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EveryJaadu

Buddhist: magic in this belief world

Protective chants and amulets, Tibetan ritual, and the spirit cults that live beside Buddhism.

Buddhism teaches liberation, yet in practice nearly every Buddhist land has protective chants, blessed threads, amulets, tattoos and rites for the dead. Thai monks bless sacred tattoos, Tibetan lamas perform protection rituals, Japanese temples sell omamori, and Sri Lankan monks recite paritta. This page looks at how Buddhism has met spirit cults and magical practice, and the debates over what counts as the teaching. Practice differs between Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, and across countries.

Protection and blessing

Many Buddhist communities use chants believed to protect, such as the paritta of Theravada lands. Monks bless water and thread, and lay people wear amulets of famous monks in Thailand. Tibetan Buddhism includes elaborate rites with mandalas, mantras and deity visualisation. Practitioners explain these as work with merit and compassion, and not as forcing events. Tibetan lamas and Mongolian monasteries keep protective deities and rites for the dead, and ordinary people ask for blessings, divination and long-life ceremonies.

Spirit cults beside the faith

Buddhism often lives alongside older spirit worship. Thai homes keep spirit houses, Burmese people honour the 37 nats, Sri Lankans make offerings to local deities, and Japanese temples sit beside Shinto shrines. Scholars debate whether to call this syncretism or a division of labour in which spirits deal with this life and the Buddha with the next. Some of these spirits are said to have been bound by Buddhist teachers in the past, so Buddhism takes credit for ordering the unseen, which is a historical claim scholars view as a theme in the faith's spread.

Lay, monastic and gender

Authority sits with ordained monks and lamas, and ordination for women is limited or disputed in several traditions. Monks who sell amulets or claim miracles have been criticised, and Buddhist teachers who promise supernatural results have been caught in scandals. In Thailand, authorities have acted on fraudulent monks. Women's roles are mixed: female mediums and nuns are active in many Buddhist lands, while institutional authority is largely male. Thai police and the Sangha Supreme Council have disciplined monks for fraud, which shows the limits that Buddhist institutions put on claims of power.

State, history and the West

Buddhism has been suppressed, as in Tibet after 1950 and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, and promoted by states for national identity. In the West, mindfulness has been separated from ritual, while Tibetan and Zen institutions face their own questions about abuse. Reformers such as Buddhist modernists have long argued that magic is a corruption of the teaching. Debate continues over whether such practice belongs to the religion, and many Buddhists in the West, in Japan and in Sri Lanka explain it as cultural habit and a form of kindness.

