BUDDHIST RITUALS

family praying at a temple in Myanmar

Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple. It is not considered essential to go to a temple
and worship with others. At home, Buddhists often set aside a room or a part of a room as a shrine
that includes a statue of Buddha, candles, and an incense burner. The path to Enlightenment is said
to be through the practice and development of morality, meditation and wisdom.
Originally the idea of Buddhism was to achieve enlightenment without the use of gods, priests or
other intermediaries. As Buddhism spread and absorbed other religions it became more ritualized.
The Buddha rejected the Hindu sacrificial system. Followers were advised to “work out your own
salvation with diligence." Rather than sacrificing animals followers were encouraged to do good deed
and services.
According to the BBC: “The Buddhist tradition has developed many different customs and practices
in different parts of the world. This may take the form of meditating on the qualities of Buddha, and
honouring the Buddha or Buddha-figure. A person could honour the Buddha by making offerings to
relics or images of the Buddha. In the Theravada tradition, Buddhist laypersons often give gifts to
Buddhist monks but giving is also encouraged more generally, to one another and to good causes.
In Theravada Buddhism, monks are considered to embody the fruits of Buddhist practice. Monks'
responsibility is to share these with lay Buddhists through their example and teaching. Giving to
monks is also thought to benefit lay people and to win them merit. [Source: BBC |::|]
“There are as many forms of Buddhist worship as there are schools of Buddhism - and there are
many of those. Worship in Mahayana tradition takes the form of devotion to Buddha and to
Bodhisattvas. Worshippers may sit on the floor barefoot facing an image of Buddha and chanting.
They will listen to monks chanting from religious texts, perhaps accompanied by instruments, and
take part in prayers." |::|
In Buddhism, there is no equivalent of a Sabbath (a special day of the week for acting particularly
religious). Nor is there anything like a mass or liturgy over which a priest presides. Followers visit
temples whenever the feel like it, particularly when they want to pray for something in particular,
during festivals and holidays or on auspicious days defined by the lunar calendar---notably on full,
new and quarter moons, which occur roughly every seven days.
Lighting incense sticksWebsites and Resources on Buddhism: Buddha Net buddhanet.net/e-
learning/basic-guide ; Religious Tolerance Page religioustolerance.org/buddhism ; Wikipedia
article Wikipedia ; Internet Sacred Texts Archive sacred-texts.com/bud/index ; Introduction to
Buddhism webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/buddhaintro ; Early Buddhist texts, translations, and parallels,
SuttaCentral suttacentral.net ; East Asian Buddhist Studies: A Reference Guide,
UCLA web.archive.org ; View on Buddhism viewonbuddhism.org ; Tricycle: The Buddhist
Review tricycle.org ; BBC - Religion: Buddhism bbc.co.uk/religion ; Buddhist
Centre thebuddhistcentre.com; A sketch of the Buddha's Life accesstoinsight.org ; What Was The
Buddha Like? by Ven S. Dhammika buddhanet.net ; Jataka Tales (Stories About Buddha) sacred-
texts.com ; Illustrated Jataka Tales and Buddhist stories ignca.nic.in/jatak ; Buddhist
Tales buddhanet.net ; Arahants, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas by Bhikkhu Bodhi accesstoinsight.org ;
Victoria and Albert Museum vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/asia_features/buddhism/index ; Buddhist
Art: Victoria and Albert Museum vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/asia_features/buddhism/index ; Buddhist
Symbols viewonbuddhism.org/general_symbols_buddhism ; Wikipedia article on Buddhist
Art Wikipedia ; Guimet Museum in Paris guimet.fr ; Buddhist Artwork buddhanet.net/budart/index ;
Asian Art at the British Museum britishmuseum.org ; Buddhism and Buddhist Art at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art metmuseum.org ; Buddhist Art Huntington Archives Buddhist
Art dsal.uchicago.edu/huntington ; Buddhist Art Resources academicinfo.net/buddhismart ; Buddhist
Art, Smithsonian freersackler.si.edu

