Buddhist Temples As Educational Centers For Spiritual Quest - Essay Example

Buddhist Temples As Educational Centers For Spiritual Quest Intro To World Religions Chao December 12, 2006 By Joe Di Liberto BuddhistTemples As Educational Centers for Spiritual Quest Practiced by our ancestors in all four corners of the globe religious journeying has become a widely practiced phenomenon again in recent years. Those wishing to undertake a spiritual quest often turn to a variety of faiths for inspiration and methods of developing enlightenment. Buddhism is a choice religion for this, as it emphasises meditation, contemplation of nature, and non-traditional thinking. To understand how Buddhist temples can become educational centres for this kind of spiritual journey, one must first understand the nature of Spiritual quests and Buddhist faith, before looking again at the issue of questing and education. 1) Spiritual Quests Spiritual quests have been an essential part of religious experience for most of recorded history. From shamanistic vision quests to the separations of Religious leaders, the spiritual quest is the path to enlightenment. These journeys often involve great challenges, difficulties or impossible tasks to be performed. Mythologies often depict heroes going on long journeys, and overcoming terrible odds in order to obtain valuable items, or important knowledge. The Scandinavian tale of Odin hanging from the world tree in order to obtain knowledge for human kind is one example of a spiritual quest. Often originating in personal catastrophe, the spiritual quest seeks to bridge the divide between possible and impossible worlds. The seeker isolates him or herself from general society, and puts himself through an ordeal. Passing through that experience gives the seeker enlightenment, and they can then return to their society with the gifts that the quest has brought out and developed within them. In modern western society, the religious quest does not seem to be so important to us. Many people do not undertake these journeys - jobs, families and other ties mean that it would be extremely difficult to isolate yourself from the rest of society for long periods of time. In the present day, these quests are generally undertaken in less strenuous circumstances. Anyone wishing to perform an actual quest or journey can go on vacations to spiritual places, or join quest expeditions which Combine sightseeing with meditation, Yoga and other lessons in self-discovery and self empowerment (Andrews) Even if modern Western societies have adapted the spiritual practices of the past, then this does not mean that they are any less valid or challenging. In recent years, the spiritual quest has been compared with the scientific questioning of the world: The scientific quest is to discover the order in the external world of space, time energy and matter. The spiritual quest is to discover order in our consciousness. (Krishna) Krishna also emphasises the importance of personal experience in spiritual seeking. "In the spiritual quest, knowledge is not helpful" (Krishna). What is needed is an insight into the truth, the same insight which the spiritual leader once had: Buddha's student has to observe all over again and rediscover what the Buddha discovered, in order to come upon that order in his own consciousness. One simply cannot learn it like knowledge. (Krishna) Spiritual quests demand that the seeker not only know the works of the leader, but also attempt to go through the same journey than Buddha, Christ, Krishna, Odin, or any other religious leaders. In this sense, spiritual questing can bring about a greater understanding of the seeker's faith, and give true meaning to the texts of religious traditions. 2)Buddhism Buddhism is not necessarily what one would expect from a religion. Instead of teaching salvation though submission to a supernatural entity, Buddhist teachings focus upon the mind as the way to spirituality and understanding. While the Buddha is venerated as a god or gods might be in other religion, it is also true that he is seen as a human being; enlightened and profound though he might be. Instead, Buddhism teaches that the essential feature of our existence is consciousness. Nothing else is so important as how the consciousness effects and is effected by the practices of our daily lives: Mind is the forerunner of all (evil) conditions. Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made Mind is the forerunner of all (good) conditions. Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made. (Buddha, quoted in Burns) Buddhism in China has developed though the influence of Taoism, which placed emphasis upon a 'way': It is not by cognitive rationality or consciously grasping that reality yields itself, it is in the passivity ofnon-action that one becomes One with the all, with reality. (Pearson) As with spiritual quests, the way to achieve and understand the complex nature of the world, and of religious beliefs, is not through knowledge of texts nor understanding , but though the enlightenment of insight and fluidity of mental maps. Zen Buddhism is a part of that religious outlook, the riddles and mazes of words and philosophy being the guru's attempts to break the mould of habitual thought processes. As Buddhism emphasises the world of thought and mind, it may seem surprising that such emphasis was placed upon the building of Buddhist temples. Christians come together to worship as one body, lead by a priest who has studied and obtained then knowledge of God and Christ. Buddhism emphasises the psychological, although it also ignores the mind/body division which is widely accepted in the west. The Buddhist meditation Is a personal experience, a subjective experience, and consequently each of us must tread his or her own path towards the summit of Enlightenment (Burns) From these examples we can see that both Buddhism and the multi-national spiritual quest both place emphasis upon the self and the individual practitioner. Personal experience, devotions and rituals are emphasised, over group-lead devotion and knowledge. Buddhism has pilgrimages and methods of observing the faith which may be useful to those on a spiritual quest, no matter what the religious beliefs of the seeker. Self-education and mental journeying which releases the mind from conventional thoughts are the key practices to both paths. 3)Buddhist Temples and Spiritual Quests The Buddhist pathway may seem out of place in a temple, but these religious centres have been part of the Buddhist way of life for many centuries, and in the Far East (Japan, for example), Buddhist temples may be seen by users as the equivalent of native shines, ie, as sources of accumulated power and sanctity. The principles of building a Buddhist temple vary considerably from country to country, and how Buddhists see these different temples is as important as their purpose. Firstly, aside from a religious building, Buddhist temples are also social and cultural centres, where both children and adults can learn about the nature of Buddhist rituals. Some feel that the Western versions of these temples "Focuses more on a system of reverence and rituals, there are not organised as centres of learning" (Hewapathirane). Despite these fears, Buddhist temples have become important places of pilgrimage for more than Buddhists. Temples frequently offer silent meditation courses open to anyone, and "Most people who visit do not intend to become Buddhists" (Alspeth) Essentially, Buddhist temples provide somewhere to be educated about the mental processes which are the foundations of Buddhism. They frequently provide not only a centre of worship, but also a teaching centre. Many people with no intention of becoming Buddhist pay a visit to the temples in order to learn practices such as meditation. These practices are part of the essential foundations of spiritual quests also. Not only that, but a seeker is likely to find a teacher in the temple who can help with other aspects of the journey, such as symbolism, which can help reduce the time that the seeker spends searching for their enlightenment. Bibliography Alspeth, Kyle. Buddhist Temples Cultural, Spiritual Havens for Local Asian-Americans In Sentinel & Enterprise, April 30, 2006. Andrews, L. Spiritual Quests in the Real World: Five Ways to Embark Upon Yours. In Newsblaze Http://newsblaze.com/story/20051214075624nnnn.nb Burns, D. Buddhist Meditation and Depth Psychology. The Wheel Publication 88/89. Buddhist Publication Society, (1994) Ellwood. H. Dragon and Son: objectives at http://prenhall.com/hss_ellwood_manypeople_7/0,292798599-,00.html. (Pearson) Frankenberry. N. The Process Paradigm, Rites of Passage, and Spiritual Quests in Process Studies, Vol 29, number 2. (2000) Hewapathirane, D. Averting the Erosion of Buddhist Values at Http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.phpid=8,217,0,0,1,0. Nov. 18 2004. Krishna, P. Science and Spirituality: Two Aspects of A Single Reality http://www.pkrishna.org/Science-Spirituality.html Less, L. Japanese Architecture and Temple Structure at http://www.asianresearch.org/articles/1499.html. (8/13/03) Read More