In traditional Theravada (Sri lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma) Buddhism, there is an emphasis on the basic five precepts that has a lot in common with all other major religions. The emphasis is "I undertake the training not to" kill, steal, lie, commit sexual misconduct and take intoxicants.
Although these are rules laid down by the Buddha, Buddhist do not have a top down ‘church’ to enforce these rules. Those who are devout Buddhists strive to uphold these rules for our own peace of mind and spiritual well-being.
If we compare these basic five precepts with Islamic rules, pork being haram is not an issue to Buddhists who should be having mainly vegetarian meals so as not to encourage killing of animals in general.
If we steal, lie and commit sexual misconduct our conscience will not be clear and that will affect our quest to find peace of mind. The Buddha specifically stated alcohol and drugs in the category of intoxicants that cause heedlessness. As for modern science there has been lots of scientific studies to prove that drugs and alcohol do have long term effects on the brain.
So an Islamic state that forbids alcohol venues will do a lot of social good. In Western and developing countries that uphold the so-called concept of 'freedom' to use drugs and alcohol, social and wellbeing issues of their respective societies are highly affected.
Lots of hospitals in those countries are inundated with drug and alcohol related injuries both violent and accidental. Huge amounts of medical resources are regularly diverted to treat drug, alcohol and cigarrette related illnesses. Mental illness issues are also related to abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Gambling was not specifically mentioned in the Buddhist category of intoxicants; however an addiction to gambling ruins your life and your relationships with your family and friends.
If you are a casual gambler like a lot of Chinese who adopt the habit of playing mahjong to kill time; as a practising Buddhist, the religious perspective is that you are basically wasting your precious time. In this respect, the Buddha advises his disciples not to waste time and to practice Buddhism diligently, as life is short and the time of our demise is uncertain.
If one wants to further your spiritual practice in Buddhism, the Buddha advises his disciples to practice eight precepts that includes having no meals after noon, avoiding luxurious beds (that encourage sloth) and having no bodily beautification like make up, jewellery, and no entertainment like going to shows and listening to music.
These extra precepts are to encourage practitioners to live a more meditative and simpler lifestyle. In most monasteries in the Theravada tradition you are only allowed to drink juices or water after lunch, which is basically similar to ‘puasa’ after midday.
Most Buddhists are encouraged to spend some time in the monasteries once in a while during their lifetimes. It's compulsory in the Thai and Burmese traditions to send their kids to the monastery once as a young boy and later before marriage, to obtain some spiritual training.
The Thai limitation of the practice to boys is I believe merely a cultural phenomenon, the historic Buddha did ordain women as nuns at a time when women were the ownership of their husbands or their fathers. That was definitely radical during the Buddha's time.
The blissful moment of azan
When I was young, I used to hate the loudspeaker sounds of the azan. I probably automatically and sub-consciously adopted the vibes of the Chinese community’s grouses about the noise issue.
I experienced a new perspective when I underwent some temporary Buddhist monk training in Southern Burma in 1997 were there also exists a minority community of practising Muslims. After having practised five to six months sitting in meditation five times a day in the monastery, my mind had experienced great peace.
There were many early morning hours when I was awake and meditating in my hut, and as the Muslim call for prayer began, I experienced tremendous peace, more bliss than the normal peace that I experienced daily.
It was an uplifting one and it complimented my meditation. From then on, my mind has turned to liking and looking forward to the early morning azan. I do not know the meaning of the words and I am sure the Malaysian azan are as soothing as the Burmese ones, but somehow the peace in my mind blends in harmonously with that sound of the call to prayer.
If we have been busy and tired, we can easily get frustrated and angry at everything around us. That is the nature of the mind. The Buddha's teaching is about embarking on an inward journey into our mind and trying to understand the nature of our minds.
If we are not experiencing peace within ourselves, there will always be something to blame. The teachings ask us to rearrange our perspective internally for if we arrange the world outside to suit our desires and wants, then we are deluded and full of the concept of ‘self’ (that Buddhist practice trains one to rid).
The perspective of "that prayer sound is horrible" was instilled onto me by the society around me as a child, but after experiencing endless days of peaceful moments internally, my perspective has changed.
So if you feel frustrated and angry at those call for prayer sounds, please ask yourselves have you been practising diligently like our Muslim counterparts?
If we have been engaging in karaoke singing and drinking into the late hours of the evening, I assure you the azan will be a torture in the early hours of the morning. But if we have been meditating deligently and seriously embarking on a simpler spiritual lifestyle, the call for prayer can even be an incentive for us to wake up and practice more, to search for more peace in our hearts.
Kuo Yong Kooi is a Buddhist monk.
