Select and explain the religious rituals which might be performed when a Buddhist visits a temple.

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Select and explain the religious rituals which might be performed when a Buddhist visits a temple

In all schools of Buddhism, worship, whether on your own or inside a temple is considered a vital part of every day life. Inside a Buddhist temple, different kinds of worship and ceremonies take place.

Mahayana worship tends not to be congregational, although there are opportunities to get together in shared activities. Offerings are made at the shrine as a mark of respect to the Buddha. Usually, seven different types of offerings are made at the shrine – two bowls of water, essential for drinking and washing, symbolise hospitality. Other offerings are white flowers, incense, lamps, perfume and food. These represent the five senses. Occasionally, all seven bowls will contain water and be symbolic of the seven offerings.

In Theravada Buddhism worship may take place either at home or in the temple. No lay believer is obliged to visit a temple, although most of them do. Most lay believers will have their won shrines at home. The bhikkus worship in the shrine and meditation rooms of the vihara, usually once in the morning and once in the evening. Lay believers attend whenever they can, preferably once a day in Theravadin countries. There is no special time for attendance as such. The Theravadin philosophy is that each individual has to work out his or her salvation on their own, meaning most of the worship inside the temple will be individual, not congregational. The bhikkus are there to give guidance and clarify the Dharma, but that is all. Offerings are also very important. Lay believers offer flowers, incense, candles and food before an image of the Buddha. They chant the three refuges and five precepts as an additional offering.

        Worship in a Tibetan shrine is rich in colour and sound. Horns may be blown, there may be the chanting of mantras over and over again. The robes are richly coloured. There may be candles, both in front of the images and around the shrine room. There may also be incense burning. Tibetan Buddhists use prayer wheels. Mantras are written out on paper and tucked into prayer wheels. Small prayer wheels are carried in the hand. Larger ones are fixed and people turn them with their hand as they pass, reciting a mantra.

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In all forms of Buddhism, chanting accompanies ceremonial acts. The chanting in itself is a soothing act which leads to greater self confidence and a pure mind. Usually, mantras are chanted. A mantra is a phrase that raises a particular aspect of enlightenment.

Most worship inside the temple will take place as meditation. In Buddhism, there are three main types of meditation: samatha meditation, vipassana meditation, and samathidi meditation. Samatha meditation helps the individual to gain right effort, one of the aspects of the eightfold path. Samatha meditation is carried out by sitting upright with your arms crossed. ...

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