Abstract

In the modern society where the young people are trapped by the busy schedules, many of the elderly parents and the adults live in isolation. This isolation they suffer has become a root cause for both physical and psychological ailments in them. Anxiety in adults has developed to be a social issue from which both adults and the young suffer.

The current study investigates the success in engaging in Buddhist rituals as a relief for loneliness and anxiety in the old age. The study was conducted as a field research by getting answers to a questionnaire and through informal discussions with 20 parents of age of 65+ who attend Buddhist programs in a retreat in Colombo, Sri Lanka and another 20 parents who have retired from work and just stay at home.

The study takes a mix approach using both qualitative and quantitative research methods and sometimes comparative method also has been employed. The study finds that the parents who stay at home watching TV and just idling suffer from variety of physical ailments and anxiety troubling their children a lot. But the others who spend more time in the temples and retreats engaging in various types of Buddhist rituals like organizing Bodhi Pooja,(worshipping the Boo tree) Perahera(Buddhist Procession) , Chaithya wandana (worshiping the pagoda), making handicraft for offerings, etc, suffer from less ailments and live with a peaceful mind. The study investigates the importance of engaging in rituals with reference to psychological consolation that the rituals provide as explained in suttas like Mahāparinibbhāna, Kūtadanta, Mahānisansa, Singālowāda, etc,.

Keywords: Buddhist rituals, loneliness, anxiety, psychological relief, elders