Places of Practice: Where No Evils Lurk??
Buddhist practices are Hindu rituals in disguise?
In Buddhism, the path to The Truth is via action. Action is on the part of the follower, the seeker. Faith alone has no relevance, other than a faith that Dhamma, when followed, will lead the seeker to The Truth.
What is this action, on the part of the seeker? The active following of The Eight Noble Path. This we all know. How and where can we practice this?
The standard method, for the full-time seeker is to renounce all worldly connections and enter bhikkuhood. One must find a suitable temple - a place to reside for one to practice.
Those days, seekers sought the peace and quiet of the forests. Still one has to make arrangements for one's sustenance. A supply of food and drink, sufficient to keep the body in function. The days when one could live off the forests are probably gone now, even in the tropics. Medical help is another. Robes need to be washed, repaired, replaced from time to time. One may need a mosquito net to keep bothering insects away. A dry place to sleep, to keep one's companion books, sermons on tapes or CDs or DVDs. They call for suitable replaying equipment, power sources for them. Accessories to maintain one's personal hygiene - soap, toothpaste, shaving material. The list is by no means complete.
For lay people, full time commitment may not be a practical proposition. It is traditional for them to wait until all their duties to the families are fulfilled, before they turn their sights on seeking The Truth. At advanced age, one could question the effectiveness of late starting.
So, it is normal for lay people to devote a day or two occasionally for the practice of Buddhism. Essentially this involves observing "sil" (Sila) and practice meditation under the supervision of the Sangha.
It is also possible for those who could afford, to book into a weekend retreat and practice the same under expert advice.
Mahayana school allows for the possibility of enlightenment leading lay lives. How practical is it is the question. To what extent can one detach from lay life while embedded in a lay life? At what cost - to the body and "soul"?
How long can one maintain concentration in such an environment, when one is constantly bombarded with issues, problems, events, which may or may not even directly involve you...
The practice as we observe today, by the majority, is Hindu rituals in a disguise. That is what I think.
How would you want to do it?
Ever considered becoming a bhikku?
I always wanted to be one. When I mentioned my desire over a family dinner, everyone started to cry!
When a cousin of ours became a bhikkuni, the general observation was, something along the lines, "what a shame!".
In my opinion that is the noblest thing one can ever do!