A STUDY OF BUDDHIST MORAL APPEARED IN CHARITY OF BIRTHDAY IN BUDDHIST TRADITION

Abstract

The purposes of this research were  as  follow ;-  ( 1) to study the principles of merit -making in Buddhism   (2 )  to study the birth and meritorious deeds on birth day (3) to study Buddhist morality obtainable form birth day meritorious deeds .

          The results of this  research  were  :- In Buddhism ,before going to the detail of merit, mind is to be considered first ; for merit or sin is a quality of mind .Whether merit or sin  can be viewed both in abstract and concreteness aspect .Merit is also can be viewed as cause and result .Merit is also substituted by happiness . The way to develop merit or punyakiriyawatthu was classified into two groups ;viz- threefold and tenfold. The main objective of developing merit is to purify mind or to keep mind out of defilement . The threefold developing merit consists of donation ,observing precepts and mind-purification.

          According to Buddhism, mankind is not created by God by natural evolution or the law of Ithappaccayata .Coming to be a baby is called birth .To perform merit rites before or after the birth of baby is known to be commonly practiced long ago before coming of Buddhism .The purposes of their rituals are to welcome and to cerebrate the new members of the families .There are also another reasons of birthday merit cerebration ; mother may have a dream concerning her baby or father or the King  may demand it . The morning sickness of mother while being pregnant can be also another reason merit rites . The ritual cerebrations before or after birth of children may have occurred long ago before the coming of Buddhism ; however this activity had been developed from time to time and finally become a real Buddhist ceremony up to the present day .

          The morality concerning  the birth-day merit cerebration is that father ,  mother and other relatives will have a good chance to create the charismatic power in society ; children , young generations and their friends will have a good chance to develop themselves in new society . Most and important result is that the society will live in good harmony and peacefully.