Expert: Alex Wilding - 12/18/2008

Question
  I am doing a school report on Buddhism and I am wondering if Buddhist believers do any kind of practices. For example, how Christians do communion.
  Thank You,
Nicki

Answer
Hi Nicki,
Yes they do, but exactly what they do varies a lot. One big difference from Christian communion is that Buddhists are not required to attend a regular "service" - you can be a good Buddhist without going to a temple regularly at all. Another difference is that any celebrations are not tied to the day of the week, like Sunday for Christians or Saturday for Jews - some special days are connected to things like the day of the full moon. Of course, Buddhists who live in the west may have more free time at the week-end, so may use that to visit a temple.
All the same, it is fairly common to go to a temple, say prayers, offer flowers (or money) and generally have a time that feels good and inspiring, although being kind to others and purifying our own mind is more important.
Finally, I should mention that Buddhism is such a big thing, there are so many varieties that have developed in different parts of the world, it is very hard to give an answer that is true for all kinds of Buddhism. No, it's not just hard - it's impossible! Even if you focus on one kind of Buddhism, it's still hard because, as I said at the start, there is no "rule" like "go to the temple on Sundays". Because there is no rule, things vary much more than they do in some other religions.
I hope that helps a bit!