Tibetan Buddhism (Dalai Lama)
Rituals
The Five Tibetan rituals are considered to be life changing which helps the Tibetan’s in the spiritual and religious obligations they desire. It’s also actually great for your body.
You search within as you work through the exercises help to strenghthen your social acceptance. The rituals begin with the motion called Whirling Dervish which is a type exercise where you spin in a clockwise position, then on to lifting and lowering your head and legs.
These are all practiced rituals by the Tibetan’s. Next you will arch your back and make yourself erect upward. While you are in the motion by doing all of these exercises, you will want to ensure that your breathing is relaxed and regulated continously.
Moving forward you will then lift your body off the floor and tense up your muscles which helps you relax upon completion.
Traditions
It appears that four traditions exist with the Tibetan traditions. These are Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug. These traditions have many common traits.
These lay traditions range from yogis and yoginis which is intensive meditation where other layman practices are mantras, offerings from the privacy of their homes and circumambulating the most sacred of monuments.
The monatics all have both the monk and nun ordinances. Ritual and meditation practices are studied using sutra and tantra.
Basic Belief system
Reciting prayers and intoning hymnals are worshipping techniques of the Tibetans. Most seek nirvana and others retain shamanistic practices. One formula used most often is the Om (the jewel in the lotus), which is repetitiously inscribed on things like rocks and walls.
Even though there are a large number of spirits and demons, the bodhisattvas are worshipped along with Taras. Monastic rituals include ordained religious medicants and novices but the standing of the nuns is still inferior.
Zen Buddhism
Rituals
The ritual practices of Zen Buddhism can be subdivided into several groups:
- Meditation;
- Koan Practice;
- The relations between the teacher and pupil; and
- Mental discipline.
A meditating Zen Buddhist aims only to observe the world, but not to assess or evaluate it. For this purpose, he must perform several preliminary exercises such as for example, appropriate breathing, which enables him to enter the state of sheer contemplation. As a rule, meditations are practiced four or six times a day.
Secondly, teacher or master plays a significant role in Zen rituals. This religion focuses mostly on oral conversation or dialogue between pupil and teacher, who only prompts the person to certain conclusions in a very implicit way without command. Additionally, we should mention the famous Koan practice.
From modern standpoint, it can be considered as a test of students achievements. Overall, Koan resembles a parable, story, or even logical puzzle. In this way, Zen monks can evaluate pupils understanding of Buddhist principles.
On the other hand, Koan can be interpreted as the example of wisdom, presented in anecdotal and often paradoxical form. On the whole, it is quite possible for us to argue that ritualistic practices can vary depending on the region, but these features can be found almost in every Zen tradition.
Traditions
While studying Zen traditions, we need to pay special attention to such criteria as the region, and particular school of Zen. First, this religion is currently practiced in such countries as Japan, Vietnam, Korea, China and so forth, and there are some regional differences.
Traditional Zen Buddhism teachings can be based on the ideas, expressed by four masters: Dōgen Zenji. Hsu Yun, Linji, Huineng. To some extent, these schools of thought are analogous to one another as all of them preach Buddha principles and his goals. But they may interpret path to enlightenment from different perspectives. Moreover, at present there are many alternative versions of this religion.
Basic Belief system
Zen takes its origins in the teachings of Buddha, and it is primarily based on the belief that every person can become enlightened by setting aside his attachments to the mundane world. This school of thought emphasizes the role of meditation, which helps to awake the nature of Buddha. Zen Buddhism relies on four basic truths or premises:
- Dukkha – the belief that that passions and desires are the underlying cause of human sufferings;
- Samudaya: according to this principle, an individual can enter the state of nirvana or bliss only by removing those factors which prevent him from becoming egoless;
- These factors include six senses, desires, passions, ignorance, selfishness etc.
Furthermore, along with other Buddhist religion Zen takes a very interesting look at individual experience, which consists of five components or aggregates: matter, feelings, perceptions, mental formation and consciousness.
Zen Buddhists advocate the view that the state of nirvana can be achieved through mental effort. In part this is the reason why they attach importance to meditation. The third tenet is the so-called Nirodba.
It suggests that the first step, which a human being has to take, is to suppress the cravings of the self or one Ego. Finally, the fourth concept of Zen Buddhism is Magga or the path to enlightenment. This notion includes three constituent parts: ethical conduct; mental discipline and wisdom.