Earning Merit in Buddhism

One of the main goals of Buddhist followers is to earn merit---Buddhist brownie points which help a
Buddhist ascend to higher reincarnation levels and eventually reach the state of enlightenment and
Nirvana. Earning merit is essentially the same thing as earning good karma and has been described
as a “spiritual bank account” in which “doing bad things are withdrawals; making merit is a deposit."
Begging monks in MyanmarMerit is earned by showing devotion to the Three Jewels---
Buddha, Dharma (Buddha's teachings), Sangha (the brother hood of monks)---and doing things like
helping out monks, praying at temples, freeing caged birds, tying prayer flags, repeating chants,
turning prayer wheels, making offerings and lighting candles, butter lamps and incense burners filled
with sandalwood and cypress leaves. Some Buddhists go to markets and buy fish or poultry just so
they can set them free.
All goods deed earn an individual some merit. But some acts earn much more merit than others.
Acts that are considered particularly meritorious include writing and chanting sutras; visiting special
pilgrimage sites; raising temples; offering food and shelter to monks; producing sons that becomes a
monks.
The more prayers one says the more merit they earn. Buddhist prayer beads are used to count of
prayers in dominations of special numbers. Each time the beads are touched, a prayer is said and
merit is earned. Praying 108 times is regarded as particularly meritorious because it “disturbs
passions” of “mankind's delusions” cited in Buddhist scripture.

Acts and Rewards of Devotion to the Buddha

'Shikshasamuccaya,' 299-301 on Acts and Rewards of Devotion to the Buddha in the 'Avalokana-
sutra' goes:
Verily, for countless aeons he is not reborn blind or lame,
If, after he has decided to win enlightenment, he venerates a stupa of the Teacher.
-Firm in strength and vigour, a hero, firm in courage,
Speedily he wins fortune after he has circumambulated a Stupa.
One who in this last age, this dreadful age, reveres a stupa, greater is his merit,
Than if for hundreds of thousands of Nayutas of Kotis of aeons he has honoured a similar number of
Buddhas.
For the Buddha is pre-eminent, unequalled, -most worthy of offerings,
he who has travelled along the noblest pre-eminent way. [Source: Translation by Edward Conze, in
Conze, et al.,Buddhist Texts through the Ages (Oxford: Bruno Cassirer (Publishers) Ltd.,1954),
Eliade Page website]
Shanghai's Jade Buddha TempleOne who does worship to this Chief of Men, he has the best and
unequalled reward.
Deceased here among men, he goes to the Heavens of the Thirty-Three,
And there he obtains a brilliant palace made of jewels.
If he here gives a pointed tower, he will there be waited upon by Apsaras.
If he places a garland on a Stupa, he will be reborn among the Thirty-three.
And there he gets a celestial lotus-pond, full of excellent water,
With a floor of golden sand, bestrewn with vaidurya and crystal.
And when he has enjoyed that celestial delight, and completed his lifespan there,
The wise man, deceased front the Deva-world, becomes a man of wealth.
In hundreds of thousands of Nayutas of Kotis of births he will everywhere
Be honored after he has placed a garland on a shrine.
When he has given but a strip of cloth to the Saviour of the world, to the Protector,
All his aims will prosper, both among Gods and among men.
He keeps out of the inferior and unlucky modes of life, and is -not reborn in them.
When he has made a bower of garlands over the relics of the Saviour of the world,
He becomes a powerful king with a loyal retinue.
He is dear and cherished, honourcd and praised,
By Gods and Nagas, and the wise -men in this world.
Wherever that hero is born, glorious with his merit's glory,
There his family is honoured, his country and his town.

