Personal Narrative: My Visit To A Vietnamese Buddhist Temple
I visited a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in West Palm Beach, and I was able to partake in some of their religious practices. There are many Vietnamese people in Florida, so the temples where created in order to provide people with the chance to practice Buddhism and express the cultural values. The form of Buddhism I experienced was Mahayana. Mahayana Buddhism developed during the first century. The Mahayana believe in and follow the Pali Canon. Those who practice Mahayana Buddhism also welcome the Mahayana literature that was originally written in Sanskrit and later changed to different languages such as Chinese and Tibetan. Mahayana literature honors various Buddha’s and bodhisattvas. The Mahayana literature encourages many individuals to
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It can be seen that the people in the Buddhist community hold much respect to the Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the many teachings within Buddhism. The people there were very positive and it was interesting to see how they interacted with the things inside the temple. The visit defiantly enhanced my appreciation for the practice of Buddhism. It was great to see the different ways people worship and practice their religion. When I performed some of the religious practices such as the bowing and giving offerings, I did not necessarily feel like I was worshipping. The only negative thing that I can think of is during my visit, I noticed that some individuals stared at me which is understandable because I did stick out a lot, but it made me a bit anxious at first (I quickly got over it). I still found it to be an interesting and different experience. The most positive result of my visit was being able to observe and participate in the traditional practice in Buddhism, and to discover the many different elements that go into visiting a Buddhist temple. It was very different from when I go to my Christian church on Sundays. It was not as organized, with a set time of when it starts and end. You can go to the temple, pay your respects, and then simply leave. The people were friendly and the monks appeared to be humble. It was great that I got a chance to visit a temple, and I would go again if I am given the opportunity
It can be seen that the people in the Buddhist community hold much respect to the Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the many teachings within Buddhism. The people there were very positive and it was interesting to see how they interacted with the things inside the temple. The visit defiantly enhanced my appreciation for the practice of Buddhism. It was great to see the different ways people worship and practice their religion. When I performed some of the religious practices such as the bowing and giving offerings, I did not necessarily feel like I was worshipping. The only negative thing that I can think of is during my visit, I noticed that some individuals stared at me which is understandable because I did stick out a lot, but it made me a bit anxious at first (I quickly got over it). I still found it to be an interesting and different experience. The most positive result of my visit was being able to observe and participate in the traditional practice in Buddhism, and to discover the many different elements that go into visiting a Buddhist temple. It was very different from when I go to my Christian church on Sundays. It was not as organized, with a set time of when it starts and end. You can go to the temple, pay your respects, and then simply leave. The people were friendly and the monks appeared to be humble. It was great that I got a chance to visit a temple, and I would go again if I am given the opportunity