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RELIGIOUS SITE VISIT ANALYSIS 1

Example of “A” Religious Site Visit Analysis

Alexandra I.

Florida International University

RELIGIOUS SITE VISIT ANALYSIS 2

Setting

I attended a Buddhist Meditation Service. Through speaking to one of the attendees I learned

there were two types of service in the week. One was a meditation service and the other is called

a Dharma talk. A Dharma talk is a public teaching of Buddhism. Unfortunately, I was unable to

attend that service. The meditation, although simple, was still very interesting. When I first

arrived to the building it did not seem like much. It was plain on the outside and looked just like

any other building. I was completely amazed when I walked in. There was an enormous golden

Buddha that immediately caught my eye. He was at the center of the temple. In front of him were

various bronze candle holders with lighted candles. On each side, there were large bouquets of

pink flowers. In front of this area there were three very small tables. They were from the floor to

about mid-calf. Three mats laid in front of the tables. Throughout the beige carpet floor were

mats lined in rows. There were wooden poles around the room and the walls and roof were made

of stone. On the roof between stone were rows of red and white floral tiles. Hanging from the

roof were pink and white flower lanterns with a banner that had Chinese writing attached to the

end of it. On the sides of the room there were tables with arrangements of candles and flowers.

Most of the people I saw were Asian, mostly women and a few men, all middle aged or older. I

also saw two American women and an American man around that seemed to be around their

thirty’s. Everybody was dressed exactly the same. I felt very excluded. Everybody had light pink

pants, a red shirt, and a mint green vest or jacket. The only ones dressed differently were three

monks. They wore white robes with an orange sash. Everyone was wearing socks. It was a very

small room. It felt very warm and welcoming.

Service

At the beginning of the service everybody was kneeling on the ground. Behind the setup of the

Buddha and a bit to the left was a monk kneeling in front of a gong. He banged it a for a few

minutes rhythmically. Then he walked behind and around the Buddha and came out the other

side. When he reached the front, he grabbed a wooden fish and stick. He began to hit the fish

with the stick at a very slow beat. Then the monk started to hum and the people followed. The

humming was slow and deep. After about twenty seconds of slow beating, he would do four or

five very fast beats and the people will bow. He walked around the room and between the people.

When he reached the front the people stood and bowed. Two other monks went to the front mats

with him. About four minutes later, they kneeled and bowed again. After this they continued

humming and continued the cycle about 5 times within ten minutes. The last time they stand up,

they were instructed to face the right and repeat the cycle. The speed and beat of the song

changed. It was a bit faster and more upbeat. Five minutes later and the service was completed.

Everybody turned back to the front bowed and were dismissed by the monk. The service was

very peaceful. There was a large sense of community and togetherness. I felt relaxed and content

when I left. As I mentioned earlier, it was simple but it was very much enjoyable.

Central Beliefs of Buddhism

There are three main training and practices in Buddhism. One of them is Sila. It has two main

principles. They are equality and what is commonly known as the Golden Rule (Robinson,

2009). I found equality very apparent in the service. Everybody being dressed the same kept

RELIGIOUS SITE VISIT ANALYSIS 3

everyone equal. The second practice is Samadhi which is concentration, meditation, and mental

development (Robinson,2009). It leads to wisdom and a strong mind (Robinson, 2009). The

service was a practice of Samadhi. The third is Prajna, which leads to wisdom and enlightenment

(Robinson,2009). According to Robinson, if your mind is calm and pure, then you will achieve

wisdom (Robinson, 2009). I think the service works towards this. You spend the whole time

trying to attain a sort of calmness through meditation. One that we aren’t typically used to. The

