During a Buddhist marriage the bride can change her dress up to 5 times! The whole event of being married can take 24 hours. The actual ceremony only takes 30mins. Before a man and woman can get married, their horoscopes have to match.
Unlike other spiritual traditions, Buddhists consider marriage to be a secular matter, meaning it is the individual's choice and not a sacrament. Rather than having strict proceedings, a Buddhist ceremony is a joyful, fluid occasion that reflects the heritage of the partners.
The marriage is solemnized away from the temples in a non-religious environment. They are done through specific family-oriented rituals, where friends and family gather, enjoy a feast, exchange gifts. The couple leaves the girl's paternal home on a date determined by consulting their kikas.
In Buddhism, both husband and wife are expected to share equal responsibility and discharge their duties with equal dedication. The husband is admonished to consider the wife a friend, a companion, a partner.
It is a secular institution, an arrangement between two people or two families and Buddhism does not insist upon monogamy, polygamy, polyandry or any other form of marriage.
The wedding takes place either in the temple or at the bride's home. At home a shrine is erected with a statue of Buddha. The bride and groom light candles and incense and lay flowers around the statue. The 'lama' conducts the wedding.
Even though the Buddhist texts are silent on the subject of monogamy or polygamy, the Buddhist laity is advised to limit themselves to one wife. The Buddha did not lay rules on married life but gave necessary advice on how to live a happy married life.
The Buddha, in reply to a householder as to how a husband should minister to his wife declared that the husband should always honor and respect his wife, by being faithful to her, by giving her the requisite authority to manage domestic affairs and by giving her befitting ornaments.
The Buddha emphasises the fruitful role the women can play and should play as a wife, a good mother in making the family life a success. In the family both husbands and wives are expected to share equal responsibility and discharge their duties with equal dedication.
The Buddha himself said that divorce is permissible in certain situations. He outlined three grounds on which divorce is allowable: if one's spouse is unfaithful, if they are unable to support themselves or their family, or if they are abusive.
While Buddhist women must go through an administrative process to marry men of other religions, if both partners are non-Buddhist, their marriage falls under customary practices.
The precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Within the Buddhist doctrine, they are meant to develop mind and character to make progress on the path to enlightenment.
Love that involves clinging, lust, confusion, neediness, fear, or grasping to self would, in Buddhist terms, be seen as expressions of bondage and limitation. Lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and a particular form of equanimity are the four kinds of love taught and encouraged in classic Buddhist teachings.
Faithfulness is one of the most important ingredients for a successful marriage. A husband should not, the Buddha said, be unfaithful to his wife or a wife to her husband (D. III,190). A character in the Jàtaka says: `We do not transgress with another's wife and our wife does not transgress against us.
In Buddhism, there is no single holy book. Extensive scriptures have been preserved in many Asian languages. Buddhists don't believe in a supreme being or creator god. Because of its emphasis on meditation and mindfulness, Buddhism is often considered to be a form of psychology rather than a religion.
In the Himalayan region, especially in Tibet and Nepal, Tara's status is more that of a supreme goddess or female buddha than a bodhisattva. She is referred to as the Wisdom Goddess, the Embodiment of Perfected Wisdom, the Goddess of Universal Compassion, and the Mother of all Buddhas.
A bhikkhunī (Pali: 𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀼𑀦𑀻) or bhikṣuṇī (Sanskrit: भिक्षुणी) is a fully ordained female in Buddhist monasticism. Male monastics are called bhikkhus.
Buddhism accepts the fact that men and women are equal in achieving freeing or nirvana. Buddhism is doctrine which praises reviviscence, overcoming personal imperfection, liberating oneself from sufferings.
Love Your Wife Unconditionally
The foundation of any marriage is love and trust. These two qualities go together. Loving your wife is one of the primary responsibilities of a husband. You must satisfy her emotionally by assuring her that you love, respect, and value her.
In turn, there are five tenets on which a wife should treat his husband: 1) performing her duties efficiently, 2) being hospitable to relatives and attendants, 3) not betraying his faith in her, 4) protecting his earnings and 5) being skilled and industrious in discharging her duties.
A husband's role is that of a protector, provider, and lover. But this is not as clear as it may sound. There are many complexities that a husband and wife go through. The journey should resemble a partnership, given its fair share of ups and downs.
Marriage is not a religious obligation in Buddhism. Buddhism allows for each person to make the decision of whether or not they want to be married, how many children they want to have, and who they want to marry.
The Buddha never said anything negative about true love. Romantic love, if you are successful, will cultivate a lot of loving kindness and compassion. And very soon, your love will be all embracing.
There is, in the Buddhist view, nothing uniquely wicked about sexual offenses or failings. Those inclined to develop a guilt-complex about their sex-life should realize that failure in this respect is neither more, nor, on the other hand, less serious than failure to live up to any other precept.