Ritual and devotion.
In dominant culture in the United States, Buddhist practice is often conflated and in fact reduced to meditation. This view is in fact a 19th century legacy of the colonial interest in the practices of Asian monastic elites. Furthermore, the contemporary mindfulness movement has tended to present meditation as stripped of elements of devotion with traditionally were inseparable. In truth, the majority of Buddhists in the world do not meditate, either by preference or due to their social context. However, most Buddhists practice some kind of ritual, and engage in devotional practices. This has been the fuel of the tradition for over 2600 years. The Buddha himself said to live without reverence is to be unhappy (Garava sutta). and so he reverenced the mysterious and unformulated Dharma (the way things are, truth).
Ritual and devotion are ways to get below the surface, and to train the body, mind and heart towards greater wisdom and compassion. They helps us get beyond a narrow sense of ‘me’ and realize great vistas of potential and inter-dependance. Chanting together is one way to feel into we-ness, and drop the constriction, and delusion, of a separate self.
In Triratna we have a rich practice of ritual and devotion. Our forms are shared around the world, but many regional cultures of devotion have developed over time, each bringing their approach and style to this core practice. Many groups express their devotion by creating shrines and holding pujas, which include mantras and recitations of sacred texts. We chant together in local languages and in Pali, the language closest to the language spoken by the Buddha.
Read the Salutation to the Shine, as well as the Refuges and Precepts we chant.
Read our Seven-Fold Puja, inspired by the great 9th century teacher, Shantideva.
Read our Three-Fold Puja, a shorter version written by Sangharakshita. Watch a version of this puja offered by our community in Mexico in 2020, in Spanish and English.
Watch a version of the Puja of the Sutra of Golden Light offered by an international team during the pandemic.
Listen to some of our most popular mantras recorded by members of our community in Mexico.
Listen to some traditional chants in Pali in the style of our community in India.
Listen to mantras invoking the Buddha and Bodhisattvas figures from one of our retreat centers in the UK.
During the pandemic one of our Order Members in the UK, Mahasuka, started chanting on-line with people. Discover his Youtube Channel and learn along with others.