Kelsey Pioctoi

Ni. Alvaiez
Woilu Religions
Naich 1S 2u1S

Buuuhist Nonasteiy

Religion has always been a soie subject foi me. Foi one, I unueistanu little
about ieligion. I was baptizeu as a Nethouist, yet I ieally have no iuea what that
even means. Ny spiiitual teachings consist of spenuing sticky, summei uays stuck in
Iowa with my gianupaients. Theie I mostly coloieu anu blockeu out the seimon.
0nlimiteu biownies anu punch weie my favoiite thing about Sunuays.
Seconuly, I have liveu in places wheie I was stiongly iiuiculeu foi not
"accepting uou into my life." When I was 1u, because my family anu I uiun't belong t
"the chuich" so the neighboihoou out casteu my family anu accuseu my biothei of
abusing someone's cat. Consequently, we moveu six months latei. In 6
th
giaue my
fiienu blatantly tolu me that my family anu I weie going to hell. She then got on hei
knees anu ciieu, begging me to "accept Chiist into my life." I have nevei been so
confuseu anu huit in my life. I ueclineu hei iequest anu askeu hei to leave.
As you might have guesseu, ueciuing to sign up foi this class took some time.
Although I was somewhat uncomfoitable with signing up foi the class, I knew that I
neeu a bettei unueistanuing uiffeient types of people. I signeu up foi this class to
leain moie about wheie cultuies ueiive fiom, why people have such stiong beliefs,
anu how to communicate moie efficiently with people fiom vaiious backgiounus.
Theie was also a slight hope that I woulu finu a ieligion that I coulu accept. So fai,
Buuuhism has poweifully caught my attention.
I was veiy intiigueu to uiscovei that the man, uuatama who founueu
Buuuhism uiun't want to cieate a ieligion at all. Be thought that the iuea of
woishiping uous was veiy uangeious. Be believeu that tiue powei comes fiom
within, not fiom the meicy of any spiiitual being. What uuatama stiongly believeu
in was the powei of uhaima: tiuth, uiscipline, anu teachings. Be also believeu in
leaining by expeiiences, to toleiate othei views, anu to nevei stay attacheu to one
way of thinking. (Lectuie) I was veiy suipiiseu to leain what Buuuhism is, because
this way of life seems veiy similai to what I tiy anu accomplish eveiyuay. Because of
my past expeiiences, I was veiy exciteu to leain moie about such unueistanuing,
unbiaseu ieligion.
This is why I ueciueu to go to the Wat Buuuhist Nonasteiy in Bomesteau.
Befoie going to the Nonastaiy, I was veiy cuiious to know how the people
!"#$%&'()* since Buuuhism wasn't supposeu to be a ieligion at all. In fact, famous
quotes states that, "Theie is no Buuuha foi those who know Buuuha ieally," anu
"0nce you've uevelopeu cult of Buuuha, you'ie no longei a Buuuha." (Lectuie) I love
that the entiie ieligion is an oxymoion.
0n aiiival, the site was veiy calm. I hau no iuea wheie to stait. The giass was
veiy gieen with bushes of biight puiple floweis eveiywheie. Boulueis gioupeu in
two weie scatteieu thioughout the lawns. When walking aiounu I founu a mini
statue of a Buuuha with an elephant wheie offeiings of coins weie placeu. Latei I
founu that elephants aie a symbol foi stiength. Theie was also a laige stanu foi
incense.
I then founu a monk in yellow iobes cutting floweis. Exploiing hau been so
seiene that I uiun't want to bieak the silence. I enteieu the uining hall anu timiuly
intiouuceu myself. Be then lookeu at me, anu askeu if I wanteu a beautiful bouquet
of floweis. Confuseu, I giaciously accepteu. Be then tolu me that theie was no
chanting touay because the mothei of a local monk hau uieu, so many weie chanting
foi hei at anothei location. Although he was the only one theie, he offeieu to let me
into the monasteiy. Be quickly changeu into an oiange iobe anu leau me to the
monasteiy.
Aftei taking off oui shoes, the monk openeu the uooi. What I saw was
absolutely amazing. In the miuule of the giant ioom was a figuie of a Buuuha with
suiiounuing lights, golu uecoiations anu beautiful tables. In fiont of the figuie weie
caipets that only the monks aie alloweu on to piay. To the iight weie stations
wheie the monks sit foi special occasions. The ioom was gloiious. I was in complete
awe.
Although uifficult to unueistanu, I came to finu out that the monk's name is
Abbot, anu that he has been a monk foi Su yeais. Be askeu me, "Wheie uo you come
fiom." I saiu that I hau no clue. Be continueu to tell me that we uon't come fiom
gous, anu that the Buuuha isn't a gou, just a teachei. Be saiu, "You come fiom youi
mom anu uau. They aie youi gous. They aie the ones that cieateu you." Be then tolu
me the impoitance of tieating paients with iespect. Be also gave me 2 books that
help uepict the Buuuhist ieligion anu what the laws of Buuuhism aie. Be tolu me to
ieau them, anu the next time that I come we will talk about it.
I then askeu him about meuitation. Abbot meuiates foi Su minutes eveiyuay,
twice a uay. The metaphoi he useu foi meuitation was veiy inteiesting. Be tolu me,
"Life is like a cameia. You can take pictuie, aftei pictuie, aftei pictuie. Bowevei,
until you focus the lens, you can't ieally see what the pictuies woith." Be saiu that
we neeu to ieflect on ouiselves eveiyuay to finu out who we aie. That statement
was veiy eye opening to me. With such constant pace in touay's woilu, iaiely
anyone has the chance to slow uown anu ieflect on his oi hei life.
Finally, I askeu him about niivana. I askeu him if he hau eveiy met anyone
who hau ieacheu niivana, oi if he thought he woulu evei ieach it. Bis answei was
simple. "I wont talk about something I uon't know. I uo not know, so I uon't have
anything so say." Then he stateu that I woulu simply have to ieau to get moie
infoimation. To me, that statement ieflects the Buuuhist ieligion. This ieinfoices the
iuea that no one can help you to enlightenment, but youiself.
Because of this inteiaction in the monasteiy anu conveisation with Abbot, I
am going to stait visiting the monasteiy on Satuiuays oi Sunuays when the
meuitation lessons aie. I think the Buuuhist ieligion is a wonueiful, poweiful way of
life. I am veiy giateful foi this assignment. I uon't think I woulu have evei been
biave enough to visit a monasteiy without this class.