Visiting temples is a usual thing to do on Vesak Day. On this special day which celebrates the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha, some of the more popular temples in Singapore would be thronged with devotees. The premises would often require crowd control measures like barricades and human traffic controllers.
On the morning of Vesak Day, I was expecting to be led to another one of these smoky and crowded places, but the experience turned out to be a lot more refreshing – literally.
It was a meditation centre at Onan Road. 2 Thai monks presided over the highly simplified rituals. It was a comparatively small shop unit, air-conditioned. Not a single lighted candle or joss stick was in sight. In fact, the place didn’t even call itself a wat. It was really a meditation centre. Quite typically, we went through a round of chanting in the ancient Indian language of Pali. To most of us, it’s an alien language, the concepts probably more profound than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, but the chorus was not alien at all. The purpose of making these sounds seemed more to focus and unite devotees than anything else.
This was followed by what’s probably the highlight of the day, a speech by Malaysian medical school lecturer, Dr Wong Yin Onn on the significance of Vesak Day with respect to the life and teachings of the Buddha. Dr Wong’s speech is no different from that of any modern Buddhist scholar (many of whom are Westerners). He was totally down-to-earth, carefully distinguishing historical fact from myths and allegories. With a less educated audience, he would have raised eyebrows when he said that Buddhist rituals were invented to help the uneducated understand the Dhamma and beyond all that, they are meaningless. With another audience, he might have been beaten up to suggest the replacement of Buddha images (merely icons) with the more appropriate image of a lotus bud!
Isn’t it ironical that from the point of view of people who have deviated from the scriptures, Dr Wong’s clear understanding of the Dhamma may be misconstrued as blasphemy or heresy? But the “beatings” go on. One person who wais to the Buddha with deep conviction goes for the throat of another who also wais to the Buddha with deep conviction. As if ignoring or playing it superficially with unpleasant things or people are not enough. Revenge and ruthless, complete destruction are the order of the day. What do you get when you fight violence with violence?
How meaningful is it to wai to a Buddha at one end and then engage in acts of hatred and revenge at another? If one is in trouble and in need of “merit points”, wouldn’t it be far more effective to adopt a forgiving attitude towards others if one desires forgiveness?
Dr Wong showed us pictures taken on pilgrimages to Buddhist sites in India, marked by Asokan pillars. Yes, the Buddha was born in present-day Nepal. He achieved enlightenment and passed away in India. He probably looked like a present-day Nepalese lowlander. Yes, the type who might be stopped at a Thai airport and forced to show how much he has in his wallet. Surprise? Times have changed and people are more educated nowadays. Should temples focus more on meaningful activities like teaching and encouraging discussion (in Dr Wong’s style) rather than rigid and complex rituals?
It has been 2600 and many of the original teachings of the Buddha have been “modified”. That is quite understandable considering the lack of education and sophistication within the lay population of yesteryears. But can Buddhism remain the peaceful, thinking and questioning religion that it was 2600 years ago? Would it transform into a self-serving, ritualistic means to tap on the power of the supernatural? Would there be seemingly pious devotees, kneeling and bowing respectfully to the Buddha while having their perceived enemies’ complete destruction on their minds.
