FAQ Lists

FAQ List

Answers by Rev. Jueh Ming (aka Ta Lien)
Edited by Declan Hughes

(please click on the question for the answer)

Question 1:
Buddhism teaches us meditation in order to empty the mind. Christianity encourages us to pray (and often this means saying many words). Is there a contradiction between these two approaches?

Question 2:
What is Nirvana?

Question 3:
Why did you become a nun?

Question 4:
How should we apply Buddhism in our daily lives?

Question 5:
Why do Buddhists offer burning incense, water, flowers, and fruits to an image of the Buddha?

Question 6:
What is the meaning of Buddha?

Question 7:
Why do Jen Chen Buddhists say "Buddha with you" when they greet someone or say goodbye, while other Buddhists say "Amitabha"?

Question 8:
In Buddhism there are so many profound texts, and many different sects. How do we start to learn about Buddhism?

Question 9:
I have heard that many Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Is this essential to Buddhism?

Answer 1:
Buddhism teaches us meditation in order to empty the mind. Christianity encourages us to pray (and often this means saying many words). Is there a contradiction between these two approaches?
Sometimes we wish to help people, perhaps to ease their suffering, but we do not have the necessary powers to do this efficiently. In this situation we might pray to a higher being in order to direct their attention to this problem.
In meditation we try to free the mind of all thoughts in order to reach a higher level of consciousness, one that more closely resembles that of enlightened beings.
By calming the mind in this manner one comes closer to a higher beings state of purity and clarity, and one can then act from a position of greater wisdom and less ignorance. This training frees us, and we become an empty vessel more akin to a higher being. An empty vessel is also more free to respond with compassion to those in need.
An example is a child's mind which can be free of too many thoughts and thus be pure and simple. Meditation brings us back from the complexity of an adult's mind to the simplicity of a child's mind (this is what we mean by "empty mind"). Purity and simplicity make it easier to come into contact with Perfection, Truth, The All, Buddha, Jesus, or God.
Prayer is a useful and expedient means in certain situations, however there comes a time when we must let go of prayer and meditate to free the mind of all thoughts. In this way there is no contradiction, yet each have their own place and time.

Answer 2:
What is Nirvana?
When there is no living, and there is no dying, then there is Nirvana. We can practice this in our daily lives by not giving birth to any thoughts, as later these thoughts must die. Even though we do not give birth to thoughts we do remain aware.

Answer 3:
Why did you become a nun?
Before I was a nun I was asked by my master to pull the weeds from our vegetable garden. At first I was concerned as this did not seem a compassionate action with regards to the weeds. I asked my master about this and he said that the most important action is to pull the weeds from one's own heart. The real meaning of this became apparent to me later when I was angry with a friend. I could see then that this anger was a weed in my heart, and my master's advice was now very understandable.
By removing negative thoughts and impulses I would then be of most benefit to others; as the gardener or farmer pulls the weeds in order to grow food for other people, so too a nun purifies her own heart in order to help others. Also, when we see a well maintained garden that is free of weeds we too are inspired, and we experience a kind of joy. So this is how I came to see that being a monk or a nun is a very good way to benefit both oneself and other people.
Later another key realization came about, again before I was a nun. One day I climbed a mountain, something that I very much enjoyed doing. I later was standing on an upper story of a tall building, and I could see that the people below on the ground looked like ants moving quickly from matchbox to matchbox. Like ants running after crumbs people seemed to be busy pursuing their own fortunes.
Some people might own as much as a tall building, perhaps even in more than one country, however being busy maintaining and traveling between such possessions did not seem very meaningful. Even if I were to have a family I would spend much of my life chasing security through accumulation, and even assuming good relationships, I would still probably only be able to help my family and immediate friends. However if I became a nun I would be free to help many people on an equal basis, always ready to be of assistance. After these experiences I felt that the time was right for me to become a nun. Just as one eats when one is hungry, it now felt very natural for me to become a nun.
Now the question that I had was, why does not everybody wish to become a monk or nun?

Answer 4:
How should we apply Buddhism in our daily lives?
In Buddhism there is a saying that every incident can be our teacher.
Some examples are, a flower, or a tree, the sky, or some moving clouds, a baby's smile or a wrinkle on an old man's face, or even the ground that we take for granted. Further examples are the way that the branches and leaves of trees can intermingle and yet not fight. Flowers can blossom together and yet not be jealous. Why can we not live in a fashion similar to a flower in a garden, or a tree under the sky?
By observing these things in nature and considering them to be my teachers, this is how I apply Buddhism to my daily life. If you wish you too can practice Buddhism is this way.
Another important lesson that all things teach us is the nature of impermanence.
In one year we move from Spring to Summer, to Fall, and then Winter, all things changing with time. In Spring we grow, in Summer we prosper, Fall brings a decay, and Winter brings death and the start of new life. We see that there is nothing that we can hold on to that will last. Even the things that are most special to us such as our loved ones, these too will someday die, and this is true for everyone. With death comes new life, however it will not be the same, great change takes place.
Since there is nothing permanent in this world, everybody has experienced impermanence in a way. So when something unexpected happens to us, we can handle it in an easy way. This is the way how I apply the Truth to my daily life. Buddhism is the Truth.

