, he is the fore leader here, and she has chosen to follow in his footsteps. For a brief moment, I didnt want to disturb Ms. Sa, but she turned to look at me and asked, What is your name? We exchanged greetings, and I let her know my curiosity for the meaning of ritual incense burning.

Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

With a smile Ms. Sa states with a slight accent, There are many types of incense that can be used in Buddhist meditation, the ingredients when burned creates an aroma that can provoke positive emotions, help bring clarity to the mind when meditating, and lift the soul. This is ritual but not exclusive to Buddhism. I acknowledged her statement and went on to ask, What type of incense is used here at the temple? Ms. Sa replies, We use an Indian Incense thats more abundant in this part of Utah, this incense is not as refined as say Japanese incense, because the aroma is more rough it does not work as effectively to calm minds. The chemical smoke in this Indian incense is actually harmful if inhaled for a long time. However, many of our religious followers have grown up with this smell, and have become highly accustomed to the smoke. Ms. Sa looks delighted at my curiosity and directs me with her hand to follow her away from the front of the alter room, so that the religious ceremony can begin. I wonder to myself what kind of affects these chemicals and aromas have on our brain biologically, now that I know what it can do to our soul spiritually. A press-release from Johns Hopkins University explains how certain kinds of incense have an effect on the brain, burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. iv Essentially, I am not arguing that burning incense as a psychoactive release is the way Buddhist meditation should go, but that we should monitor effects far more closely. It is through my research that burning incense can be used as an effective meditation tool. The use of specific types of incense, especially the refined ones, can aid our mind in relaxation so meditation is clearer. Ms. Sa guides me down the room to line up behind some men and ladies dressed in religious gray uniforms, to kneel on a cut-out piece of carpet. She tells me, Emily, if you would like to experience more in depth our religious service today, I would highly suggest that you take

Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

part in this meditation. I then ask her, What am I supposed to do? What are the steps?, and that I dont know how to focus enough to achieve proper meditation. Ms. Sa informs me, At Chua Lien Hoa, we dont often sit in lotus position like how most meditation postures are portrayed, we stand, or kneel most of the time instead. I asked her to explain if that had anything to do with being more disciplined, and Ms. Sa explains, It is good to be disciplined, because part of meditation and achieving spiritual release is through disciplining our minds. Part of disciplining our minds is disciplining our body. However, that is not to say sitting in a lotus position to meditate does not require extreme discipline either. We just incorporate bowing into our meditation ritual, and so standing or kneeling is more practical. I nodded with understanding at Ms. Sa, and let her know that I had grown up with disciplinary methods implemented by my parents too. However, I never was disciplined through meditation until now. I wondered what other steps would follow after getting the posture part down, and so I asked Ms. Sa, What about focus? How can I focus better in order to achieve proper meditation? Ms. Sa says, You are so curious Emily, I have come to find that not many children, teens, or young adults in our Vietnamese society these days really grasp Buddhist concepts or rituals, considering if they grew up in a Buddhist home. Ms. Sa then says with some humor, Im glad you want to take initiative, hopefully you can come back to understand more without the promise of a grade. Ms. Sa then kneels next to me and directs me to follow her with what she does. With my observation, I notice she slowly, deliberately draws in a deep breath through her nose, and lets it out silently the same way. She then looks over and gestures me to try. What a difference drawing in a deep breath made I thought and I asked Ms. Sa what the significance of that was. Ms. Sa answers, Drawing in a deep breath is going to prepare your mind. It calms

Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

down your thoughts through your concentration and deliberation of breath. This finding has important implications for the broader domain of Mahayana Buddhism, and the release from suffering. Ms. Sa is corroborating the age old adage from Warren Matthews World Religion text that says, Typically, Mahayana groups believe in heavenly beings who can assist human beings in escape from suffering here to beautiful lives beyond the grave.v The essence of this entire thing means that humans need to be released from ignorance of the impermanence of the world. By using proper meditation techniques, it will aid in connecting our mind to the divine for help in achieving enlightenment. As I try to focus on my deep breathing, I can feel my entire face smooth over, my shoulders relax, and my mind quiets. I concentrate closely on just the breathing for a moment, but suddenly from the front of the alter I begin to hear a low chanting getting louder. Cuong is also one of the other religious leaders here at Chua Lien Hoa, and is the one directing the pace of the chanting. A journalist and student of Zen Buddhism Barbra OBrien states that, Buddhist liturgies actually serve a useful purpose -- not to worship a god, but to help us realize enlightenment Think of mindful chanting as a tool for helping you wake up.vi OBriens point is that mindful chanting can help us to break away from ignorance brought on by attachment to material things, and these things are the malicious cycle of suffering. Ms. Sa handed me a chanting book while the chanting persists, and my knees weigh down a little deeper into the carpet. The small maroon and gold trimmed book had all of the chants written out to aid me in following along better. She whispered to me, Treat this book with respect, and to be mindful of how you hold it. I would advise that you do not set the book directly on the floor, or to do anything that might violate the sacred meaning of the text. I did what she advised, and carried out the rest of the meditation ritual in silent reverie.

Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

When the meditation ceremony came to a close, I felt I had more questions for Ms. Sa. How come the mantras that are chanted are still in their original Asian language, even though there is a shift in the western world where some Asians dont speak the language? Is there an important reason for this? As we both stretched our legs and rose from the carpet, Ms. Sa replied, The importance is not emphasized directly on the meaning of the texts. Do not worry if you as an individual are pronouncing anything wrong. The trick is to listen to the rhythm of the chants, and just follow along the best you can. It is often times more powerful when the sound of the chanting from everyones individual contributions, becomes one unified big voice. These conclusions will have significant applications in the Mahayana Buddhist theory of spiritual enlightenment, because we all as a collective group are striving to become liberated together. As OBrien states, Mahayana emphasizes the enlightenment of all beings. The Mahayana ideal is to become a bodhisattva who strives to liberate all beings from the cycle of birth and death.vii Meditation is an important way to achieve peace, purity of mind, enlightenment, and spiritual release. My experience here at the Mahayana Buddhist temple, Chua Lien Hoa, and interviewing one of Chua Lien Hoas prominent leaders Man Thu Sa, has been impactful. I have gained better understanding of some Buddhist ideologies that I never fully understood before, which I am very grateful to learn considering I am from a Vietnamese Buddhist family. The ideologies that I have explored are ways to effectively meditate, which includes burning incense, proper focus, and chanting. These things all require mindfulness, which means to be aware of why we are performing the action, and to take care in the actions performed. The patience, focus, and discipline required of meditation, are all part of one big picture, and that is releasing the soul from the cycle of suffrage.

Meditation in Buddhism

Emily Nguyen

Works Cited Meditation in the Theravada and Mahayana Traditions. Volume 7. 2000: 1-2.

ii

Bodhipaksa. Notes on Burning Incense. Wildmind Buddhist Meditation. 2000-2014. April 10, 2014. http://www.wildmind.org/posture/notes-on-burning-incense
iii

Boeree, George. The Basics of Buddhist Meditation. Webspace. Shippensburg University. April 10, 2014. http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/meditation.html
iv

Froehlich, Erin. Study: Burning Frankincense to Lift Depression. Smart Living Network. February 01, 2010. April 10, 2014. https://www.smartlivingnetwork.com/depression/b/burnfrankincense-to-lift-depression/
v

Matthews, Warren. "Mahayana Buddhism." World Religions. Seventh Edition. April 10, 2014: 124.
vi

OBrien, Barbra. Chanting A Basic of Buddhist Practice. Religions & Spirituality Buddhism. April 10, 2014. http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/Chanting.htm
vii

OBrien, Barbra. Mahayana Buddhism. Religions & Spirituality Buddhism. April 10, 2014. http://buddhism.about.com/od/mahayanabuddhism/a/aboutmahayana.htm