On a beautiful sunny morning of February 1, 2015, I visited a Buddhist temple in Riverside. It was called the Thich Ca Thien Sakyamuni Buddhist Meditation Center. It was about 20 minutes away from University of California, Riverside which was convenient for me because I didn 't have to worry about the distance being a problem. I didn’t know what to expect from a temple so I researched what to wear, how to act, what not to wear, what not to do, etc. Although I looked up a few things about the Buddhist temple online, I was still nervous about visiting the place.
When I first drove in to this place, I was lost. The front kind of just looked like a huge house. The front yard was made into a small parking structure for people to park when visiting.
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statues of Buddha, I didn’t know what the purpose of its existence. I took a few pictures of the statues and decided to check out the building that looked like an octagon with a coned roof.
I took off my shoes to show respect and walked into the building. The temperature of the room was a bit chilly and the size of the room was mediocre. There were posters of information about the religion and Buddha on the walls. It information included Buddha’s date of birth and death, his location of birth and death, what he did in his life, etc. They were basic information of his background. After observing the room, I left to look for a monk for some assistance.
I walked back to the front where there was a house. Because this place was so quiet, I was even afraid to knock. There was a clear, sliding door with many pairs of slippers outside of the house. A few minutes later, a monk with a brown cloth wrapped around his entire body came out of the house. He didn’t speak fluent English but I was able to understand more than half of what he was saying. I briefly explained why I was there and that I wanted to learn about Buddhism. He was generous enough to show me around and he explained what some of these buildings were made
The first view of the temple, I felt that I have stepped into another culture. Culture is “the way of life a people, including their behavior, the things they make, and their ideas” (Ibid 518). The city of Hacienda Heights is the center of the largest Buddhist temple in North America. There are many Chinese cultures symbols at the temple. From the golden hip and gable roof top to the red pillars holding up the temple. The monks and nuns are the ones organizing the temple events. They wear a light brown robe. I have notice that all monks and nuns have shaved their heads. I believe this is called rites of passage which “are ceremonies that mark c...
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Walking into the Hall of the Buddhas, there was a sense of peace and guidance lingering inside me. The seated Bodhisattva, of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), CA.480, from the Yungang, Cave xv, Shani Province, made of sandstone, guarded the entrance. At first, I thought it was a time to be disciplined, but the transcending smile from the statue was a delicate fixed gesture that offered a feeling of welcome. It was not a place to confess your wrongdoings; neither was it a place for me to say, “Buddha I have sinned.” It was a room to purify the mind, the mind that we take for granted without giving it harmony. There was a large mural decorating the main wall called “The Paradise of Bhaishajyaguru”(916-1125). I sat down wandering if the artist of the portrait knew that his work would one day be shared on this side of the world, in my time. Much like Jesus Christ and his followers, the mural is a painting of healers and saviors. It was a large figure of the Buddha of medicine, (Bhaishajyaquru) surrounded by followers of Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahosthamaprapta with twelve guardian generals who have pledged to disseminate the Buddha’s teaching (Tradition of Liao 916-1125, Metropolitan Museum wall plaque).
Buddhism is considered as one of the leading religions throughout the world today. In order for a Buddhist to follow the religion, there are certain set of guidelines that one has to follow to gain a better life, but most people have other factors that they have to face along this path. The story, “The Journey of One Buddhist Nun” by Sid Brown, is an account of a Thai woman, Maechi Wabi, who entered a spiritual life along with life struggles and outside influences. According to Brown, Wabi faced many challenges along the way to liberation and two challenges she faced most are the gender and socioeconomic issues which she overcame during her spiritual journey.
...in, I highly respect Buddhism and may incorporate some of the beliefs I was taught into my everyday life. I arrived at the temple only in order to complete a school assignment, but I left the temple knowing I will be returning. The incredibly welcoming monks in the temple mentioned that meditation takes time and practice to master, encouraging me to return and practice meditation in their religious hall as they give me lessons on how to improve my focus while meditating. The Wat Buddharangsi Temple is a place that I would recommend anyone to visit. The feeling of relaxation and peace is one that I would love to, and will enjoy, on more than one occasion, as it is now one of my favorite places to relax in.