Answer 5:
Why do Buddhists offer burning incense, water, flowers, and fruits to an image of the Buddha?
These are symbolic offerings that remind the giver of important things.
Such offerings remind a person to examine themselves. For example, when offering incense someone can ask "do we cultivate virtue like the incense sending out its beautiful fragrance ?". This is a metaphor familiar to Asian people. Here to promote virtue is to do things beneficial to oneself and to others. So while making an offering to the image of the Buddha we will reflect upon ourselves and our actions.
Water symbolizes coolness and reminds us to use our speech to bring calmness to each situation. Water is vital, and our speech can be used to inspire and bring new hope to someone during a difficult time. It also means purity, and so we are lead to question our own thoughts and motives.
Beautiful flowers remind us that everyone likes to see a happy face. In Buddhism there is a teaching that a beautiful face is the result of enduring insult in one's past life. On the other hand, responding with anger is said to lead to an unappealing face in future lives, that might appear fierce to some.
Offering good fruit symbolizes good seed planted in the past. So we should always be aware of the seed that we sow today, so that in the future we can have a good and sweet harvest.
Buddha is not thirsty, and so does not need our water. Buddha is not hungry, and does not require our fruit. Buddha is as beautiful as a flower, because he was steadfast in the past in the face of insult, and so does not need our flowers. Buddha's virtue has benefited many beings in many lives, and so the burning incense is to remind us to follow Buddha's footsteps.
We may be poor or have limited resources and so be unable to make such offerings, however the important thing to remember is that our behavior is the most important offering.

Answer 6:
What is the meaning of Buddha?
The Sanskrit word for Buddha is Bodhi. In English Bodhi means "awareness" or "enlightening", so Buddha means the "awakened one".

Answer 7:
Why do Jen Chen Buddhists say "Buddha with you" when they greet someone or say goodbye, while other Buddhists say "Amitabha"?
English speaking countries are often Christian and people there are familiar with a phrase such as "may God be with you". Therefore when we say "Buddha with you" we know that people will understand the intention, even if they do not know what "Buddha" means. However if we say "Amitabha" it is unlikely that people will understand, and a lot might have to be explained. In Asia people will quickly understand what is meant by "Amitabha" and feel good. It is a case of "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"!
The second reason is that since Buddha implies awareness we are reminded when we say the word of our own thoughts and actions, and we ask ourselves have we had any negative thoughts about, or done any shameful things to, the person we are greeting. Furthermore, if I hear someone say "Buddha with you" I will likewise be concerned about my own actions and thoughts towards them.
A third reason is that Buddha is the fully awakened one who achieved this state after many lives of striving to eliminate his bad habits, and so he has reached perfection. Buddha never became angry, jealous, greedy, arrogant, or deceitful, and saying "Buddha with you" reminds us and the recipient that he is our example and that we should attempt to behave similarly.
Another reason is, if for example, one day we say goodbye to someone at the airport with the phrase "Buddha with you" we are both reminded not to feel sad or regretful because so many Buddha qualities are implied, such as the serenity, forgiveness, loving-kindness, patience, tolerance and compassion. When people part this way they are reminded to be strong and to accept the reality of the situation.
Crying or feeling sad cannot change things for the better; it is better to accept the situation in a positive manner. Everyone was born with inherent Buddha nature and Jen Chen Buddhists wish that people around the world can realize this. Buddha nature is a phrase that refers to the clear light, wisdom and compassion etc. that each person possesses but is not always aware of.
This is why we say "Buddha with you".

Answer 8:
In Buddhism there are so many profound texts, and many different sects. How do we start to learn about Buddhism?
We can begin with the phrase "Buddha with you" as this will remind us in different situations not to be greedy, jealous or negative. For example we might be tempted by the lure of profit, but being aware of this we can be disciplined and avoid greediness; we are then clearly already practicing Buddhism, and we are then verifying the Buddhist texts for ourselves. So whenever we are in a difficult situation we are reminded to be careful of actions, speech and mind, and this is practicing Buddhism.
In the Buddha's day there were no sects and no texts, only a large group of people practicing awareness with the Buddha, concentrating on remaining aware and avoiding negative thoughts and actions. Many monks practiced just one aspect such as not to be greedy for their whole lives and in this way came to develop for themselves the qualities of their own Buddha nature. It is better to practice the basic principles that we already know rather than to immerse ourselves in too many words. If we do not put into practice what we already know then no number of texts or sects are going to help us.
Remembering this we will know about how to start to learn about Buddhism.

Answer 9:
I have heard that many Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Is this essential to Buddhism?
Even if we do not believe in reincarnation we can still practice Buddhism. However, sometimes when we first meet a person we experience a good feeling, or sometimes a bad feeling, and this is something that can be understood from the perspective of reincarnation. Also, usually we expect members of a family to have good relationships, however sometimes this is not the case, and such a situation might be explained by events occurring in previous lives.
Another example is that our future state does not have to be the same as the past one. We may have been angry for the last ten minutes, however we can be happy in the following minute, and this is a kind of reincarnation that is always taking place.
Reincarnation is only one aspect of Buddhism and it is not very important whether we believe in it or not. However it is good if we can learn the lessons of reincarnation and in the last example above this would mean to control our temper. Once we have seen the poor results of unwise actions it is good to change so that all may be happy; this is the potential of rebirth that is always with us.
Every minute we are changing ideas and this is a kind of rebirth. The accumulation of these rebirths in this life, and past lives, is what determines the form of our reincarnation in the next one. We don't have to believe in reincarnation, but Buddhists believe that if we can control our ideas, then we can shape our future lives.