basic shrine offerings: flowers, candles and incense

 Listen to me telling you of his advantages if he takes a speck of incense finer than a mustard seed '
And burns it at the shrines of the Lord: Serene in heart he forsakes all obstructions and all taints;
In whichever region he is, there he is full of merit, altogether full of health, firm in his intelligence, and
alert,
He averts sorrow, and he goes his way dear and pleasant to many people.
if he should gain a kingdom, he honours the supreme Jina, a wise universal monarch of great might,
Golden his colour, adorned with marks, his body emits a pleasant odour in all worlds.
At birth already he receives the best of clothes, silken garments,
heavenly, superb, well made.
He is blessed with a beautiful body when he has clothed the Saviour's shrines with robes.
it is because he has done worship with robes at the shrines of the unequalled Saviours,
That here in this world his body becomes unequalled, and armoured with the thirty-two marks.

How to Practice Buddhism

On how to put Buddhism into practice, Yat-Biu Ching, a businessman and author of books on
Buddhism, wrote: “Every Buddhist who practises Buddhism must go through four stages: 1)
believing; 2) understanding; 3) doing; and 4) proving. [Source: Yat-Biu Ching \+/]
“1) Believing: Once a person decides to become a Buddhist, she/he must have already acquired
some knowledge of Buddhism and has developed a certain amount of belief and faith in the religion.
He will now be able to thoroughly study, investigate, analyze and understand the principles of
Buddhism to gain the benefits because the principles are so complex and voluminous. That is why
believing is the first step in the study of Buddhism. With belief, he will study Buddhism with a sincere
attitude. \+/

Tibetan woman with prayer beads

 “Without any belief and if he had great doubts, he would not have bothered to study Buddhism at all.
And if he does, the learning process will be hindered by scepticism and negative attitude and he will
never succeed in acquiring the correct understanding of Buddhism. Buddhism does encourage its
disciples to question and doubt. Buddhists don't prosytelize, it is up to the person's free choice to
choose or not choose buddhism. But, this should be done in a positive manner. A Buddhist doubts
and questions specific principles or theories of Buddhism with an open mind, with the objective of
gaining a better understanding of his beliefs. \+/
“2) Understanding: After one believes, he must understand the principles of Buddhism - How can
Buddhism remove sufferings? What are the answers to the universe and life? How can man achieve
enlightenment? It is only after one has accurately and thoroughly understood the teachings of the
Buddha that one can solidify his belief and confidence in Buddhism. \+/
“3) Doing: This is actually doing what one has learned and experienced. Some people recognize the
superior knowledge contained in the Buddhist principles, however they only recognize but do not
accept or believe in the religion. Others study Buddhism as an academic subject, they understand
the principles but do not follow these principles. \+/
“To properly practise Buddhism, after understanding the principles, one must follow up with actual
experience, to practise Buddhism according to what he has learned. One must maintain good
conduct and behaviour, and purify the mind. This is the only way to change delusion to wisdom, and
reap the full benefits of practising Buddhism. \+/
“4. Proving: The last stage in practising Buddhism is proving. Whenever one deals with a matter,
one must have confidence, good understanding, and carry out the task with endurance and
dedication. At the end, one will be successful in realizing the benefits. The same goes for the study
of Buddhism. If one has great confidence, understand the Dharma well, and practise according to
the Dharma with endurance and endeavour, one will remove sufferings, find true happiness and
peace of mind, and eventually attain enlightenment. This will be the proof of what one has learned
from the Dharma to be true." \+/

