Devotion in Buddhism (August 24, 2025)

Buddhism is not faith-based and does not worship a diety, our teacher Fred said in Sunday's Dharma talk. Instead, it is a path of awakening that offers teachings and practices to help people transform their lives.

Yet, we need a certain type of devotion and faith if we are going to achieve the transformation we seek, Fred said, because we have to trust the path. Devotion actually shows up in many ways in our society today, such as through devotion to favorite sports teams, internet "influencers," celebrities, and more. Many people exhibit their devotion to a team or a particular person through wearing certain jerseys or t-shirts, or collecting various other types of memorabilia. 

For those on a spiritual path, we can also nourish our devotion through using images and spiritual practices such as chantings, recitations and reflections to help inspire us to align actions of body, speech and mind with our aspirations. Fred described his home altar, which includes several Buddhas as well as pictures of his three beloved teachers. Images such as these help cultivate a deeper devotion to our spiritual practice, helping to connect us to the beautiful qualities of great spiritual beings and in turn bring out those same qualities in ourselves.