Shambhala Meditation Center

The community resides within a Buddhist temple, so Buddhist beliefs in theory lead the monks to treat the children well. Monks traditionally are not, allowed to talk about sex, which made it difficult at first for government to approve them working with HIV/AIDS patients. Nobody wanted this virus to spread so talking to children about this would be the best idea. Gail says, “Vandin told me that in the beginning the Ministry of Cults and Religion did not approve of the monks’ participation in the AIDS training programs. Traditionally, it was not considered proper for monks to talk about sex. So Vandin lobbied district and provincial governors, who then petitioned the ministry to support the project” (Gutradt 126-127). The Buddhist practice offers incense to offer the souls of the dead (Gutradt 14). Wayne makes them go to Saturday services to try to teach them a lesson. He explains, “The chanting is the same each week and it is boring unless you realize the importance of the discipline the monks are teaching. The words have no meaning, the chant has no power, the Buddha is dead… but by doing the chanting we are gaining control of our mind, even if it is for one hour a week, and as we learn to control our life, the Buddha (Universal Knowledge) awakens within us and we begin to realize all that He did, and our life becomes meaningful as a result’” (Gutradt 120-121). After the memorial service, Wayne and Gail

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,

The Orange County Buddhist Church located in Anaheim at 909 South Dale Avenue is one of the few temples that practices and teaches Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in America. Although Shinran Shonin first established these traditions about 800 years ago in Japan, it did not reach the United States until the late 19th century by Japanese immigrants. Since then, Shin Buddhism has grown and developed Americanized features that contribute to its message of acknowledging the interdependence of all aspects in the universe as a way to reach a state of self-realization and happiness. With the help of Buddhist believers, the establishment of Shin Buddhist temples continues to grow and more people are welcomed to absorb the unique beliefs about oneness and transcending duhkha.

Sebastopol is a unique area in Sonoma County, it is the most liberal and the least ethnically diverse community in the county. It is filled with weird art (beautiful, fun, funky, but weird), with people who wouldn 't live anywhere else, but judging by their socks and 'stocks, I suspect many lived in Berkeley in the 60 's. Sebastopol is the home to Luther Burbanks ' original experimental gardens, and the Gravenstein apple, untended orchards cover the landscape. And just a couple blocks from downtown this odd looking complex called the Enmanji Buddhist Temple. The temple seems to always have a community event or fundraiser going on, often surrounding barbecues in the summer months. Barbeques usually involve meat, aren 't Buddhists vegetarians? Who are the people who attend services here, is this truly Buddhism, or some hippie highjack of another culture? I want to understand all of these things, and about this seemingly out-of-place temple, what their faith is all about and the people that come here.

The stereotype that I had before attending this service was one, I thought the followers of Buddhism worshiped Buddha as a deity. Second, the assumption that they are all happy and just love the world I associated with the stereotype of them being similar to “hippies.” These notions were proven false in that Buddha is not revered as a deity and the happiness they achieve is from knowing that life is not about status and possessions, however, it is about being satisfied with yourself. The monk spoke to this when he asked the people what are the keys to happiness? After several answers the monk disclosed the five keys to happiness by a 5th century monk that are, ability to eat, walking, bowl movement, talking, and sleep. The monk explained

For this experience, I decided to explore Buddhism in order to enhance my involvement with the religion and build a strong understanding. What intrigued me about Buddhism was the social aspect and diversity that it had to offer. In order to explore this religion from a critical and analytical viewpoint, I decided to attend a weekend service offered at San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin main temple is located in the Japantown section of Central San Jose. What made this temple stand out amongst the others was its historical standing in the community. It is one of the oldest temples established in the United States. In order to learn more about the history, environment, and community as a whole, I decided to contact the temple’s staffs. After a brief phone call, I was able to schedule a tour. In preparation, I decided to do a brief research on Buddhism to familiarize myself with the religion beforehand. With all preparations and research necessary, I was ready to visit San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin.

