Saturday, November 14, 2009

Puja

In Buddhism, puja (Sanskrit & Pali: pūjā) are expressions of 'honour, worship, devotional attention'. Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting. These devotional acts are generally performed daily at home (either in the morning or evening or both) as well as during communal festivals and Uposatha days at a temple. (Wikipedia)

The practice
1. Clear the space – eg burn incense or chant Om
2. Ask for protection and guidance (to teachers, Buddha etc)
3. Do salutations (to Buddha, teachers, family members etc)
4. Ask for help to stay focused in your day/life (eg chant, do affirmations)
5. Practice prayerfulness – connection to spirit (eg meditation)
6. Express gratitude – for what you have etc
7. Say direct prayers for others (eg family members, enemies, for self) – watch the words you use
8. Do affirmations – remind yourself of who you truly are: ‘I am the essence of creation’

Wisdoms
Everyone you meet is a teacher.
Drop it all, choose again.
Read the book ‘The secret’ for words of wisdom.
We live in a desensitised world. As you operate from the spirit level, you become more sensitive to what is happening around you.
Vedanta means truth. These practices are drawn from Vedic texts.
Different beings/icons represent different aspects of God, so you might use Krishna, the elephant god and/or Buddha, or a photo of someone you know in your puja.

No comments: