Would you tell me what you mean by the practice of Buddhism in daily life?

One is first confronted with the practice of Buddhism when one sees different customs of the Buddhists, such as giving foodto the monks, paying respect to the Buddha image or reciting the“precepts” on special occasions such as “Uposatha Day”.

In the beginning I thought that these customs were mixed withmany things which are not essential for the practice of Buddhism.For example, I did not see how the presenting of eggs to thestatue of the “Emerald Buddha” could have anything to do withthe practice of Buddhism. However, even such popular beliefs canteach us something about the practice of Buddhism.

There are many levels of understanding the Buddha’s teachings.The people who present eggs to the statue of the Buddha expresstheir confidence in him. This is a wholesome act which will bear its fruit accordingly. However, the people who present the eggs

may not realize that it is their respect to the Buddha which willbring them a good result and not the eggs presented to him. Theymay not clearly see which cause will bring them which result.They would receive greater benefit from their act of paying respectto the Buddha if this were done in a more meaningful way. Theycould, for example, pay respect to the Buddha by abstaining fromill deeds, in serving other people, in learning more about theteachings of the Buddha and in helping other people to understandthe teachings as well.

Nina van Gorkom 
[Book: Buddhism in Daily Life]

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