Monday, November 22, 2021

Buddha on Rituals and Psychic Power

I enjoy watching this drama, Buddha as it is full of wisdom and you can learn about Buddha's teaching. Buddha taught through questioning, which is like Socratic questioning, prompting the person to think instead of blindly accepting his teaching. In episode 36, 21:30, it shows the discussion between the fire worshipper and Buddha.

The fire worshipper asked the Buddha. He asked if rituals, prayers and psychic powers are useful?

Buddha asked him if someone were to cross to the other side of the river, what should he do?

The fire worshipper said that if the water is shallow, he could walk across. If the river is deep, he could cross the river using a raft else he could swim across. 

The Buddha asked him, “What if he don’t want to walk across the river when it is shallow and not use a boat to cross the river but to pray for the other side of the river to appear in front of him?”

The fireworshipper exclaimed, “ then he is foolish.”

Similarly if a person uses his wisdom to reduce greed and ignorance, he will find the path out of suffering, said the Buddha. 

Image from India drama, Buddha