Puja

Puja is a word derived from India. "Puja" or "pooja" may also refer to certain devotional practices performed by Balmikis, Buddhists (see Puja (Buddhism)) and Jains. It is used widely in India and Southeast Asia.

In Mangala Sutta, it has two meanings as follows;

1. To respect those who should be respected such as parents, elderly people, teachers, etc.
2. Two offerings; material, things or stuffs and immaterial, teachings, advice, practice or help.

The Buddha said, “Puja is an auspicious and meritorious activity that people should put into practice in their daily life. It can give rise to a good result”. He once praised one of his disciples who did puja, especially practice. That monk was Tissa who learned Dhamma from the Buddha. And then he saw that to stay with the Buddha, there were many monks. It was neither peaceful nor quiet. So he did not talk to his fellow monks and isolated himself from them. His friends saw that behavior and reported to the Buddha when they assembled together. The Buddha said in a assembly, “Behold monks, if you see danger in this world, you must practise meditation in solitude like Tissa. Meditation is a way of learning to understand internal world and external world”.

From the saying of the Buddha, we can realise that the Buddha himself praised meditation practice which is one of the ways to respect or do offering (puja) for a teacher. It is not only the praise of the teacher, but also good for the practitioner himself, because it can improve his life. He can use what he has learned in meditation.

Students not only learn the theory, but also they must put knowledge into practice so that they have real experiences which are real wisdom. It can be used in daily life. This comes from the auspicious and meritorious activity, Puja.