Advantages of Practising Buddhism

flower offering in Thailand

On the advantages of practicing Buddhism, Yat-Biu Ching wrote: “The reason religion is important
to life is obvious. It is a most important component of mankind's spiritual life. It has incomparable
power to stimulate and excite life. At the same time, religion can bring peace to a society, purify
people's minds, giving people hope and confidence for the future. It helps people to live more
reasonable and high quality lives. [Source: Yat-Biu Ching \+/]
“In general terms, religion has a comforting effect for the pessimists, it has a cautioning effect for the
criminals, and an encouraging effect for the kind people. The advantages of practising Buddhism are
very real and practical. Although it is a religion, Buddhism is also a way of life in that it teaches the
employment of basic ethics in one's daily life, such as controlling oneself, serving others without
discrimination, and endeavouring towards one's perfection. If practised with devotion and firmness, it
can lead one to liberating wisdom - the so called enlightenment. \+/
“For those of us who live in the modern world and are subject to stress and strain, confusion and
material distractions, the teachings of Buddhism can help us improve our livelihood, make better use
of our personal resources. Some people who do not know the teachings of the Buddha criticize
Buddhism to be impractical and 'escape from reality' because it deals with supramundane (beyond
this world) matters. They have actually quite mistaken the teachings of Buddhism." \+/

Buddhist Temple Customs and Activities

Temples are places where people pray, meditate participate in religious ceremonies, make
offerings, light incense and candles, offer food to monks, meditate alone or in groups, chant
mantras, listen to monks chant mantras, attend lectures or discussions led by respected teachers .
Individual may also seek counseling from monks on nuns on personal matters. Buddhists are not
required to visit temples.
Always walk clockwise around Buddhist monuments, keeping the religious landmarks to your right.
The Buddhist practice of circling stupas and religion sites is believed to have been derived from cults
that circled solar temples.

Chanting monks in JapanPeople are supposed to take off their shoes before entering a temple. Some
cultures require visitors to take their shoes when entering the temple grounds. Others only require
that they be removed when entering a shrine or pagoda. Some people wash their feet before
entering a temple. Shoes get the temple dirty and desecrate it. This custom may be rooted in the
belief, particularly common in Southeast Asia, that the head is the highest and most virtuous part of
the body and the feet are the lowest, dirtiest and most despicable part.
People should have their arms and legs covered when they enter a temple. It is generally okay to
wear pants. Wearing improper attire---such as men with no shirts or women in short skirts---in a
religious shrine is also considered disrespectful. Hats should also be removed. In places with lots of
tourists, short pants are tolerated. Don't take photos during prayers and meditation. When taking a
picture of a Buddhist monk, ask their permission first. As a rule don't take photos without permission
and don't use a flash.
There are rules that people who have ingested alcohol or garlic are not allowed in temples because
such things are said to disturb the human mind. Some temples however allow smoking because
Buddhism does not directly ban smoking. In Japan there are temples with no smoking areas,
Although smoking is not banned the temples hope that smokers will voluntarily refrain from lighting
up.

Buddhist Offerings
Offerings are objects set on altar tables before images of The Buddha and Buddhist deities at
temples or at home. Among the items presented as offerings are special flowers, lotus blossoms,
rice balls, fruit, sweets, amulets, coins, business cards, lotus buds, holy water, tea, candles, and
incense.
In Theravada Buddhism worship and devotion to persons is frowned upon. The offerings of fruit,
incense and flowers are symbols of impermanence not an object of worship. Flowers wilt, food
decays and candles, lamps and incense go out. Buddhists believe the soul of the offering is taken,
not the offering itself. Food offerings are sometimes eaten after they are presented and flowers are
sometimes ground up and used as fertilizer. The leaving of offerings as tributes to deities and
Bodhisattvas is more acceptable among Mahayana Buddhists.

Temple offerings in TibetWorshipers at temples often visit different altars, make offering of lotus buds or
flowers and leaving burning incense and candles at each one. Some people pray by bringing their
clasped hands to their foreheads and then place three incense sticks at the altar. Others bow at the
altar and sprinkle water, a symbol of life. Others still, kowtow before shrines, by bending down and
stretching three times, or by prostrating themselves.
 Votive offerings are usually made in the shape of the things that people want. A model of a breast is
presented for a large supply of mother's milk. A laydels are offered by women who want to bear a
child; if the lodale has a hole in it that means the mother wants an abortion. Figures offered are
usually eyeless until the prayer is answered. Prayers are also said before bone reliquaries.
Many Buddhist homes and business run by Buddhists (in Thailand, even brothels) contain an altar
of some sort. The altar usually features images of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, devas, photographs of
family members and famous monks as well as offerings of flowers, candles, incense lotus blossoms,
rice balls, incense, fruit, sweets and amulets.

