Theravada Buddhism Rituals and Religious Activities*
By Ven. P. Boonshoo Sriburin, Ph.D.
An important motivation for all religious behavior in traditional Theravada Buddhism is the procurement of merit (pu¢´¢´a) for better circumstances in this and subsequent existences. One may make merit both for oneself and, through transference, for others, often by virtue of the same ritual act.
Upon entering the temple's shrine room, having left one's shores outside in reverence of the sacredness of the ritual space, one performs a triple prostration of honor before the Buddha image. This consists of kneeling with palms pressed together at the chest and head, then bowing fully forward to the floor. Monks and laity alike perform the triple bow to the Buddha, both to begin and to conclude most ritual activities. The laity give the same gesture of reverence to the monks, or an abbreviated, standing version of it. Typically, when participating in Pali chanting, receiving a blessing, or listening to a discourse on the Buddha's teaching (dhamma desana), lay people sit at a lower level than the monks, usually on the floor, with feet turned under their haunches and pointed away from the monks; moreover, in such instances the laity's hands are held in the wai gesture, that is, palms pressed together, at chest level.
Pali, the ancient scriptural language of the Theravada school, pervades traditional temple rituals. Lay people as well as monks chant familiar Pali phrases, sometimes in unison, often responsively; in the latter case, the monks first chant a line to be repeated by the laity. Longer or unfamiliar Pali texts ... are chanted by the monks alone, sometimes from behind a hand-held ceremonial fan called a talapatta. Laity often respond to these chants with the words "sadhu, sadhu," analogous to the Christian "Amen." Virtually every Theravada ritual begins with three particular Pali chants. Buddha vandana, or Homage to the Buddha, is known also by its first two Pali words: Namo tassa.
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