WhatBuddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
Fortune-Telling and Charms
Hard work is the luckiest star.
Although Buddhism does not refutebelief in deities, spirits, astrology and fortune-telling, the Buddha's advice was thatpeople should not be slaves to any of those forces. A good Buddhist can overcome all hisdifficulties if he knows how to make use of his intelligence and will-power. The abovementioned beliefs have no spiritual significance or value. Man must overcome all hisproblems and difficulties by his own efforts and not through the medium of deities,spirits, astrology or fortune-telling. In one of the Buddhist Jataka stories, theBodhisatta said:
'The fool may watch for lucky days,
Yet luck he shall always miss,
The luck itself is luck's own star,
What can mere stars achieve?
He believed that hard work was the luckiest star and oneshould not waste time by consulting stars and lucky days in order to achieve success. Todo your best to help yourself is better than to rely solely on the stars or externalsources.
Although some Buddhists practise fortune-telling anddispense some forms of charms or amulets under the guise of religion, the Buddha at notime encouraged anyone to practise such things. Like fortune-telling, charms come underthe category of superstition, and have no religious value. Yet there are many people todaywho, because of sickness and misfortunes attribute the cause of their illness and ill-luckto the power of charms. When the cause of certain sickness and misfortunes cannot beascertained or traced, many people tend to believe that their problems are due to charmsor some other external causes. They have forgotten that they are now living in thetwentieth century. This is the modern age of scientific development and achievement. Ourleading scientists have thrown aside many superstitious beliefs and they have even placedmen on the moon!
All sicknesses owe their origin to either mental orphysical causes. In Shakespeare, Macbeth asked a doctor if there was any medicine thatcould cure his wife and the doctor replied: 'More needs she the divine than thephysician.' What he meant was that some diseases could only be cured if the mind waspurified. Some severe mental disorders manifest themselves in a physical manner--ulcers,stomach aches, and so on.
Of course diseases are purely physical and can be cured bya competent doctor. And finally, some inexplicable disorders could be caused by whatBuddhist call the ripening of the kammic fruit. This means we would have to pay for someevil deed that we have committed in a past life. If we can understand this in the case ofsome incurable diseases, we can bear it with greater patience, knowing its real cause.
People who cannot be cured of their sickness are advisedto consult a medical specialist and obtain specialized attention. If after having gonethrough a medical check-up, a person still feels in need of attention, then he may want toseek spiritual guidance from a proper religious teacher.
Buddhists are strongly advised against falling into themiserable pit of superstitious beliefs and allowing the mind to be troubled by unnecessaryand unfounded fears. Cultivate a strong will-power by refusing to believe in the influenceof charms.
A short meditation course may also prove very helpful toclear the mind of unwholesome thoughts. Meditation leads to the purification of the mind.A purified mind automatically leads to a purified and healthy body. The Buddha-Dhamma is asoothing balm to get rid of sickness of this nature.
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