Chinese Buddhist Temples Activities and Acts of Worship

Patricia Buckley Ebrey of the University of Washington wrote: “Common forms of Buddhist practice
for lay persons include visiting temples to pray, burn incense, place offerings of fruit or flowers at
altars, and observe rituals performed by monks, such as the consecration of new images or the
celebration of a Buddhist festival. Buddhist women's association meet for worship. Ceremonies at
tenmples are held for things like the enshrinement of an image of a wealthy patron. [Source: Patricia
Buckley Ebrey, University of Washington, depts.washington.edu/chinaciv /=\]
Joss sticks (incense sticks) have traditionally been an important component of Taoist religious
practice. Worshippers believe the smoke helps waft prayers towards their deities. Today the sticks
are also fixtures of Confucian and Buddhist worship. Sometimes they are even part of Christian
rituals. Worshippers normally light three joss sticks in the courtyard of the house of worship, and
place them in sand-filled containers or in specially prepared racks. [Source: The Religions of South
Vietnam in Faith and Fact, US Navy, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Chaplains Division,1967 ++]

incense sticks for sale in Vietnam

Joss sticks and incense burners are found in family altars, spirit houses, and temple courtyards and
before the figures of Buddha. Not all joss sticks are fragrant as some are primarily for smoke and
have only the faintest odor. However, the more favored joss sticks are the ones with incense which
serves both as a means of veneration and as a practical deodorizer. Few homes are without a joss
stick to be utilized for some reason. Traditionally, joss sticks have been handmade. Basically the
joss stick is made with a thin bamboo stick, which is painted red, Part of the stick is rolled in a putty-
like substance-the exact formulae are guarded by their owners. ++
Joss sticks are very reasonably priced, and it is good for the common people that this is so, for few
acts of devotion could be complete without the lighting of joss sticks. These may be placed in sand-
filled containers either in the temple courtyard or in racks located in front or on top of an altar.
Sometimes after burning joss sticks are placed in front of a Buddha statue, the ascending smoke
from the burning joss stick is thought by some to have beneficial aid in pleasing that power to whom
worship is made, or prayers offered. ++

Buddhism and Vegetarianism

According to the BBC: “Not all Buddhists are vegetarian and the Buddha does not seem to have
issued an overall prohibition on meat-eating. The Mahayana tradition was (and is) more strictly
vegetarian than other Buddhist traditions. The early Buddhist monastic code banned monks from
eating meat if the animal had been killed specifically to feed them, but otherwise instructed them to
eat anything they were given." [Source: BBC |::|]

Temple Rituals and Etiquette in Japan

Temples are places where people pray, meditate participate in religious ceremonies, make
offerings, light incense and candles, offer food to monks, meditate alone or in groups, chant
mantras, listen to monks chant mantras, attend lectures or discussions led by respected teachers .
Individual may also seek counseling from monks on nuns on personal matters. Buddhists are not
required to visit temples.
One needs to take one's shoes off only if entering a temple. Hats should also be removed. Do not
clap at Buddhist temples as you would at a Shinto shrine.

12th century Japanese Buddhist flower basket

 Praying is done by prostrating oneself or bowing with hands clasped from a standing or seated
position in front of an image of Buddha. Prayers are usually made after tossing a coin into the
saisen-bako (offering box). Offerings left at shrines include coins, apples, business cards,
Many Japanese visiting temples and shrines attach omiyuki folded paper fortunes to trees in the
belief it will bring them good fortune. At some Buddhist temples visitors pay ¥300 for the privilege of
writing the prayers on wooden rice spatulas.

