Public & Private Worship

A key Buddhist idea, going back to the instruction of the Buddha himself, is that one should not worship the Dharma or his teaching but use it! The greatest form of reverence that could be paid to the Buddha would be to use his teaching to develop and transform oneself. There is simply no place for the form of supplication and prayer that is found in theistic religions. As such the most important form of practice for a Buddhist is meditation.

A Buddhist might meditate with other people at a public shrine room or meditation hall in a temple (Vihara as they are called in Theravada Buddhism, or a Gompa as they are known in Tibetan Buddhism) or at home. The Buddhist will usually have a small shrine at home, as it helps to focus their attention and people find that a special area set aside for mediation helps them to settle into the meditation practice more easily. However, these are not essential to the practice of meditation, one can practice mindfulness anywhere.

Many Shrines are elaborate, some, such as Zen Buddhist mediation halls are very sparse indeed. They may only be a candle, a stick of incense and some flowers, or not even these.

In Theravada Buddhism, traditionally it was thought that the role of the laity was to support the monks in their practice. As such they were not necessarily taught meditation or the scriptures. The laity would follow the precepts and also build up good Karma or Merit (Punya) by supporting the monks, making offerings of foods to them etc. They believed that this would help them to achieve a "good" re-birth.

Mahayana traditions felt that this was wrong, and that there should not be such a division between full time Buddhists and the laity. All should practice the Dharma, study Buddhist teachings, practice the precepts and above all, meditate. What mattered was one's commitment to practice, rather than one's domestic circumstances.

A Tibetan shrine might include Thankas, or pictures of Buddhist deities. These are archetypes or symbolic figures that represent aspects of enlightenment. Often these are Bodhisattvas such as Avlokitesvara or Chenrezig, who embodies Compassion, or Manjushri who embodies Wisdom, or Vajrapani who embodies Energy. These figures can be seen in peaceful or in wrathful or active form. The Buddhist meditates on these figures, usually chanting the related mantra (the sound symbol for that quality) and perhaps using mudra or ritual gesture as well, to try to focus on the particular quality of the deity, and to focus on and develop that quality of enlightenment within himself or herself.

Tibetan Buddhism is often referred to as Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Tantric Buddhism views the self and the universe as made of energy °© the aim is to refine and transform energy. Tibetan Buddhism developed in a Shamanistic culture, which experienced the whole universe as alive. Tibetans experienced the world as full of forces and spirits, some of which are benign and to be honoured, and some negative, which needed to be subdued and controlled. The items on a Tibetan shrine reflect this outlook.

Items on a Tibetan shrine might include a copy of a Buddhist scripture or a book, which represents understanding and in particular the Perfection of Wisdom, or Prajnaparamita, which is also a name for a set of Mahayana scriptures which concern themselves with the perfection of wisdom. There might be a Dhamaru or drum which is used in certain parts of the Puja, perhaps even a Kangling or a "Thigh Bone Trumpet". This will be made from a human thigh bone - the sound is designed to drive out bad influences and spirits. There might be a Mala , which is a set of beads that are used to count mantras as one chants, there might be a prayer wheel, a Vajra (a symbolic diamond thunderbolt or sceptre) which represents compassion the male aspect of enlightenment, and a Ghanta or Vajra bell which represents wisdom, the female aspect of enlightenment. There may also be a Vajrakilaya, which is a Vajra dagger, which is symbolically used to nail to the ground demonic forces; in addition there may be the Kalasha or initiation vase as well.

Dhamaru	Kangling	Mala	Prayer Wheel
Vajra	Ghanta	Vajrakilaya	Kalasha