Make a Wish (2)

Make a Wish

 

(Putting a set of flowers and leaves at a large vase at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda.)

    On the pagoda platform, offerings of flowers and candles in honour of the stupa where Buddha’s relics are enshrined, or putting a set of flowers and leaves which represent seven-day-born, into a large vase placed at the foot of the Pagoda, show our loving kindness to all the human being. It is the act of Burmese Buddhists, giving loving kindness of all the human and all the living beings.

 We believe that such good deeds can save all the seven-day-born people around the world, and all the beings, wishing that they will be happy, healthy, and away from all the danger.

At the foot of the Buddha image, we recite: 

‘I take refuge in Buddha;

I take refuge in His Teachings,

I take refuge in the Sangha, His order of the Yellow Robe.’

After reciting and praying, and wishing good and well to all the beings around the world, it was our turn to wish something important for our life. Yes, I wished I would pass the examination, or I wished good luck for my coming book, or asked a blessing for something I need, etc. There were many things to wish. 

In my everyday life, I pray or reciting Buddha’s teaching at our household shrine, and completed with my wish as wishing good luck for me or for my parents, or for my relatives or for my cats and dogs, etc. I was not disappointed if my wish would not come true. If I pass the examination, I believed my wish really comes true. If not, I would blame no one. I supposed it was because I did something clumsy performance in the examination. I wondered if all the wishes come true, people will do nothing except wishing.

                                         (I wished good luck for my new book.)

One day, fortunately I paid attention to the Venerable Sayadaw (a monk)’s speeches about the issue that I was interested in. Sayadaw gave some reason about wishes that people did at the foot of the Pagoda or at the household shrine. Sayadaw said that people believed if they wished at the foot of the Pagoda, or at their household shrines, the wishes would be really come true. But think seriously it would not be reasonable if people break one of the five precepts. ‘Five Precepts’ that the Buddha never committed. (Here, Burmese Buddhist knows very well what ‘Five Precepts’ means. If one utters these words, every Burmese Buddhist knows what it means. It does not need explanation.) But for my non-Burmese readers, I copied the account of it as;

What are Five Moral Precepts? -

-Don’t kill other living beings. (to kill any living being with intention. It includes one kill insects intentionally, etc. If one does not commit unintentionally, it does not call ‘commit’.)

-Don’t take what is not given by the owner. (the thing stolen is possessed by others, or one has intention to steal it, or one makes bodily or verbal intention to steal it, etc)

-Don’t commit sexual misconduct. (to a woman who is under the guardianship of her mother, or of her father, or of her parents, or of her elder and younger brothers, or of her elder and younger sisters, or of her relatives, or of her tribe or clan, or of her Dhamma’s friends, or she has been engaged to a certain man, etc……)

-Don’t tell lies. (has an intention to lie, lying to others by word, letter or gesture, etc, it includes to lie to your parents, or friends, or teachers, etc.)

-Don’s take alcoholic drinks. (taking intoxicants, or narcotic drugs such as alcohol, hashish, cocaine, heroin, etc, or one has intention to take it, or makes the effort to take it, or one actually take it, (it refers to alcoholic drinks, and any intoxicants, etc))

The ‘etc’s from the above paragraph, should be written as big Big, Big ETC, because there were many more details remained in it. If one observes five precepts, the following benefits surely comes as;

If one observe the five precepts, one will possess longevity, beauty, strength, good health and wealth, and moreover; live happy, live in confidence, to free from danger, never separated from their loved ones, good features and fair complexion, influence on others, effective speech, calmness of mind, being intelligent, being mindful, etc. 

If not, one would get evil effects of the above benefits. 

Epilogue

All the wishes could not be true, because we surely could break some of five precepts intentionally as even killing a mosquito which included in five precepts. By the way, as our human nature, we could not help wishing something after reciting and praying at the foot of the Pagoda or at the household shrine. So, five precepts as much as we could observe on our birthday, or some special day or on new year day or etc.....  now on this Christmax today, and I wished to all the living beings well, happy, healthy, and away from all the danger….. Hope my wish will come true, and all be happy….

Ref: ‘The Teaching of the Buddha’, (Higher Level) V0l II, Published by Department for the Promotion and Propagation of the Sasana. 2003 June 15^th, Union of Myanmar (Burma).