Tibetan Buddhist Religious Objects

The thunderbolt (dorje or vajra) and bell (drilbu) are ritual objects used in Tantric rites that symbolize
male and female aspects. The male thunderbolt is a double-headed object held in the right hand.
Associated with skill and compassion, it is regarded as indestructible and has the power to cut
through ignorance. The bell is held in the left hand. It represents wisdom, emptiness and nirvana.
The ritual dagger (phurbu) is used in Tantric rituals to “drive the invocation on it way." Based on a
design used by Guru Rinpoche to nail down evil spirits, it has three sides which cut through the core
of passion, ignorance and aggression.
Tibetans use cups and bowls made of human skulls and flutes carved out of human thigh bones.
Some ceremonies at Portala Palace in Lhasa incorporate hourglass-shaped drums fashioned from
two skulls, and a container made from a silver-encrusted upside'down skull (the jaw bone serves as
the container's lid). Skull drums are usually covered by leather. Sometimes they are covered with
human skin. The bones belong to revered lamas and monks.
Tibetan Buddhists also use rosaries made of beads from 108 different skulls. Objects made with
human bones are not regarded as gruesome but rather as symbols of the shortness of life and need
for religion to facilitate rebirth. Each time the beads are touched, a prayer is said and merit is earned.

Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Wheels

Prayer wheels are devices inscribed with mani prayers and containing sutra scrolls attached to their
axels. Each turn of a prayer wheel represents a recitation of the prayer inside and transports it to
heaven. Varying in size from thimbles to oil drums, with some the size of buildings, prayer wheels
can be made of wood, copper, bronze, silver or gold. They can be turned by wind or water or rotated
by hand and are often stuffed with prayers handwritten in pieces of cloth.
Some prayer wheels have handles and look like devices that take up string on a kite. Others are
large and hang from temples with thousands of prayers inside that when unraveled are more than a
mile long. Pilgrimage paths (koras) are often lined with prayer wheel. Pilgrims spin the wheels to
earn merit and help them focus on the prayers they are reciting.
Theoretically, Buddhist prayer wheels are allowed to slow down but never to stop. They are
generally spun very quickly in a clockwise fashion. The merit earned from the written prayer (usually
om mani padme hum written in Tibetan or Sanskrit) is regarded as weaker than that of a spoken
prayer. The more prayers one offers, the more merit he or she earns, which improves his or her
chances or receiving a higher reincarnation and eventually achieving nirvana. Yak grease is used on
the handle to make them spin more quietly.

Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Flags and Mani Stones

Mani stonesPrayer flags are colored pieces of cloth that have Buddhist sutras printed on them. They
are strung up at mountain passes and along trails and streams and are attached to chortens,
temples and other sacred structures so their prayers can be released in the wind to purify the air and
appease the gods. When the flags flutter in the wind, Tibet Buddhists believe the sutras on them are
released to heaven and this bring merit to the people who tied them.
The wind horse (longa) is the main symbol found on prayer flags. On his back the horse carries the
Three Jewels of Buddhism”the Buddha, dharma, and sangha. The colors on prayer flags is highly
symbolic. Red represents fire; green, wood; yellow, earth; blue, water; and white, iron.
The tradition of tying prayer flags evolved out of worship for the God of Soil, and important Bon deity
in Tibet before the arrival of Buddhism.
Mani stones are flat-surfaced stones carved by Buddhist devotees to earn merit. Most are inscribed
with prayer "om mani padme hum" ("Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus"). They are often placed alongside
trails near Tibetan-style monasteries and temples. In some places you can find prayer walls,
hundreds of meters long. composed of mani stones. Travelers should always pass these walls on
the left and consequently most prayer walls have trails on both sides.