Thích Nh’at Hanh is a world renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, religious figure and accomplished writer. Living Buddha, Living Christ is only one of his many famous publications. Thích Nh’at Hanh, is famous for his insights into spiritual heritage and mindfulness in the present moment. Many Americans are seeking religious understanding and personal spirituality, even if they do not practice in the traditional manner. Throughout this book Nh’at Hang encourages readers to find meaning, understanding, mindfulness, and peace in the teachings of Buddha and Christ. His main focus is to open meaningful dialogue between different traditions, cultures, and religious groups around the world, for the betterment
People admired the overall concept of the religion and how it brought peace and enlightenment not only into their life, but the people that they are surrounded by. Many different artist began to create what they thought Buddha and how he, being the face of the religion, demonstrates how one can find these qualities in their life. Author of the book History of Chinese Philosophy, Bo Mou states that “....an affectionate concern for the well-being of one 's fellows in the community, society, or a state governed by a wise and virtuous ruler”, when referring to Buddha. In Seated Buddha, it can be mistaken that this sculpture does not posses a lot of great detail, but upon further inspection, it is obvious that it holds very detailed designs. This sculpture has a halo-type structure around the head of the Buddha and he is seated on an elevated surface. I believe that by placing the Buddha on this surface it then emphasizes his holiness and his importance to and in the community. One main feature that the Seated Buddha holds is the fact that he is seated in the lotus position, which ultimately was done to support the concept of peacefulness and calmness. The man has his right-hand open resting on his knee with his palm facing up. By doing this, I believe that the artist is showing the concept of openness and the idea of the Buddha figure being welcoming to others. The Seated Buddha is depicted with his eyes shut and a smile on his face. To me, this is showing that one can be happy regardless of what they can and cannot see and that you do not have to observe something in order to be happy. This can also mean that even if there is bad happening in the world, you can not look at the bad and just help others through their pain, which can then boost the amount of happiness that you
As I said before I didn’t know what to expect when I went into the temple. One thing I had never seen was the outfits that the Buddhists wore. I found them to be very interesting and simple. If I could have stayed I would have loved to know if they were different ones for different types of ceremonies or how often they do get to change them. There were many followers present when I went. Although I did go during a ceremony. At the beginning of the ceremony when the Buddhist was kneeling they also did too. There were also times where they were standing and had bowed at certain times. There was one thing I enjoyed more here than my own religion was when the Buddha had come to talk about the readings. He interacted with the followers instead of just lectured. It was nice to see some interaction. It was just different to not be able to understand the chants that they were saying. I could tell that they were in a different language, so if I was able to stay longer I would have asked what the chants had meant. I’m glad that I was given this assignment to be able to learn about another religion. Even though we had a chapter on Buddhism I don’t believe that you can learn everything from a book. There is more learning to be done when going to an actual ceremony or even asking someone about their religion and the values that are done
The actual building itself appears similar to a castle. The architecture had royal features due to the triangular points on the top of the building. There were three open doors; one big main entrance in front, two small side doors, and all the guests entered through the main entrance. Once I walked in, a big gold Buddha was centered in the back surrounding multiple iconic religious statues. There seemed to be about a hundred religious statues highly dazzled in silver or good.
Just outside of Goodyear, Arizona lies The Wat Promkunaram Buddhist temple. 20 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona, this rural farm town was a very quiet community. But on the morning of August 10, 1991, all of that changed in a heartbeat. A temple worker, who was delivering food that morning, felt a strange sense of silence. He investigated the temple to find somebody who was awake. By the time he arrived, usually, the monks were already awake and doing daily chores and activities. But this was no ordinary morning. As the temple worker strolled into the living room, he could not believe what he saw. The six monks who lived there, along with a nun and two teenage servants to the temple lay shockingly still in front of the couch in the middle of the room. He immediately contacted the police and then stood in shock at the massacre scene he had just witnessed.
There is a famous quote by writer Joseph Campbell that says, “Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again”. That says, everyone has a sacred space. For some that is their bedroom, for others it is a religious or spiritual place. No matter what, however, everyone gets the same feeling, the same release from their sacred place, but some people must go further, or make a pilgrimage to get to their sacred space or spaces. I will be addressing the sacred places of pilgrimage in Buddhism.
Seeing the monks was deeply enlightening to me because it was new to see grown man live in humbleness and peace. They wore an orange robe over their bare upper bodies and a white fabric-pants to cover their lower bare bodies. It was clear to me that these monks were individual men indulged in a simple of life. Fortunately, I was able to make the connection between what we learned in my Introduction to Asia lecture and what was from the temple. In lecture we learned that Thailand was deeply rooted in Buddhism, and often time’s, young lay men would make a temporary journey to leave behind their belongings and possessions to live a life of humility as a monk. Carlos, shared some information about the monks stating they were men from Thailand who decided to take a great leap in leaving behind their families and duties in the Thailand economy to live a simple life that avoided stress and societal troubles similar to how monkhood was referred to in lecture. Eventually I was given the opportunity to speak to one of the monks. He stated that Wat Buddharangsi was a Buddhist community that was home to rotating monks from Thailand travelling all over the world. I asked him the principles that the monks live by, and he roughly gave me an ideas of Buddhist principles of—no stealing, cheating, adultery and rules that would inhibit a life of humility and simplicity. I also learned from the monk that they live their days through the kind hearts of others who donate food. If people did not come to donate food to the monks in a particular day, then they were fine with eating food from the previous day’s left overs. I know understand that Buddhism includes a sense of community and teamwork to support the men who took up the mantle as a
"What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre." What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. .
I decided to visit a Hindu temple because the Hindu religion was the religion that I knew the least about and was interested in. This assignment gave me an opportunity to learn more about this religion and what their worship services and rituals were like. The temple that I went to was called BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir and it was located in Lilburn. As soon as I walked in, I was amazed by the beautiful architectural design of this Temple. It seemed like it took a lot of hard work and dedication to make the place what it is now. While I was at the temple, I watched the Hindus perform an ancient Vedic ritual called the Abhishek, a ritual bathing to honor the murti of their God.
Story, Francis. "Buddhist Meditation." Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.