Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist Temple of Miami

1244 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Compare judaism buddhism and hinduism

I was born into a family with set beliefs on Catholicism. I attended mass from a young age, was baptized in the Catholic Church and was taught the many beliefs of Catholicism. Some of the few beliefs I was taught include The Holy Trinity, teachings of the bible, and the Ten Commandments. For the Site Field Visit assignment, the class was instructed to visit a temple, church, or worship facility that must be outside of our religious background. For my Site Field Visit assignment, I decided to visit the Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist Temple located in Miami. Why did I choose to visit Buddhism instead of Hinduism, or Judaism? The reason I chose Buddhism is because I want to explore new grounds with religion. I will be stepping out of what I have been taught about believing and worshiping gods, same as Hinduism and Judaism, and I want to know about Buddhism, a religion that does not believe in any god.

Buddhism is a religion that was created after Buddha, whose real name is Siddharta Gautama. According to an introductory article on Buddhism by Stanford University, it is estimated that Buddha was born “around 490 B.C.E in the foothills of the Himalayas” (Introduction to Buddhism, 2007). Although, nobody is able to accurately pinpoint the origins of Buddhism as a religion, many believe that it originated in the Northern parts of India.

Siddharta Gautama obtained the name Buddha after he was able to reach his enlightenment since the Buddha is a name that translates to the “enlightened one”. After reaching his enlightenment, Buddha began teaching others how to reach enlightenment for themselves. One thing Buddha did not believe was necessary in order to reach enlightenment is the belief and worship of gods. Therefore, unlike most religion...

... middle of paper ...

...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.

Works Cited

"Introduction to Buddhism." Spice Stanford. Stanford University, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. .

Show More
Related

  • The Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...eautiful scenes within the temple. It was very interesting to learn about specific interactions and lifestyles many Buddhists go through when at the temple and their perspectives on life. The location of the temple was one that really provided an atmosphere that was heavenly. The architecture and the buildings were meticulously built. The landscape was very beautiful and the atmosphere was very relaxing. I felt at peace and calm when I was at the temple. I also feel a step closer to understanding my culture.

    Read More

  • Siddhartha Religion

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the world, there are five major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In the past few classes, I have been exposed to and absorbed a tremendous amount of information on the religion of Buddhism. According to the dictionary, Buddhism is a religion of which originated in India, was founded by the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, and teaches that life is full of suffering caused by desire and that the way to end this suffering is through enlightenment that enables one to halt the endless sequence of births and deaths to which one is otherwise subject. Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a religion that helps it’s believers to find the happiness and contentment us humans seek. One thing I found

    Read More

  • The Spread of Buddhism and Christianity

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism was founded by one man, Siddhartha Guatama. He was born into royalty around 563 B.C.E. in a Kingdom near the border of India and Nepal. He was raised in wealth and luxury, and at the age of 16, he married a wealth woman and they had a child together. Around the age of 29, he began to realize that all humans were in a cycle of suffering, dying, and then being reincarnated only to suffer and die over and over again. It was then that he decided to leave his wife and child to find a way out of this repeating cycle of life and death. First he studied with teachers, but found he was coming to no conclusions, so he turned to more extreme things such as self-mortification, but he was still left unsatisfied.

    Read More

  • Sacred Places Of Pilgrimage In Buddhism

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Shacarita Analysis

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Siddhartha Gautama attempted to help people break out of the cycle of suffering in this world and as a result established the religion of Buddhism. Throughout his life, or at least the life described in Asvaghosa’s Buddhacarita, he was constantly struggling with the world in order to obtain enlightenment. After achieving enlightenment, he was able to spread his teachings which eventually became the religion we have today. However, Buddhist principles are not shown simply through the words of Gautama, or the Buddha, but they are defining characteristics of the Buddhacarita. The entire story the Buddha must combat the recurring suffering of human life due to desire and the eventual separation of desire that allows for one to break free of

    Read More

  • Comparison of Socrates and Siddhartha Guatama Buddha

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddha Siddhartha Gautama is the historical founder of Buddhism, and naturally his name expresses numerous myths. The records from ancient times suggest that Socrates was born to a family of a sculptor during the Peloponnesian war. He was married to a shrew, and had trivial financial independence. In opposition, the historical Buddha was a splendid prince, who floundered in luxury with his wife in the genial palaces which kept ignorant of the wretchedness of the world. . Once he discovered the austere reality, he took the path of a loner and by trial-and-error method, from practicing extreme austerities to meditation; he reached enlightenment. (Socrates Biography)

    Read More

  • Essay On Buddhist Ceremony

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Asoka and the Buddhist Faith

    1774 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)

    Read More

  • Buddhism : Buddhism And Buddhism

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.

    Read More

  • Buddhism and Islam

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buddhism originated from India, and was founded by Prince Siddharta Gautama, who later came to be known as Buddha, or the enlightened one. Born of a princely caste, he later renounced his comfortable life in search for nirvana. In order to do that, he joined a band of ascetic, who was a group of Hindu priests. In his teaching, the Buddha taught his followers to follow "the middle way", that is, not the way of extreme asceticism. He attained full understanding of the nature of being by meditation and after his success, decided to impart his knowledge to those who follow him .

    Read More

  • Buddha and Confucius

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    The founder of Buddhism was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, born to a wealthy family and destined for greatness; Siddhartha, however, left his family and the palace in search for religious truth and an end to suffering. Siddhartha tried many ways of reaching an enlightened stage; wandering the forest, joining the beggars, fasting, debating with religious leaders, but when none of these methods brought him a greater understanding of the world, Siddhartha sat himself down under a fig tree, and meditated. After forty-nine days of meditation Siddhartha was said to have achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering, he then became known as the Buddha, enlightened one.

    Read More

  • Buddhist Religion Experience: Personal Narrative

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    I was always fascinated in the Buddhist religion and this class assignment was a great opportunity for me to take advantage of my curiosity. I decided I would visit a Buddhist center. With the company of my mother, I went to the Diamond Way Buddhist Center in Miami. According to my interview with the Buddhist that instructed the meditation service, every Monday and Friday they have a meditation service for the 16th Karmapa meditation from 8:00pm to 8:30pm. This center is part of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Anonymous). Upon arriving, I realized that it was in someone’s home. Many Buddhist offer their homes for Buddhist centers and are unpaid for their services. However, they do accept donations. Before entering the house, we had to remove our shoes. When we entered I could smell the scent of incense burning. As presented in World-Faiths, removing your shoes before entering a Buddhist center or temple is a form of worship. Also, incense and candles are used to represent Buddha’s enlightenment (World-Faiths).

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On The Thai Buddhist Temple

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Essay On Indian Civilization

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also due to the amount of different tribes that came to India, major religions evolved, including Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in the sixth century. A native of northern India, he was born into a ruling family (Duiker). According to legend, as he got older, he dedicated his life to understand

    Read More

  • Reflection On World Religion

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buddhism was founded around 520 BC by Siddharta Gautama, who was an Indian Prince. Buddhism emphasizes practice over belief. In reality, however, Buddhism centers on correct understanding of human nature and ultimate reality. The Buddha was, after all, called the "Enlightened One." He taught that the way to eliminate suffering began with understanding the true nature of the world. In Buddhism, the purpose of life is to end suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness.

    Read More

More about Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist Temple of Miami

Open Document