Release of Caged Birds

Sometimes, outside Theravada Buddhist temples, young children and other people with caged
songbirds offer visitors the chance to set them free. For a small amount of money, children will open
the cages and release the birds which is said to bring luck and blessings in this life and earn the
liberator merit which can be used towards one's next reincarnation. The birds are usually sparrows
or finches. Many of the birds are caught again after they are released.
Reporting from Phnom Penh, Alan Sipress wrote in the Washington Post, “Over the centuries,
Buddhists in Cambodia and elsewhere in Asia have released the sorrows born of sickness, hunger
and war through the simple, cathartic act of buying caged birds and setting them free, sometimes
with a kiss. In front of the shimmering gold pagoda of Wat Phnom, built on the grassy hill that lent
the capital its name, Cambodians reach inside the metal and wire mesh cages, draw out sparrows,
swallows, munias and weavers, often in pairs, then raise them in cupped palms to their lips. The
devotees mumble a prayer and then set them free into the warm, still air. [Source: Alan Sipress,
Washington Post, March 16, 2006 ||||]
 woman in Myanmar offering birds to release
“On a recent morning, Kong Phalla, a young, slight woman wearing a red knit cap, stood under a
tree at the base of Wat Phnom, clasping lotus stems in one hand and a metal cage crammed with
scores of birds in the other. She said that the birds had been shipped into the city overnight by boat
and that she had sold nearly three dozen to worshipers by the morning. "They want to free their
depression, free their sadness and illness with the birds," Kong Phalla, 23, explained, resting the
cage beside a table of incense sticks.
“She flashed a thin smile, saying she had brought five cages to the temple and was confident that
nearly all 1,000 birds would be gone by nightfall. Bird flu was of no concern, she continued, patting
the cage. It is only the foreign tourists who fret, often paying her to release the birds herself so they
do not have to touch them. Spotting a Cambodian man approaching the temple, she abandoned her
thought and gave chase, following him up the long brick staircase, past the statues of lions and
balustrades of mythical serpents, beseeching him at each step to purchase a few of her birds. ||||
“At another pagoda in the Cambodian capital, Khy Sovanratana sat cross-legged on a thin cushion,
his orange monk's robe draped over his left shoulder. He recounted the legend of how the Buddha,
before attaining enlightenment, had found a swan wounded by an arrow, nursed the creature back to
health then set it free. "Giving life is very much extolled in Buddhism," the monk explained softly.
"People here hope that by releasing a bird, they will give life to another being, and they will also be
free from illness, trauma and depression." ||||
Moreover, the monk continued, the act of liberating a living creature can also earn devotees
religious merit toward reincarnation into a better life. But, setting aside the sublime, he added:
"There's no point if you don't get benefits but instead catch a virus. Monks should be given this kind
of awareness and pass it on to devotees when preaching." ||||
“Though the ritual of releasing birds is practiced in several Asian countries with Buddhist
populations, the tradition in Cambodia is intertwined not only with religion but national identity. The
king frees doves, pigeons and other wild fowl about four times a month -- in especially generous
numbers to mark royal birthdays -- and this has complicated efforts to curb the practice. Its
adherents rarely remark on the apparent contradiction of trapping birds only to set them free -- an
irony compounded by the attempts of some boys to catch fowl moments after their release so they
can be sold yet again. ||||
“Not long after Kong Phalla vanished up the steps of Wat Phnom, a Cambodian family approached
another, smaller shrine along the city's Tonle Sap River across from the ornate royal palace. The
family briefly haggled with a peddler, then purchased an entire cage of birds, about a hundred of
them with frenetic, flapping wings. Two by two, the family pulled the birds from behind the mesh and,
with the occasional whisper of a prayer, set them loose until all of them had disappeared along the
banks." ||||

