In this paperwork, I am going to discuss the rituals practiced by religions of the East: India, Japan, as well as China.
A ritual consists of a series of actions involving expressions, objects, and gestures. Rituals are performed according to a set of progression and in appropriate place. In most cases, rituals are prearranged by the traditions of a society, as well as a religious society. Rituals play a very influential task in the behavior of any fastidious religion; for example, in the life of Indian people pursing Hindu religion, rituals play domineering task in determining their lives in a finicky style.
In India, religious rituals are performed more often at the temple than at home- the Indians priests are, also, invited at their home so as to perform a special ritual for their family members. Puja is a common method of worship practiced by Indians- performed on a daily basis or during some important religious ritual or purpose. It can be either an effortless ritual devotion or a very complex one, depending upon the mode it is carried out. The puja ritual can be performed before taking a meal or when wishing someone success- success in his or her studies. A ritual performed before taking a meal can be categorized as a simple ritual that does not require the help of an expert. The complicated pujas requires the help of an expert while the simple pujas can be performed at home.
In this ritual, puja, the Indians offer flowers and water to God along with narration of His names. Puja is, also, depicted as having a spiritual power that awakens the indwelling force in us. According to the Indians beliefs, it is depicted that this ritual makes the deity to become alive- the deity is normally a static statue without life. The statue is brought to existence outwardly through the repetition of mantras or particular invocations or through the presentation of prana pratishta. The devotee’s genuineness, attentiveness, divine grace, and attachment which are emblematically signified as the blessing from above, also, play a significant role in awakening the indwelling force.
The Indians have adopted various ways of performing pujas, but the most ordinary form entails a definite succession of proceedings (Dudrah 8). When conducting the ritual; the initial step entails incantation of God through summons to a definite mark on earth, which is signified with the guidelines, plan of time and place name- achieved through the repetition of mantras or uncomplicated prayers. After the initial stage is complete and the Indians, totally, believe that deity has come, a seat for the deity is presented with decisive esteem. Water is then given to him and his feet are washed with ceremonial water. This ritual ends with the offering of aarati or holy burns to the deity and sharing of prasadam.
In order for this ritual to take place, there must be an image or other sign of the gods. These images or sign of the gods serves as a way of gaining access to the divine when conducting this ritual- puja. According to this ritual, it is more religionist than reductionist since the ritual is, mostly, performed in sacred places. The complex rituals are spearheaded by religious leaders.
Japanese has numerous rituals, but I am going to shift my focus to Chanoyu- a Japanese tea ritual. Chanoyu can be translated to mean hot water for tea. It is a choreographic ritual of making and giving green tea mutually with customary Japanese sweets to poise with the tart flavor of the tea. During the performance of this ritual, making tea means driving one’s concentration into the predefined activities. The process of preparing tea is depicted as not being of significance, but this ritual is all about aesthetics, whereby, the bowl of tea is primed from one’s compassion. The host of the ritual is expected to identify and reply to any movement or gesture made by the guests. The host must, also, consider how the guests handle the tea utensils. The objective of this ritual, Japanese tea ceremony, is to construct a comfortable communication involving the host and his guests. The ritual is based in component on the decorum of serving tea (Temae), but it also comprises of the friendly associations with structural design, background gardening, paintings, exceptional tea utensils, flower display, inscription, and all other rudiments that coexist in pleasant connection with the ritual. The ultimate goal of practicing this ritual is the achievement of profound spiritual fulfillment through the intake of tea- observing the course of silent deliberation. The host is, therefore, required to be totally alert so as not to miss any movement or gesture depicted by the guests. This ritual establishes good liaison involving the host and guests- the friendship ties are strengthened as result of the presentation of this ritual, whereby, the host is mandated to take the act of making tea and serving it to all the guests (Anderson 6).
Funeral rituals: these rituals are depicted as significant part of Chinese communal being. According to the Chinese beliefs, a continuous connection exists among the breathing and the departed, since demise does not mark the last part of a person- it is a progression of conversion. This conception of communal interdependence underpins the significance of the family unit as a communal component, with ancestors offering, social, touching and economic safety for the offspring. With the intervention of the intimates, the family unit is not depicted as an entity unit, but a component of an extended scale of plunge.
Presentation of this ritual can be seen as a count of Chinese communal beliefs. They think that all divisions of the universe belong to one natural whole. It is vital to maintain order and concord in one individual’s consciousness, in all facet of communal life. Death is depicted as causing a commotion of this stability and order; therefore, death rituals must be performed in order to restore order and stability in the society. This ritual, funeral, is categorized as an oral custom without a permanent set of principles, creed, or an influential priesthood.
The rituals are drawn from many spiritual backgrounds; for example, Taoism, Confucianism, as well as Buddhism. After the person becomes, too, ill and is almost dying, the relatives are mandated to assemble around the dying person with the intention of awaiting his or her bereavement. The relatives’ members who are abroad, too, are not spared since they have to be around the dying person. A white placard is sited over the gate after the passing away has taken place with the objective of signifying that death has occurred in the family. The members of the family as well as friends are then given notice of the demise so as to prepare themselves for the ritual. According to the Chinese traditions, prolonged existence is extremely appreciated, therefore, the number of years of the departed person is usually added- three to five years are added to the actual age. The family unit dominates the act of this ritual-funeral. The family units are mandated to wear special garments. The special garments comes in different colors in order to portray the connection among the mourners and the deceased- black, white, green, and blue. The closest family members; for example, the daughters as well as sons are mandated to wear white trousers and shirts and usually completed of cotton. The mourners are also expected to wear mourning pins- worn from day one of the rituals. Xiao and pins are depicted as small bits of material that are used in mourning- they are usually attached on the sleeves. The mourning pins, according to Chinese traditions, can be worn for a period of not less than three years. The ending of the rituals signifies the conversion of the dead into an ancestor of the family unit.
The deceased pictures and the urn are located on the ancestral altar. In order for the family members to remember the ancestor and for the offspring to show their reverence and loving commemoration of the departed, the family members conduct regular rituals before the ancestral tablet. According to this ritual, it is more reductionist than religionist. In order to restore order and balance, it is depicted that this ritual must be performed. Social order and equilibrium are linked with this ritual with the intention of creating a clear scenario for the family member to understand (Watson 38).
References
Anderson, J.L. (1991). An introduction to Japanese tea ritual. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Dudrah, R.K. (2012). Intermedia in South Asia: The fourth screen. London: Routledge.
Watson, J.L., & Rawski, E.S.(1988). Death ritual in late imperial and modern China. Berkeley: University of California Press.
