Analyse the purpose of devotion (worship) for Buddhists (10 marks)
Devotion is one of the ways Buddhists express their faith in the enlightenment of the Buddha. It is a key practice in Buddhism and refers to a commitment to religious observances or to an object or person and often involves thinking about the inspiring qualities of the Buddha and Buddha's teachings. Buddhists use rituals as part of devotion, practices including things such as Puja which is making offerings at a shrine. A shrine is a place in which devotion is paid to certain, significant relics. This can take place in a house or temple, and you go and perform aspects of devotion. They usually include items such as a statue of the Buddha, flowers, candles, a bell, incense. A consequence of this is that you learn something about the Dhamma from the items. For example, because they are currently beautiful and healthy but will one day wilt and die, flowers symbolise Anicca, which means impermanence and is one of the three marks of existence. This means everything in the universe and all life is constantly changing and does not remain the same so Buddhists believe you should not form attachments to material things as they will not last nor bring lasting happiness. Puja has an impact on Buddhists because it? s an act of dedication, which shows respect to the Buddha and his teachings. A further consequence is, because you are both devoting and reminding yourself of the teachings of the buddha, further positive kamma is generated as well as the purification...