Bird Flu and Animal Rights Puts a Damper on the Release of

Caged Birds

In the mid-2000s, bird flu added an element of danger to the practice of releasing caged bird. Alan
Sipress wrote in the Washington Post, “Animal health experts warn that the practice of capturing wild
birds, holding them in confined quarters and then turning them over to human hands could spread
avian flu among birds, across species and on to people. So far, avian influenza has not been
diagnosed in any of the birds released at the temples of Buddhist Asia, from Thailand to Taiwan. But
that is only because so few have been tested, according to Martin Gilbert, a field veterinarian with
the U.S."based Wildlife Conservation Society. The virus, which has killed people in at least seven
countries, including Cambodia, and infected birds on three continents, has been discovered in some
of the same species that are sold in front of Buddhist shrines. [Source: Alan Sipress, Washington
Post, March 16, 2006 ||||]
“Gilbert said that the threat is comparable to the danger posed by live poultry markets blamed for
several Asian outbreaks of the highly lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu, including one in Phnom Penh this
month. "H5N1 is out there and we have to be cognizant of the risks in acting this way," Gilbert
cautioned. Gilbert's team has run into resistance from peddlers when trying to take fecal swabs from
the birds to test for the disease. So in recent weeks, he enlisted a former Cambodian monk, a young
man who swapped the monastery for work as a wildlife researcher, to delicately negotiate with the
sellers. ||||
“Another U.S."based group, WildAid, previously tried to curtail the practice of selling birds for the
tradition on the grounds that the exchange represented improper trade in wildlife. The group
established a rapid-response unit that included Cambodian military police and forestry officials and
carried out several raids on bird peddlers. The campaign culminated last June in the confiscation of
birds sold at Wat Phnom and elsewhere, according to Nick Marx, who coordinated the effort. But
because of religious and political sensitivities, the government postponed further raids. "We were
requested at least temporarily to stop doing this until the government decides what to do about the
matter," Marx said. "It's a difficult issue."
"I have no concern about getting sick with bird flu, and the buyers have no concern," said Srey
Leap, a 21-year-old bird merchant, who watched from the shade of a nearby umbrella. "They never
worry about this. It is our Cambodian tradition."..."Bird flu has never happened to me," Kong Phalla
boasted reassuringly.

Buddhist Monks Set 600 Pounds of Lobsters Free in the Ocean

Birds are not the only animals released by Buddhists to win merit. Sometimes they release fish or
other sea creatures. In 2016, the Daily Meal reported: “Summertime is prime lobster roll season, but
this week more than 600 pounds of lobsters were rescued from the pot by some generous monks in
Canada, who bought them with the specific intent of releasing them back into the ocean. [Source:
The Daily Meal, Fox News, July 12, 2016 *^*]
“According to CBC News, the Buddhist monks were from Canada's Prince Edward Island, and they
bought dozens of live lobsters from various sellers around the island. On Saturday, the monks
boarded a fishing boat and released the live seafood back into the ocean off the coast of Wood
Islands. "Hopefully, we can find a spot where there are no cages waiting for them," said one monk
from the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society. *^*
:Before releasing the lobsters, the monks held a 20-minute ceremony with a prayer and chant to
Buddha. One of the monks told reporters that they were not freeing the lobsters to promote
vegetarianism or veganism, but just to cultivate compassion towards living things. The monks said
they had the support of local fishermen, who even advised them on where they could release the
lobsters so they wouldn't wind up back in traps again. One monk says he hopes their act will inspire
others to pay-it-forward to others living creatures. "This whole purpose for us is to cultivate this
compassion toward others. It doesn't have to be lobsters, it can be worms, flies, any animals, drive
slower so we don't run over little critters on the street."” *^*
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons, Mongabey, Ray Kinnane, Brooklyn University, Buddhist door
(birds) and Buddhist channel (birds)
Text Sources: World Religions edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New
York); Encyclopedia of the World's Religions edited by R.C. Zaehner (Barnes & Noble Books,
1959); Encyclopedia of the World Cultures edited by David Levinson (G.K. Hall & Company, New
York, 1994); The Creators by Daniel Boorstin National Geographic articles. Also the New York
Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Times of London, The New
Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Compton's Encyclopedia and
various books and other publications.
Last updated September 2018