The practice of Buddhism in daily life

Would you tell me what you mean by the practice of Buddhism
in daily life?

One is first confronted with the practice of Buddhism when o­ne sees different customs of the Thais, such as giving food to the monks, paying respect to the Buddha image or reciting the “precepts” o­n special occasions such as “Uposatha Day” . In the beginning I thought that these customs were mixed with many things which are not essential for the practice of Buddhism. For example, I did not see how the presenting of eggs to the statue of the “Emerald Buddha” could have anything to do with the practice of Buddhism. However, even such popular beliefs can teach us something about the practice of Buddhism. There are many levels of understanding the Buddha’s teachings. The people who present eggs to the statue of the Buddha express their confidence in him. This is a wholesome act which will bear its fruit accordingly. However, the people who present the eggs may not realize that it is their respect to the Buddha which will bring them a good result and not the eggs presented to him. They may not clearly see which cause will bring them which result. They would receive greater benefit from their act of paying respect to the Buddha if this were done in a more meaningful way. They could, for example, pay respect to the Buddha by abstaining from ill deeds, in serving other people, in learning more about the teachings of the Buddha and in helping other people to understand the teachings as well.


Topic 32