Buddhism Rituals

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Rituals:
Buddhism rituals are meditation, mantras, mudras, prayer wheels, monasticism, and pilgrimages. There are no official religious ceremonies for birth, marriage, or a birthday. Meditation is a form of mental concentration with the goal of enlightenment and spiritual freedom. Meditation is directly from the Buddha’s experiences and teachings. Mantras are sacred sounds that are believed to possess sacred powers. Some Buddhists chant mantras repeatedly while meditating. Mantras are also used for protection from evil and misfortune. The word mantra means “that which protects the mind.” Mudras are symbolic gestures that have the power of producing joy and happiness. Mudras are used in meditation. Prayer wheels are hollow metal cylinders with …show more content…

Some of the holidays are the Buddhist New Year, Dhamma Day, Elephant Festival, Sangha Day, Festival of Floating Bowls, Kathina Ceremony, Ancestor Day and Vesak Day. The Buddhist New Year is celebrated for three days from the first full moon day in April. Dhamma Day shows respect for “The turning of the wheel of the Dharma.” The Elephant Festival is the third Saturday in November. When a wild elephant is harnessed to a tame one, it resembles that a person new to Buddhism should be helped by an older Buddhist. Sangha Day commemorates the Buddha’s visit to Veluvana Monastery in the city of Rajagaha, where 1,250 arhats are said to have spontaneously returned from their wanderings to pay their respects to the Buddha. Sangha Day is celebrated on the full moon day of the third lunar month. The Festival of Floating Bowls is celebrated to pay respect to the holy footprint of the Buddha on the beach of the Narmada River in India. The Festival of Floating Bowls is celebrated on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month. Buddhists bring bowls of leaves, candles, and incense sticks, and float them in the water. As the bowls float down the river, all bad luck is supposed to disappear. The Kathina Ceremony is also known as the Robe Offering Ceremony. On any day after the three months of rains retreat season, non-monastics offer new robes and other necessities to the monks and nuns. Ancestor Day is when the gates of hell are opened on the first day of the eighth lunar month. Ghosts may visit the world for 15 days. Buddhists offer food to relieve the sufferings of the ghosts. Vesak Day is the most important festival in Buddhism. On Vesak Day, Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha in one

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