What does Buddhism say about practicing Spiritism?
score:5
Despite the idealised and Romanticised versions of Buddhism popular in the West, which suggests that Buddhists are only interested in Enlightenment, historically and presently Buddhists have always maintained social practices which are unrelated to the such lofty goals. Amongst these are belief in and practices related to unseen entities which can loosely be called "spirits".
Spirits play an important role in daily life in almost all traditional Buddhist countries. In Burma for example, spirits are called "nat" and in Thailand "phi" (Encylcopedia Britannica). Phi are spirits of towns, homes, caves, and so on. Such spirits are the object of rituals and superstitions. Nats are imagined to look like humans. Thai people make little houses for spirits to live in.
In addition the traditional texts of Buddhism are full of references to spirits (devatā) of various kinds. Prominent types include yakkha, nāga, and kinnara. Tree spirits were, and still are in modern India, a focus of religious activity. The commentarial back story to the famous Karaṇīya Metta Sutta tells of how the sutta was spoken after some monks disturbed a family of 'tree spirits' or rukkhadevatā, who responded with fearful apparitions and terrible smells. (See How the Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta Came About). Tree spirit worship is also common in Thailand. Across India and Asia large old trees become shrines.
It seems that Buddhists assimilated animistic beliefs very early on, along with ideas and practices from Brahmin culture, and possible Zoroastrianism (via migrating Iranian tribes). Buddhism has always been syncretistic (i.e. it assimilates elements from other traditions). It's very likely that when speakers of Indic languages, who eventually became the dominant culture, first ventured into the Ganges Valley, they encountered people who spoke Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman languages for whom animism was a principle form of religion. They are the likely source of yakkhas for example, who share many characteristics with Burmese nats.
Many modern day Buddhists of my acquaintance are firm believers in ghosts, spirits and minor deities. I have been present at and even participated in more than one ritual to propitiate local spirits for example (in New Zealand, Britain and Spain). An account of some of these modern practices can be found in a book by Sally McAra, Land of Beautiful Vision, which is an anthropological account of a stupa building project by a Triratna Buddhist group in New Zealand. This includes discussion of the idea of local spirits, influenced by Māori beliefs.
So while the specific form of spiritualism you ask about is unfamiliar, Buddhists through the ages have believed in and engaged with spirits of many different kinds.
Upvote:1
I don't know if buddhist schools explicitly forbid communicating with ghosts and spirtis, but I'm quite sure that in the theravadian vipassana-movement it is stressed that one should be aware of directing one's mental and physical ressources towards liberation (whatever that means) and the so-called psychic powers like being able to communicate with demons and angels don't have much to do with that. On the contrary, in books it is often warned that one should not get attached to funny powers or incredible mind-stated.
So, in the end, it probably depends on your attitude towards these phenomena. If you're conversing wiht some ghosts and are at the same time aware that these ghosts are annica, annata and ducca, it should be no problem ;-)
More post
- 📝 Was buddha aware of future or future way of living?
- 📝 Is this talk just a convention?
- 📝 What would be some Japanese Buddhist/Shinto routines or rituals that households will do?
- 📝 Is there a serious TV channel which is for Buddhist community?
- 📝 Seeking scriptural source for "all defilements temporarily suppressed when in jhana"
- 📝 What are the physiological effects of mindfulness based meditation?
- 📝 About the "knower" disappearing during vipassana
- 📝 Is celibacy intrinsic to Buddhism?
- 📝 How to accept and surrender to the mind's non-acceptance of doubt and ill-will?
- 📝 Equanimity in the Aghatavinaya Sutta
- 📝 The Justice Thought & System & its Morals?
- 📝 Can good karma, bad karma or neither good and bad karma arise or not arise from not doing?
- 📝 What is a Mudra and what do they mean?
- 📝 Does breeding dogs fall under right livelihood?
- 📝 Simplest version of anapanasati
- 📝 What was the reason behind the fall of Buddhism in India?
- 📝 Good is not different from Bad?
- 📝 Does it matter if there is rebirth?
- 📝 Assuming empathy is a worldly thing (which i believe it is), why does/would a buddha try to help others find the way?
- 📝 Is there any buddhist meditation technique to connect to Nature?
- 📝 If you are reborn as a Deva, are you to interact with humans?
- 📝 Signless Meditation • 8th Jhana
- 📝 Explaining non-attachment to the very attached
- 📝 Buddha's Comment on Compassion Meditation
- 📝 Is all attachment equal in nature?
- 📝 What is meaning of Buddha and how he called Buddha?
- 📝 If I'm reborn as a Deva, how long will my lifespan be?
- 📝 What is the best distance for kasina meditation between person and object?
- 📝 What is Right View, and how can it be applied in the contemporary world?
- 📝 How to find motivation to overcome a hindrance in the moment of truth?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about practicing Spiritism?
- 📝 What does Buddhism literature and tradition say about transgender folks?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about boredom?
- 📝 What does buddhism say about bodybuilding (and weights training)?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about how to manage other people's anger?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about dealing with negative people?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about creativity and spiritual development?
- 📝 What does Buddha and Buddhism say about fighting against enemy of dharma?
- 📝 What does Diamond Way Buddhism say about obstacles at times of becoming more conscious?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about the consequences of good and bad behaviour?
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach or say about Tolerance and accepting differences in general?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about intentionally killing dangerous insects and beings?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about the "self"?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about the existence of a self?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about success?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about pragmatic retribution?
- 📝 What does buddhism say about mind and heart?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about Antinatalism?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say about events that cannot be explained through rational thought?
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach about fear of success?
- 📝 What does the Abhidhamma say about impermanence?
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach about energy?
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach about anger?
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach about healing others through the mind
- 📝 What do different schools of Buddhism say about Mara
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach about abusive parents?
- 📝 What does the Pali canon say about "death"?
- 📝 What does Buddhism teach about the start and end of world?
- 📝 What does Buddhadasa say about rebirth after the break-up of the body?
- 📝 What does Buddhism say that the laity should do when someone injuries them?