Eightfold path is a set of guidelines to take in order to achieve the practices properly. The last

three are all related to concentration and meditation. The one I found most apparent in the service

was Samma sati, or right mindfulness. With Samma sati, one becomes aware of their mind and

feelings, and their body (Robinson,2009). I think this is more of a personal experience, than it is

a group experience. I did feel this greatly. We live in such a fast paced world; it can be hard to

become aware of ourselves. Spending just twenty minutes meditating, I became aware of all the

parts of my body, how they felt, and how stiff they were. It was then that I could relax and really

feel at peace. One of the things I did not understand was why there was a large statue of . Buddha

and why the people bowed to him. I had learned a while ago that the Buddha was not a God and

the people did not worship him. I was a bit confused. After doing some research, I learned that

the people bow as a sign of gratitude (White, 1993). The Buddha spent his life teaching people

the principles of Buddhism, so that they may reach enlightenment (White, 1993). Because he

provided the guidelines, people bow to his statue and pay respects to his images as a way of

thanking him (White, 1993). I think the service provided a sense of moral encouragement and

community. A big part of their beliefs is to act in a moral way. They disregard wealth and

material things. They focus on internal happiness and well-being. They believe morality is way

to achieve this (White, 1993). Meditation is a way for them to become right minded and moral.

The fact that they dress the same and come together to accomplish something personal is

evidence that the service builds a sense of community.

Symbols in the Service

The service started with the monk banging the gong. The gong has three purposes. The first is to

announce the time of a meeting (Buddhist Symbols, 2015). The other two have to deal with the

actual meditation. The gong marks different phases of the service and as an aid in the humming

during the meditation (Buddhist Symbols, 2015). The candles throughout the room are a symbol

of wisdom (Buddhist Symbols, 2015). This makes sense to me because one of the goals of

meditation is to gain wisdom. The flowers symbolize the teachings of transience (Buddhist

Symbols, 2015). The reason they are at the sides of the Buddha is because he taught that

everything is constantly changing (Buddhist Symbols, 2015). They are a reminder of this

throughout the meditation. Finally, there is the symbol of the Buddha who sits at the center of the

room. The Buddha serves as a symbol of an ideal or goal of enlightenment (Buddhist Symbols,

2015). Images and statues of the Buddha are a representation of wisdom and compassion

(Buddhist Symbols, 2015). None of the symbols in the service are used as a form of worship or

praise. They are there as a reminder of what to strive for during the meditation. They are an aid

in the path to enlightenment.

RELIGIOUS SITE VISIT ANALYSIS 4

Culture

Most of the people I saw at the service were Asian. I was not surprised by this because they are

often associated. However, Buddhism originated in India. Buddhism came to China through

missionaries who were sent to Asia to trade (The Buddhist World, 2008). While in India, they

learned about Buddhism and then brought it back to China and taught the people about it (The

Buddhist World, 2008). Buddhism became extremely popular with the people, especially during

times of war (The Buddhist World, 2008). Buddhism flourished quickly and China became a

center for Buddhists (The Buddhist World, 2008). In the nineteen-sixties, there was suppression

of Buddhism (The Buddhist World, 2008.) Because of this there was a large decline of followers

and many monasteries were closed (The Buddhist World, 2008.) However, about ten years ago a

policy that was more liberal towards religion was created and there was an increase in interest

towards Buddhism (The Buddhist World, 2008). It makes sense to me that this is so popular

among the Asian community. They are very peaceful people. They are rarely seen committing

violent acts or even fighting among each other. They have a strong sense of community and a

strong value for morality. Although, this part of their culture may have roots in Buddhism. It is

such an ancient religion and has been a part of the Asian communities for so long. It is possible

that its core values have been instilled as part of the culture even when it is not being practiced.

RELIGIOUS SITE VISIT ANALYSIS 5

References

Buddhist Symbols. (2015, March 08). Retrieved March 21, 2017, from

https://buddhisttemplechicago.org/buddhism-basics/buddhist-symbols/

Robinson, B. A. (2009, August 16). Buddhism's core beliefs. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from

http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htm

The Buddhist World: Buddhism in East Asia - China, Korean, Japan. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21,

2017, from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/east-asia.htm

White, B. (1993). A Basic Buddhism Guide: 5 Minute Introduction. Retrieved March 21, 2017,

from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm