DHAMMA PADETHA – 20. PAYING RESPECTS BENEFIT BOTH PARTIES
DHAMMA PADETHA – PAYING RESPECTS BENEFIT BOTH PARTIES
All Buddhists are in the habit of paying respects to teachers, parents and elderly people according to seniority, on auspicious days like the Full-moon Day of Waso (Asalha), the Full-moon day of Thadingyut (Assajuja). New Year Day etc. It is our culture which has been handed down from our forbears.
Paying respects whom respect is due or are worthy of respect is beneficial for both parties, the one who pays respects and the one who receives it. The blessings are multiplied.
Benefits gained by those who pay respects.
For young people paying respects to those who are worthy of respect, have the blessings for reverence and humbleness. When paying respects to elderly or senior people you humble yourself first of all and thus you are free from pride and conceit. Pride and conceit are cause of unhappiness in the rounds of rebirth, samsara for young people.
Because you have got rid of pride by paying respects, it is beneficial for samsara. That is why those who pay respects eliminate bad effects and gain humbleness (nivata) blessings.
By paying respects young people also have respectfulness (garava) blessings. Respects physically and verbally are given to elderly and senior people. Hence, conceit, not giving respects where respect is due and which is uncourteous, is eliminated. Conceit causes a lot of unhappiness in the rounds of rebirth.
By paying obeisance, conceit is eliminated and therefore, will have lots of benefit in future births. That is why those who pay respects, eliminate bad kamma and receive garava blessings.
In paying obeisance, there are two kinds.
(1) Amisa puja — paying obeisance with offertories
(2) Dhamma puja — paying obeisance by practising dhamma
Buddhists pay obeisance with both kinds.
(1) Amisa-puja—paying obeisance with offertories means offering elderly and senior people good food and fruits, clothing and the like. Those who pay obeisance offer things presents very respectfully and thus, gain merit by paying due respect (apacayana) merit and also dana merit.
Because sila is involved in apacayana merit, those who have this kind of merit, in every existence, the following is acquired.
(1) property is easily and abundantly obtained
(2) become famous with good reputation
(3) attending functions with all kinds of audience, with delight and without any sense of inferiority
(4) seeing good signs when nearing death and meeting it with peace
(5) being reborn in the reaIm of devas
These are the five benefits gained by those who have apacayana merit.
Those with dana merit will have in every existence,
(1) long life
(2) good looks
(3) physical and spiritual happiness
(4) lots of attendants and companions
(5) a supermacy of authority in every aspect
Motto: Longevity, good looks, happiness, attendants, supremacy are the five benefits
That is why by paying respects to elderly and senior people with offertories they gain the above ten benefits and receive the blessing pertaining to honouring those to whom honour is due (pujaca pujanejanam
(2) Dhamma Puja—paying respects by practising dhamma, listening to the admonition of elderly and senior people and by practising dhamma with mindfulness.
Out of the two kinds of paying respects, Dhamma Puja— paying respects by practising dhamma will enable those who have paramis to realize nibbana. Therefore, it is more beneficial than by paying respects with offertories.
Those who pay respects by practising dhamma may realize nibbana (sacchikiriya), that is attaining supramundane blessings (lokuttara mangala). That is why those who have the foundation for satipatthana practice, pay respects by practising mindfulness meditation.
Benefits gained by receiver of the respects
Elderly and senior people who receive respects from young people would ponder thus: we are no more ordinary people, we are receiving the respect of young people. Hence, to be worthy of their respect it is only appropriate that we should have sila, samadhi and panna. We must practise sila, samadhi and panna more than during our younger days. Thus, filled with mindfulness and remorse, they practise sila, samadhi and panna more and more and thus their merits are increased./P>
Genuine metta is valuable
When young people come to pay respects elderly and senior people give their blessings with genuine metta, loving kindness and compassion. ‘May you all be free from harm, may you be happy physically and mentally, may you live more than a hundred years, may all your good wishes be fulfilled rapidly, may you be able to practise noble dhamma day and night.’ These blessings will be beneficial in the present life as well as in future births or samsara and will be an invaluable essence.
Reciprocal Metta is valuable
When older and senior people give their blessings with genuine metta and karuna, young people who pay their respects are filled with joy or rapture (piti), metta is reflected and they in turn pray for the teachers and parents ‘may they live more than a hundred years, may they be able to perform their duties for the benefit of the religion and the Sasana. Thus returning the best wishes and prayers will be beneficial for the present and future lives which is an invaluable essence.
Therefore, paying respects to those who are worthy, eliminates bad kamma and fulfil benefit and merit to both parties, those who are paying respects and those who are receiving them.
