Most of the temples I saw were fairly similar to each other. The first thing I noticed was an incredible amount of gold - gold statues, gold stupas, gold bells, etc. Other than that, the outside of most temples tended to have white-washed walls, with red, green and yellow tiled roofs. Each had many statues of monks, as well as statues of the numerous images of Buddha. As Buddhism developed from Hinduism, there would also be statues of Hindu gods, like Ganesh.
The temple of Wat Pho in Bangkok is known for the statue of the "Reclining Buddha". Measuring 43 meters long and 15 meters high, the statue is the largest of its kind in the world. It was incredibly impressive to see.
Most of the temples feature a number of different small structures on the property, with one central building. It is custom for Buddhists to walk in a circle around the main building 3 times while reciting their prayers. Each rotation represents one of the 3 jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, his teachings, and the monks. There are also a lot of stations where followers can light candles and incense to honor Buddha and his teachings.
I find Buddhism really interesting because it seems to focus more on general guidelines for living a good life and reaching enlightenment, rather than a strict set of rules and principles. Our guide, who is Buddhist, summed up his feelings on faith by saying that we must concentrate on what we can do in the present, and instructed us to "Do better today than you did yesterday." I think that is great advice that all of us - no matter what our faith - could be well served to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment