Question asked by Alex.
Dear pastors. I have two questions. The second is more to opinion.
1) my friend told me that everytime he went to a temple (buddhist temple), be it chinese or that or tibetan center. He doesn't know the chants (such as the praise of the buddha dharma and sangha), he just know pali chant. Can he do that? After he chanted that he will chant chenrezig mantra. He means that he mix chanting pali and mantra?
2) this regarding my own. I went to a vajrayana center. Often i go there as its near to my house. Two years ago, the center organised a fund raising project. There are few things that "sell" and we donate some money (as we like). I saw a small statue of the buddha and in my wallet only left less than rm20. I can't give all as i need some for my way back home. So i donate rm10. The one who incharge told the chairman and she (the chairman) said ok. So she gave me the statue. Not long after that someone from the center asked me to return back the statue as i paid so little. As i return back they look at me "one kind". And gave me a picture instead. Ever since that incident, each time i go there, they still look at me one kind and when i want to purchase something, the chairman will say "wah..this time got money to pay hah. " i take this as a joke, deep in my heart i know what she mean. It hurts a lot. Why a buddhist center members have such manners? Isn'r it they have to be more kind to others?What should i do? Stop going to the center or you have any suggestions? Tashi delegs.
Dear Alex,
1) Regarding your friend, there is absolutely nothing wrong in doing this. He is doing as best he can as he does not know the actual chants. However there are two points i would like to mention. The first is that the blessings of the lineage stemming from Buddha Shakyamuni, as with all Buddhist paths is strongest when following a particular lineage. If your friend has already taken refuge with a particular teacher formally or through faith, then he should adhere to the teachings of that teacher. Each lineage can lead to enlightenment but if you mix lineages confusion on the path can arise. Therefore i suggest that your friend try to adhere to one particular lineage, whatever lineage he feels comfortable with. The second is if your friend is serious with his spiritual path, he should put in the effort to learn the prayers, chants, and practices of the particular lineage he has chosen. All Buddhists work towards the same ultimate goal, to achieve the Body, Speech and Mind of a Buddha, but there are many paths to get there. If we stick to one path and strive along that one path, we will reach our goal.
2) As for this situation, unfortunately this can happen in some centres. This is not to say that this centre is bad, or the person who did this is bad. And yes, you can be hurt. But practicing Buddhism, we should always think about the other person as well. When we are afflicted physically or emotionally by others, instead of being self-absorbed we should think about the others person. I’m not condoning this sort of behavior but just giving advice what we can do in situations like this and others in which we feel hurt. Perhaps this particular centre is short of funds but you don’t know about it? Perhaps instead of holding this hurt, you can try to understand why this happened and then do something. If they are short of funds, perhaps help them to fund-raise or volunteer your time. People often forget that Buddhist centres usually rely on funds from the public to stay open. All situations we come across, even if we are hurt, we can change to something positive. I hope this helps.