Know the Basics 

 

If
you would like to make
Buddhism your religion, there are
some things to consider. First, you should be familiar with the basic
tenants of Buddhism
such as karma, rebirth, Four Noble
Truths, Eightfold Path, the Five Precepts, the Nembutsu, the Pure
Land,
and Amida Buddha. It is not necessary to accept all of these concepts
in the beginning, but one should be
willing to consider them. The Buddha never asked his disciples to
believe something
because he said it. He said that one
needed to prove it true for oneself.

 

 

Understanding is Important

 

In
Buddhism,
understanding is the most important
thing and understanding takes time. So do not impulsively rush into
Buddhism. Take your
time, ask questions, consider
carefully, and then make your decision. The Buddha was not interested in
having a large number
of disciples. He was concerned that
people should follow his teachings as a result of a careful
investigation, consideration
of the facts and personal experience.

 

 

How do I become a Buddhist?

 

Join
a Buddhist sangha (a
temple, church or group), support
them, be supported by them and continue to learn more about the Buddha’s
teachings. Read
about the teachings, apply them in
your life, attend services and retreats, open your heart and mind to the
working of Great
Compassion. Then, when you are
ready, you can formally become a Buddhist by undertaking the Affirmation
or Ordination
Ceremony. 

 

Affirmation and Ordination

 

The
decision to become a Buddhist
is marked by either Affirmation or
Ordination Ceremony. These two types of ceremonies are different but
share certain religious
aspects. First of all, the
Affirmation Ceremony or the Kikyoshiki
is unique to
Shin Buddhism only. It is a form of
personal religious confirmation, in which the participant publicly
acknowledges
his/her orientation and commitment
to the Pure Land
path of Shinran Shonin and the recognition of the working of Great
Compassion (Other
Power) in their lives. At the
Buddhist Faith Fellowship, one must successfully take the Discovering
Buddhism 101 Course
in order to participate in this
ceremony. We believe that one should have some background in the
Buddha’s life, teachings
and practices in order to undertake
such an important ritual.

 

As
stated above, this ceremony
is unique to Shin Buddhism, which is
a lay religious movement and not a religious order. This ceremony does
not entail the
transmission of the Three Jewels or
the Five or Ten Precepts from teacher (monk) to disciple. In Shin
Buddhism,
we are each others
teachers. Moreover, according to Shin Buddhism, the ultimate
transmission can only come from the direct
and personal experience of the
working of Great Compassion, which is called shinjin or true entrusting.
What’s more, Shin
Buddhism does not formally have lay
precepts, which can be received from human to human transmission;
instead they manifest
naturally through the shinjin
experience.

 

The
Affirmation Ceremony allows
the participant to publicly
acknowledge his/her personal faith experience in the Buddha (Amida), the
Dharma
(the teachings and the truth) and
the Sangha (those who practice the dharma and entrust themselves to the
infinite
life and light). Furthermore, the
Affirmation Ceremony may also confirm the Five Precepts as the best ways
to compassionately
live in our suffering world. Again,
this is not a transmission of the ethical code but just a reminder of
its importance. In
addition, the Affirmation Ceremony
may include the reciting of the Six Paramitas, the Bodhisattva Vows
and/or the Shin Buddhist
Affirmation as reminders of the
Buddhist path. In this ceremony, recipients are given a Buddhist name
(homyo), an Affirmation
Certificate and Shin Buddhist Okesa.
There is usually a small donation requested to cover the costs.

 

In
contrast, the Ordination Ceremony
is only conferred by a fully
ordained monk, in which the lay participant receives the human to human
or teacher to student, transmission
of the Three Jewels and the Five
Precepts and sometimes even can take the Bodhisattva Vows. The
participant is then ordained
as a lay follower or as it is know
in Sanskrit as an upasaka (ordained lay male follower) or upasika
(ordained lay female
follower). He/she then receives a
certificate and a Buddhist name. As a result, the ordainee is formally
initiated as
a lay member and linked
to a monastic order, in which he/she dedicates him/herself to the Three
Jewels and
the Five Precepts. The ordaining
monk is usually seen as the lay followers main teacher.  These ordained
lay
followers may then, in the
future, decide to intensify their practice and become fully ordained as
monks (bhikkus) or
nuns. The Ordination
Ceremony is conducted by monastic orders only. Since the BFF is a lay
congregation, it does
not conduct ordinations. If you are
interested in lay ordination please refer to a local Buddhist temple or
center with a
resident monk or nun.

 

 

          
What is the Meaning of Taking Refuge?

 

 

To publicly

take refuge in the Three Jewels is
to change the direction of ones life and make an effort to embody the
Buddha, the Dharma
and the Sangha.

 

To

take refuge in the Buddha is to take
refuge in the living source of understanding, faith and compassion,
symbolized as Amida,
the Buddha of Eternal Life and Light
and her historical human manifestation, Shakyamuni Buddha. One sees the
historical Buddha
as the greatest teacher and the
embodiment of our true human potential.

 

To
take refuge in the Dharma is to take refuge in Reality-as-it-is, the Ocean
of Oneness, the Buddhas teachings and the path of understanding, faith
and compassion.

 

To

take refuge in the Sangha is to take
refuge in the community that practices according to the Buddhist path
and strives to
manifest and embody Enlightenment
here on Earth.

 

The

Three Jewels are present in every
quarter of the universe as well as in our hearts, in every person and in
all other species
inhabiting every galaxy. By
dedicating ourselves to learn, practice and embody the Three Jewels, you
will have the proven
vehicle to nourish the ability to
love and understand within ourselves 

 

The

Affirmation ceremony is the first
step to becoming a disciple of Buddha. You begin the process to be
transformed from
within. Gradually, through the
working of Other Power, you will be made to deeply realize that each of
us is the main concern
of Great Compassion. As Shinran
Shonin said, we who are like rubble will be turned into gold.