Buddhist on EveryJaadu

The entries written up so far, best known first.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindTraditionRiteCharmOracleSubstanceBeingFigureTextIllusionBelief
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
StandingLivingRevivedFadingHistoricalLegendaryPerformed
OrderBest knownA to ZNewestLiving first
🇮🇳 IndiaChakraचक्र Meditation points in the subtle body used in Hindu and Buddhist yogaTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living 🇨🇳 China and 3 moreChinese dragon龍 A legendary water deity and imperial symbol in East Asian cultureBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical 🇹🇭 ThailandYi Pengยี่เป็ง A northern Thai festival of lights featuring sky lanterns and Buddhist merit-makingTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreTilopa A tenth-century Buddhist tantric master who transmitted Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa.Figure · Change and initiation · Power and authority Historical 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreGuanyin觀音 (Guānyīn) The Bodhisattva of compassion, worshipped across East Asia as a listener to human sufferingBeing · Protection · Healing Living 🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreTriquetra A three-arc knot used in medieval art and modern pop culturePower and authority Living 🇯🇵 JapanDaruma doll達磨 A round Japanese talisman that rights itself when knocked overCharm · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living 🇰🇭 Cambodia and 3 moreSak Yantសាក់យ័ន្ត A Southeast Asian tattoo tradition using sacred geometry for protection and powerTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 morePishachaपिशाच (piśāca) A flesh-eating demon from Indian religions, feared for possession and madness.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇮🇳 India and 2 morePadmasambhavaཔདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས། A tantric master credited with establishing Buddhism in Tibet and founding the Nyingma school.Figure · Protection · Power and authority Living 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSpirit possession A global belief that spirits or demons can take control of a person's body and mindBelief · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAshtamangalaअष्टमङ्गल A set of eight sacred symbols used in Indian religions to mark auspicious occasions and teach spiritual truths.Tradition · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Living 🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreBonfire A large outdoor fire used in seasonal festivals and religious feasts across many culturesRite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 India and 5 morePretaप्रेत A suffering spirit of insatiable hunger found in Asian religious traditionsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇨🇳 China and 2 moreFox spirit狐狸精 A shapeshifting creature from Chinese folklore that can take human form and live for centuries.Being · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Legendary 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreRudrakshaरुद्राक्ष Dried seeds of the Elaeocarpus tree used as prayer beads in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.Substance · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreTantraतन्त्र An esoteric yogic tradition from India focusing on ritual, mantra, and body-based spiritual practices.Tradition · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living 🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 morePrayer flagLung ta Cloth banners printed with mantras, hung in high places to spread blessings on the windCharm · Protection · Cleansing and purification Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMantraमन्त्रम् A sacred sound or phrase repeated to focus the mind and invoke spiritual powerText · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreMatsyendranathMacchindranāth, Mīnanātha A yogi and rain deity revered across Hindu and Buddhist traditions in South Asia.Figure · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAmritaअमृत (Sanskrit) A Sanskrit concept of immortality and the nectar that grants it across Indian religionsBelief · Healing · Power and authority Living 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreYantraयन्त्र A geometric diagram from Indian traditions used for worship and meditationTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇰🇷 South KoreaJesa제사 A Korean ancestral memorial rite involving food offerings and ritual bowsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇵🇭 PhilippinesPhilippine mythology The indigenous myths and spirits of the Philippines, shaped by centuries of trade and colonial contact.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 1 moreOvooовоо A stone or branch cairn used as a shrine and boundary marker in Mongolic folk practice.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 IndiaSiddhiसिद्धि Magical powers and spiritual attainments in Indian religionsBelief · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇩🇲 Dominica and 1 morePrayer beads Beaded strings used to count prayers and mantras across many world religionsSubstance · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreMani stone Carved stones inscribed with Buddhist mantras, placed as offerings along paths in the Himalayas.Charm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 IndiaNaropa An Indian Buddhist master whose teachings shaped Tibetan Vajrayana practiceFigure · Change and initiation Historical 🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreSandpainting A ritual art of pouring colored sand to create temporary images for healing or spiritual teachingTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 1 moreTsagaan SarЦагаан сар A Mongol lunisolar new year marked by white clothes and dairy feastsTradition · Luck and prosperity · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYoginiयोगिनी A female master of yoga and tantra, or a fierce goddess aspect in Indian temples.Tradition · Power and authority · Protection Historical 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreYakshaयक्ष (Sanskrit), ยักษ์ (Thai) Nature spirits and guardian deities in South and Southeast Asian traditionsBeing · Protection · Power and authority Living 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreYakshiniयक्षिणी Some guard, some haunt: female nature spirits of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain loreBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDakiniḍākinī A goddess figure in Hinduism and Buddhism, ranging from flesh-eating demoness to enlightened energy.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical 🇯🇵 Japan and 3 moreObonお盆 A Japanese Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of ancestors through dance and offeringsTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇹🇭 ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์ The Thai solar New Year marked by water rituals and sand pagodasTradition · Cleansing and purification · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDiyaदीया A small oil lamp used in prayers and festivals across the Indian subcontinentTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇯🇵 JapanEn no Gyōja役小角 A legendary Japanese ascetic and founder of Shugendō mountain practiceFigure · Power and authority · Protection Historical 🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAstragalomancy Divination by casting marked bones, carved rods, or numbered diceOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNakshatraनक्षत्रम् (Nakṣatram) A system of lunar mansions used in Hindu and Buddhist astrology to map the sky.Tradition · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreKuji-in九字印 A system of nine syllables and hand gestures used for protection and spiritual alignment in Japanese esoteric traditionsRite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 2 moreWind Horseརླུང་རྟ་ An East and Central Asian symbol of the soul, luck, and vital energyBeing · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSky burialབྱ་གཏོར་ A Tibetan funerary rite where human remains are offered to scavenging birdsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living 🇲🇲 MyanmarWeizzaဝိဇ္ဇာ Burmese mystics who seek immortality and await the future BuddhaTradition · Protection · Healing Living 🇲🇳 Mongolia and 2 moreMongolian shamanismBöö mörgöl The animistic and shamanic ethnic religion of the Mongol peoples, centered on sky worship and ancestral spirits.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living 🇨🇳 China and 1 moreAncestor veneration in China中國傳統宗法性宗教 Rites for dead kin who are thought to watch over the familyTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese guardian lions石獅 (shíshī) Stone lion pairs placed at entrances to ward off harm and welcome fortuneCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
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The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.