practices

• Buddha Rupa


  Statue of Buddha in a meditation pose used in worship and meditation
• Buddhist practices


  • Samatha meditation
  • Chanting
  • Buddhist scriptures
  • Karuna
  • Shrine
  • Stupa
  • Mantra
  • Metta
  • Vihara
  • Puja
  • Vipassana meditation
• Karuna


  A type of worship that involves reciting from compassion-feeling concerned for the suffering of others
• Parinirvana Day


  A Mahayana festival commemorating Buddha's passing into Nirvana
• Puja


  Act of worship-it expresses gratitude and respect for Buddha and his teachings
• Vipassana


  A form of meditating on a teaching of Buddha to gain greater understanding
• Wesak


  A festival celebrating the life and teachings of Buddha
• Places of Worship


  • Buddhists often worship in a temple where they gather to meditate together and perform puja
  • A temple or vihara will have rupas (statues of Buddha), stupas (towered structures designed to symbolise Buddhist teaching) and often shrines where offerings can be made
  • Offerings may include candles which symbolise wisdom and flowers and incense representing impermanence
• Puja


  • A ceremony that expresses gratitude and respect for Buddha and his teachings
  • Can be at home or in the temple
  • Buddhists perform chanting where sacred texts are remembered and taught orally and with devotion
  • They also recite mantras which are short sequences of syllables that help concentrate the mind
• Five Moral Precepts


  • To abstain from taking life
  • To abstain from taking what is not given
  • To abstain from sexual misconduct
  • To abstain from wrong speech
  • To abstain from intoxicants
• Karma


  • The ethical idea that a Buddhist's actions lead either to happiness or suffering
  • Skilful actions result in good karma and happiness
  • Unskilful actions result in bad karma and suffering
  • When a Buddhist is reborn their new life will be affected by their karma from past lives
  • This links to "right action" which is part of the Eightfold Path which shows how to act ethically
• Parinirvana Day


  • A Mahayana festival that commemorates the death and passing into enlightenment of Buddha
  • Celebrated by Buddhists reading the last writings of Buddha, meditating at home or temple or going on a retreat
• Karuna


  • Compassion, a feeling of concern for the suffering of others
  • One of the four sublime states that Buddha taught Buddhists should develop
  • Buddhists aim to recognise the suffering of others and do something to make their lives better
• Metta


  • Loving-kindness, another of the four sublime states
  • Means desiring other people to be happy and is an attitude of warmth and kindness
  • Loving-kindness meditation consists of 5 steps to develop loving kindness towards 1) yourself 2) a good friend 3) a neutral person 4) a difficult person 5) everyone else in the world