Our vision is to create a community website that will teach the Budisht Religion and allow different ethnic groups to come together. This website will allow members to share their thoughts and express their feelings about their religion, community and their surroundings. We provide several activates which include picture/video uploads, streaming audio, forums, etc. Please click HERE to register

*Notes:
This site needs to have pop-ups enable (allow) for some of the activities to function correctly.

*Information:
Wat Lao Rattanaram are looking for members who can help with the following:

2008 Resolution:
If you have any suggestions feel to contact me.  This year I would like to see the following on tasks being met.

It would be great if you can help make Wat Lao Rattanaram achieve its goals.

     Today, we see an increasing number of people around the world starting to practice Buddhism. However, not many people truly understand what Buddhism is. Therefore, this becomes a very important topic. What exactly is Buddhism? We need to understand it clearly. Buddhism is a most virtuous and perfect education directed by the Buddha towards all sentient beings in the nine realms. How can we tell that Buddhism is an education? First, we can tell from the way we call Buddha Shakyamuni our “Original Teacher” that he is the founder of Buddha and that we are his students. From this, it is very apparent that the Buddha and we share a teacher-student relationship. This is only found in education.

     If Buddhism is his teaching, who then is the Buddha? Buddha is a Sanskrit word meaning wisdom and enlightenment. However, this wisdom is not the worldly wisdom we think of today. Broadly speaking, the Buddha’s to wisdom is the ability to ultimately, perfectly and correctly comprehend the true reality of life and the universe in the past, present and future. One who has perceived this wisdom is called a Buddha. Buddha Shakyamuni told us that all sentient beings, including ourselves, possess this innate wisdom and ability. Thus Buddhism regards all beings equally. Although we are equal in origin, presently we cannot see this because everyone’s wisdom and abilities differ.

     In our society, there are those who are intelligent and those who are not, those with great ability and those with less. How do these things come about? The Buddha told us that they are due to our varying degrees of delusion. Our innate wisdom and abilities are temporarily lost due to this delusion, but are not truly or permanently lost. If we can break through this delusion, then we will be able to recover these abilities. Therefore, the Buddha’s teachings show us how to rid ourselves of delusion and to uncover our innate abilities.

     It is often stated in Mahayana sutras that the Buddha did not directly help sentient beings. Then how do sentient beings become Buddhist, by themselves. The Buddha only assists from the side by explaining the true reality of how we delude ourselves. After realizing this, we diligently put his teachings into practice to attain enlightenment of true reality. We become Buddhas. Buddha Shakyamuni clearly explained that becoming a Buddha is attainable by all sentient beings.

     From this, we can see that Buddhism a teaching. However, a teacher can on educate us about the principles, tell us his/her experiences in practice and attainment, and suggest various methods for our attainment. The rest ultimately depends upon us. We are the ones who need to be enthusiastic and diligent in order to a attain achievement. Once we understand that Buddhism is an education we will logically regard the Buddha as our teacher. From this, we understand that in proper Way Places, we do not regard the Buddha or Bodhisattava images as gods to be worshipped. We make offerings to these images for two reasons. The first reason is to remember and repay our gratitude for this truly great education, which we have so fortunately encountered and accepted in this lifetime.

     The opening verse to sutras says it very well; “It is extremely difficult to encounter this teaching in infinite eons.” The debt of gratitude we owe the Buddha is similar to the remembrance, which some Chinese have toward their ancestors. We reflect on our origins for without these ancestors we would not exist. The second reason we make offerings to the Buddha is to follow the examples of the virtuous. Buddha Shakyamuni was an ordinary person like us; yet, he was able to be awakened and become a Buddha. What is there to stop us from achieving this as well? Therefore, the pictures or statues of the Buddha serve to remind us every moment to advance diligently towards this goal. The images are not to be regarded as gods or objects of superstition.

     In Buddhist Way Places, the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have many appearances. This has often led to the misconception that not only is Buddhism a religion but one that worships multi-deities as well. Indeed Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have many names. For example, in the Tripitaka there is the Ten Thousand-Buddha Names Sutra, which gives us over twelve thousand Buddha’s names and even more names for Bodhisattvas. Why are there so many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Within our original-nature there exists infinite wisdom, virtuous and artistic abilities that cannot be completely represented by merely one name. it is similar to a highly accomplished person in a prominent position; his or her business card could have numerous tittles.

     The names of the Buddhas represent the complete, innate and virtuous abilities within our self-nature. All the Bodhisattva names represent cultivation of different virtues. The original abilities within our self-nature are infinite but temporarily lost. Without genuine cultivation, we will not be able to uncover any of them. All the Buddha and Bodhisattva names are none other than ourselves. Once we understand this, we will realize that a high level of artistry represents the styles of the Buddha’s teachings. For example, sculptures and pictures can express the Dhamma. Understanding the true meaning of these images will help one to gain the true benefits of the Buddha’s teachings.

     If Buddhism is not a religion, why is it not then a philosophy? In philosophy, there is both a subject and an object. In Mahayana Buddhism, there is no difference between subject and object; they are one. This meaning is very profound and difficult to understand. For example, a great master said, “Utilizing gold to form utensils, all utensils are of gold.” Are the goal and the utensil the same thing or different” From their appearances they look like two different things. However, from their composition we realize that they are the same.

     One needs a profound intuitive comprehension to truly understand the reality of life and the universe. All of the Mahayana Sutras try to explain this concept and truth. One will share the same viewpoint with the Buddha when one truly understands and clearly recognizes this truth. Ordinary people, like we are deluded. In opposition to the other, not knowing that in reality everything is actually one and not two.