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Phat Bao Temple Essay

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As a practicing Catholic, the religion of Buddhism is something that seemed interesting to me. Many Buddhist values, such as reincarnation and the cycle of Samsara are concepts that I'm unfamiliar with. Concepts such as me is what drove me to become interested and observe Buddhism. Despite the differences of religion between the two, attending a Buddhist service enlightened me and introduced me to a faith that I can genuinely consider as peaceful. As a result of my curiosity, I visited a Buddhist temple in Des Plaines, IL, so that I can observe all the intricacies of the practice during the service. The specific temple I went to is named ‘Phat Bao Temple’, a temple that practices the Mahayana sect of Buddhism, one of the three sects of Buddhism. The Phat Bao Temple is Vietnamese temple engaged in the Mahayana branch, which is typical of Vietnamese temples due to Mahayana having a strong presence in Vietnam. …show more content…

The religion focuses on the moral and philosophical teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as the “Awakened One”, or more commonly, as the Buddha. While the Buddha is seen as the role model in the religion, but it is important to note that Buddhists do not worship the Buddha as a God, but rather, they believe that he was a human who was woken up and able to see the world for what is truly is, hence the title of the “Awakened One”. Due to the Buddha’s awakening, he is looked to as a source of guidance through his teachings, in hopes that others can one day replicate his feat and become awakened as

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