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Sacred space is often
Sacred space is often
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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. In Buddhism, there are eight sacred sites that Buddhists can pilgrimage to, four of which are primarily visited. Each of the four corresponds to a point of significance in Buddha’s life. The first sacred site of pilgrimage is Lumbini, where,
I arrived at the Hsi Lai Temple in the city of Hacienda Heights around 3:00 p.m. on March 7, 2014. Although I am Chinese, I have never been to this temple before because my family does not practice Buddhism. This is my first time collecting data about the His Lai Temple. This method is referred to as participant-observation which is, “the anthropological method of collecting data by living with another people, learning their language, and understanding their culture” (Arenson and Miller-Thayer 521). The temple is built on a hill top. After driving up the long hill into the parking lot, I found that before entering the temple, I walked up many stairs. In the brochure For Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, it said that the name Hsi Lai stands for “coming to the West”. The temple, which was founded by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, signifies the dedication of Taiwan’s largest Buddhist organizations called the Fo Guang Shan. It took ten years to build the temple and was completed in 1988. This $30 million Temple on 15 acres of land was financed by donations from Buddhist devotees from around the worlds.
The temple puja is identified as a public and formal form of worship and devotion undertaken by adherents of Buddhism. Within puja each of the steps of the Eightfold path can be approached and there is the opportunity for one to reach Nirvana with puja alone. The last step of the Eightfold Path, right concentration is the end point for the chanting and the meditation. Adherents enter the temple in a physical and mental state of reverence or Puja, and inside they primarily recognise the importance of the Three Refuges. Additionally, temple puja has great significance for the community as it intrinsically reflects on the significance of the community as part of the Sangha, and strengthens relationship and devotion within the community. The temple itself is often in the centre of a Buddhist town or village, symbolising that is the heart and the central point of the Sangha, and acts as a daily reminder for the community to remain devoted. Thus reinforcing a quote written by Buddhaghosa in 5th century India, “[Nirvana] can only be reached, not produced, by the Path . . . it transcends the intrinsic nature of matter . . . being attainable through special insight affected by strong effort” (Stimulus). The quote is explaining that by remaining devoted, one can reach Nirvana through total enlightenment. Temple Puja provides social cohesion in that the role and function of participants demonstrate the social status of the individuals and their connection with each other, for example, the role of members of the Sangha lead the participants in prayer and reflection. Overall, temple puja has a profound impact on the individual and the greater community as it allows them to reach
...tues being so near. From the Sui dynasty (581-618), the “Quan Yin” statue reminded me of the readings in class about Red Azalea. I have always thought that this was a female saint; however, after seeing and observing it, maybe I’m wrong. Another place in the museum that evoked my feelings was the Japanese collection. The Japanese Buddhas were mentally more lifelike, because of the details of the color in the eyes. One could mistake some of them for demons and evil beings. However, they are all doers of good for mankind. The Japanese exhibit felt like a place of court where people came in to be cleansed, forgiven and punished after their evil deeds. Overall, my learning experience has taken me to a higher level of understanding that diversity within the same beliefs in Buddhism are mainly different by the way they migrated and the way Buddha is represented in the features and looks in another culture. However, whatever the culture might be, the teachings of Buddha are all shared and learned the same way:
If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friend, and never see them again… then you are ready for a walk. -Henry David Thoreau (Haberman 12)
The smell of burning incense seeped inside the temple walls, the ocean breeze always drafted though the house frequently giving me chills whenever we chanted, however, sitting next to my grandmother and seeing her smile always made me feel cozy and comforted. The shades of orange saffrons varied between each monk and always contrasted against the white walls of the temple. Shrines filled every corner of the temple but the shrine upstairs astonished me every time I visited. The complex layout and detailing of the vivid hues of food, candles, flowers, and crystals in the shrines was impeccable and necessary to express reverence and gratitude for Buddha. The strong scent of lemongrass meat, fresh rice, and seasonal fruit flowed from the kitchen to the living room. Which always used to distract me. On the contrary, ever since my grandmother passed away I am now unable to attend temples. My grandpa would always tease me and bug me if I were to ever visit the temple again and thus, would be one of the conflicts I experienced. My mom would state that I didn’t believe in God nor Jesus because I didn't go to sermons. In like manner, my peers would always argue that I can only believe in one religion, not two. The fading conflict of attending temples was a relief but food was another opponent on the rise to introduce another conflict
...ave places where they can practice and have meeting here in the US and around the world. Again, like I mentioned before, economic resources can impact the level of commitment when it comes to visiting temples and extra things like having a teacher or mentor (monk) and an actual institution or church to meditate (although people can also simply meditate at home).
may not always be seen to be a good thing as pilgrims spend much of
I was very nervous to visit the Hindu Mandir. However, once I got there, I saw how beautiful and amazing it really was. It was so beautiful that I thought that I was in a museum instead of a place of worship. It was absolutely nothing as I expected it to be at all. While I was in the Mandir, I felt a sense of honor and serenity and at peace while looking around at all the beautiful art. In addition, I learned many different things because of this visit about Hinduism. The visit made me learn things that I would have never learned if I did not go on the trip. I learned about what a Mandir is, a Mandir functions, the history of Hinduism, their beliefs, and their festival celebrations.
sacred sites, the return as a new person and as one whom has a deeper
Ludwig, Theodore M. The Sacred Paths: Understanding the Religions of the World (4th Edition). 4 ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2005.
For my site visit reflection paper, I decided to visit the Thai Buddhist Temple in Homestead. The reason this particular site was my choice was because information acquired from the videos in lecture about tradition and Confucianism in Asia made me curious to learn more about the Buddhist way of life. Because so many South Eastern countries instantaneously adopted Buddhism from India and then China with open arms, I decided to make the visit in the morning to learn the reasons for the international success of this way of life. This would give me a more interactive comprehension of Buddhism.
...s takes a bit of sand to the front of the shrine. This was created by ‘the Second Pilgrim’, which was a name received by the head of the Ji sect in the Buddhist religion, regarding his ‘pursuance of a great vow.’
Since the beginning of humanity, the dominance of Buddhism has carried over centuries of this world and has influenced empires of all kind. One way to keep Buddhist sharp in their meditations and get further insight of their teachings is retreat events. Buddhist retreats are an important aspect to teach Buddhist that attend this event of certain teachings that have been pasted down generation to generation. These retreats are instrumental for Buddhism, since it allows many of their traditions to be practiced during that time. Retreats are a spiritual path that enlightens the mind and soul, all aspects that leave only good energy for your body. However, Buddhist retreats are not a vacation for any curious leaner, but rather a hard working experience.
BuddhaNet - Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
Motives for Pilgrimage Many questions are raised when flipping through the history of the religion of Christianity. Why did Christians fight so long against Pagan rulers? Why did their religion mean so much to them, they would risk their lives for it? Maybe by narrowing the questions down, possible answers can be developed.