Expert: Justin Choo - 10/29/2004

Question
Do you worship every day? If so, where and how long do you worship each day and how do you decide which gods to worship?

Answer
Hi Kristy,

Thank you for asking me.

Buddhists practise the teachings of the Buddha.  The Buddha was not a god.  He was a very special human being who had gained supreme enlightenment.  This means that he had cultivated his mind to be absolutely pure that the mind gained special power to undertand real insight into the nature of life and the world.  In common language, he gained great psychic power, to know everything that needed to be known.  He then spread this knowledge to the world.  His message was how to gain peace and truth.

Since the Buddha is our teacher, we revered and pay respect to him.  Buddhists do not worship any god.  They only practise the teachings of the Buddha and pay homage to him as a mark of great respect and gratitude to him.


The Buddha encouraged us to use our human intelligence and common sense to live our daily lives. We do not need any religion to teach us what is good and what is bad. It is up to us to come to terms with realities, that what we don't want others to do to us, we should not do to others. What we want for us should also be shared with others. The Buddhist is more concerned with what we call "skilful living". As practising Buddhists, we observe the 5 basic principles as advised by the Buddha:
1. To refrain from taking life
2. To refrain from stealing
3. To refrain from indulging in unwholesome sexual
activities
4. To refrain from telling lies
5. To refrain from taking intoxicants
These 5 precepts we undertake to live by, to the best of our ability, everyday.

There is no dogmatic adherence to rites and rituals.  Buddhism is a completely free religion.  Followers are given complete freedom to practice the teachings as best they can.  There is no force or compulsion.  A good Buddhist will pay homage to the Buddha, take refuge in his teachings and undertake to live by the 5 precepts.  This he will recite in the morning and in the evening.  But as I said, no one is being compelled to do so.  The most important aspect of Buddhism is in the practice, not in rites and rituals.

The Buddha's universal message is; to avoid evil, do good, and to purify the mind.

Hope I have answered your question.  Please ask again if you have further queries.

Smile from justinchoo :-)