Mahayana Ritual Services Associates to Learning Interests of Buddhist Lay People in The Buddhist Monastery

Abstract

Mahayana ritual services express respect and implementation of Buddhist teachings as a form of belief in the Three Jewels. The main purpose of devotional service is to give strength to practitioners, encourage good deeds, and bring blessings, merits and happiness to oneself and others. On the other hand, interest in learning has a big influence on concentration and learning activities. A strong interest in the material being studied can increase the concentration of students. In addition, high interest also makes it easier to understand and store the information learned. In this context, this study examines the effect of Mahayana ritual services on interest in learning Buddhist Dharma at the Maha Cetiya Prajna Buddhist Center in Medan. The research method used is descriptive quantitative. The analysis results show that mahayana ritual services significantly positively influence the interest in learning Buddhist Dharma at the Maha Cetiya Prajna Buddhist Center. This influence occurs through devotional service, which involves reverence and prayer, reverence for the Buddha's name, determination to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings, introspection on one's actions, and sharing virtue with others. The statistical test results show that the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.305 or 30.5%. This indicates that the variable Ritual Services of Mahayana explains about 30.5% of the variation in interest in learning Buddhist Dharma. Thus, it can be concluded that Mahayana ritual services significantly influence the interest in learning Buddhist Dharma at the Buddhist monastery.