[Buddha-l] Reading sutra's without understanding them

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Stefan Detrez schreef:

> Hi,
>
> some forms of Buddhism consider the mere reading of sutra's as 
> karmically beneficial (as the Lotus sutra mentions a couple of times). 
> As I remember, understanding what is being read is not that all 
> important, just doing it serves enough. Do you know which forms of 
> Buddhism see this 'numb' reading as beneficial and is it really so 
> that understanding the content of the text is considered as good, but 
> not necessary? To what extent is this true?.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Stefan

Hi Stefan,

there are several reasons why reading a text can be benficial.

   1. The gods are always listening and they might like to return the favour
   2. You help preta's and other unhappy ghosts
   3. The physical effect of the sounds can heal people and avert danger
   4. You're not supposed to have the authority to study a text or
      perform a practice untill you have been properly instructed, so
      you have to hear the whole text, preferably in it's original form
      and language. The one who's reading is in fact giving someone the
      possibility to study and practice, which is very beneficial.
   5. as part of a ritual or as ritual in itself, you simply do it
      because it is required and doing what's required in a buddhist
      situation (praying for a long life of the guru etc.) brings good
      karma.
   6. words call up a virtual reality, if you say something and imagine
      it to happen, it happens 'a little bit'.

This is all I can think of at the moment.

-- 


Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms
weblog http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/pub/blogs/blog.php?uid=2950