My classmate and I sat in the back and settled in. We didn’t introduce ourselves. Who would we even begin to introduce ourselves to? We were just a face in the crowd. People starting sitting down and at 8PM the meeting started. “Hi, my name is Paul, and I’m an alcoholic”. To this all replied, “Hi Paul”. We were all welcomed to the Wednesday night meeting of the Auburn Serenity Group. Some group business was taken care of quickly and we headed into the Serenity Prayer. It was easy to fall into the rhythm of this meeting and I found myself saying the prayer too. After all, this was

For this assignment, we had to attend a meeting of a spiritual tradition that is not our own. As this assignment's due date approached, I became very anxious! I didn’t quite know where I wanted to go. In my sewing class one day my friend, Kelly Jorgensen, had asked if I had finished the assignment. I had not. “Me and Karlie Mortensen are going to the Baptist church over by Riverton Hospital this Sunday at 6:00 PM if you want to join us” she offered. I found this rather funny. The day before, as I was driving home from work, the Harvest Valley Baptist Church sign had caught my eye. I thought to myself that I should

A slow yet, gradual increase of individuals in the West are coming to terms about the positive efforts of socially engaged Buddhism. Actualizing that modern Buddhism in Asia has transformed into this meditative vehicle for spiritual liberation which includes liberation movements for social and political changes. Engaged Buddhism is a form of dedication through movements committed to addressing social, political, economic and environmental concerns including the spiritual needs of beings. In efforts to solve problems of extreme magnitudes, specifically during times of social crisis. keeping Buddhist philosophy's at the forefront of these movements, they manage to propagate widespread awareness of current asian issues.

I visited Red Clay Sangha (Atlanta) (https://redclaysangha.org) on February 19th. Red Clay Sangha is a young Buddhist community which offers meditation, chanting, study and fellowship. Around 100 people belong to the community. This community is dedicated to bringing the compassion and wisdom of Buddha's teachings and practice to all without disparagement. Their organizational and spiritual leaders are chosen their own to represent the values of RCS as a whole. Their policy is that all members should feel that their voices are heard. They are dedicated to consensus as a process of decision making.

Buddhist temples and monasteries provided many services, contributing greatly to the society. Monasteries and temples had medical care and academic facilities, gave seeds for families to harvest for food and crops, press oil, and temporary housed the traveling public. When people came to take advantage of the services provided, they were than introduced to the Buddhist ways. They were also taught to believe that by giving their sons unselfishly to Buddhism, the rest of the family would greatly benefit. The monks and monastery staff members also used pictures, assisting non-educated people, in understanding fables, which explained and emphasized the Buddhist teachings. As a final note, Buddhism has done great things for the society

Until about a fifty years ago, most people in the United States did not have much exposure to the Buddhist religion. Our only impression of it might have been statues of a grinning, bald Buddha with a large belly at the entrance of most Chinese restaurants. Those statues seemed a little scary and some thought they should nod or rub the belly as they passed as a gesture of good luck. The religion has come a long way in the last twenty years. Hollywood celebrities such as Richard Gere and Tiger Woods and Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama, may have heightened the appeal and gave some prominence of this religion to the people of the West. The Buddhist religion and its move into America is a fascinating 2000 year journey. To

The speaker started the service by speaking about Buddha as a philosopher, not God. This Buddhist temple practices Theravada, and bows to 3 things: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Theravada is one of the four types of Buddhism. The other three types are Mahayana, Tibetan, and Zen/Chan. Buddhism exemplifies as a very pragmatic religion (The Four Noble Truths). “The followers take joy in a straight-forward approach to life, and they do not indulge in metaphysical speculation about first causes. As most religion have a theology and worship a deity, Buddhists do not have one. This religion believes that it is impossible to make a permanent relationship with anything because the world is constantly changing” (The Four Noble Truths).

In the United States there are over four million buddhists, one thousand temples, study groups, or Buddhists associations (Monroe 108). This number has come from just one man searching to find happiness and eventually enlightenment. Buddha’s story is how buddhism became a religion all over the world. It teaches a peaceful manner, reveals the key to happiness for the mind, and eliminates the desire in life. Not just the history of buddhism is important, but how it has spread through the world and what it looks like today.

As I took off my shoes before entering the main temple before the first worship session began, I began to feel a sense of peace within myself as well those that were attending the worship session. Inside the main temple was a huge statue of Buddha surrounded with white silhouettes of the Lotus flower, which seems to be the symbol of peace. Tens of incense jars filled with sand litter the alter the room. The room smelled like incense, pleasant and peaceful. There were twenty rows of small cushions that were used for kneeling and sitting, and twenty rows of small raised shelves that were used for holding the prayers that were going to be recited during that session. People were filling the room really quickly, and seats were being taken