Zahirovic 1 Almedina Zahirovic Mr. John Carlisle HUMA1100 December 9, 2013 Identity Faith-Based Field Visit BUDDAH, is he real?

yay or nay? During one of our lectures in Humanities class, we were offered the opportunity to do a field bath visit trip and write a report on it. We all had to select a different religion and of course I was thinking of doing the Satanic Church of Salt Lake, but I decided to be normal and chose the Buddhist temple across the street from Granger High school. The Buddhist temple was called Chua Lien Hoa Vietnamese Buddhist Temple. The temple is this beautiful sand temple that has beautiful landscaping in the front. The gentle Buddhas sitting, watching, and peacefully smiling; the atmosphere was amazing. A colleague and I came to the temple together because I was too scared to come alone, I get social anxiety, and we walked up to the two friendly Vietnamese people landscaping and cleaning the front of the temple. A man approached us with a kind smile, this way he said in a kind voice. My partner Alondra and I looked at each other nervously, we did not know what to expect so we took in a deep breath and continued to follow the kind Vietnamese man. We proceeded into a side door, we entered and asked him if we take off our shoes here, He cackled in laughter and said, you guys are new arent you? Yes we laughed, Its okay, it happens a lot thanks for choosing us. We could tell that he knew we were here for a project but he was very friendly towards us. What school do you ladies go to? He asked, We go to Granger we said with a smile. When

Zahirovic 2 we came to the pale white door he greeted us with a stair case, Go up there he said, Would you like me to come with you? Yes! Please do, we said. We proceeded on walking up the stairs, which was made of a beautiful dark wood, with a brown finish. We walked up and came to a halt, in the middle of the room the wood stairs went to carpet suddenly. I looked beyond the carpet and there was a barrier that separated the holy side and the normal side. On the holy side the carpet abruptly stopped and turned into the beautiful wood that was as sleek as a soft stone. I looked up and there was a miraculous statue of Buddha. Surrounding him was a beautiful tree of life gently swishing with golden leaves. The painted sun beautifully; Buddhas face had a gentle smile, he was looking up and his eyes they matched the shade of the beautiful sun. His smile bright up the entire room and warmed the room. I felt as peaceful as ever my heart was relaxed and my mind was eased from everyday stress. They had the most beautiful flowers scattered around the temple. To the right of me there was a Buddha that symbolized the evil side of Buddha, he was a tall man with a grotesque face, and it looked like a reptile of some sort. He also had a long tongue that extended at least 13 feet in front of him, he had tattered clothes and he was in a jumping position. He had an evil smirk on his face. To the left side of me Buddha represented the good guy, he was a tall warrior with many colors and species of the finest silk sown into his outfit. We asked the kind old man what these statues meant, he continued to express to Alondra and I that they did not symbolize the devil and the angel but the good and the bad guy of Buddha, and the big Buddha in the middle of the room symbolized reaching enlightenment. He explained to us that no one is ever equal and that we must always pay back the negative things

Zahirovic 3 we did in this life in the next life. He told us that we must take off our shoes to step on the beautiful wood finished floor that separated the holy side and the normal side. As we stepped in, with our socks, he proceeded to tell us that when a monk visited their temple they would bang a drum and play a spiritual respectful song for them. He also told us that the barrier where the wood went up was the place that only the monk could stand to start the prayer, and that place was just made for him. He also told us that people take mats and spiritual robes to pray, no one was singular in the praying process, everyone looked the same and everyone was equal. He also told us that they offered fruit and flowers to the Buddha at least three times a week. They did this to show respect to him. He proceeded to tell us that he bows to everyone even little kids because one day they may be the enlightened-one and you should always respect them and the Buddha statues. He told us to cuff our hands like we are holding a beautiful lotus flower and to bow to anyone that you see, so we thanked him and bowed to him and the Buddhas scattered everywhere. He finally let us proceed throughout the temple; in the back of the temple there was a room that people light incense and hang pictures of their loved ones that have passed away. There is a recording that is a prayer and is played all of the time for those that passed-on into their new life. We then looked around and came back into the main entrance and looked at the religious writing on the walls. It was a beautiful experience. Even though I am a believer of the Islamic faith it was a great learning experience that opened up my mind to other religions and cultures, and this experience taught me a great deal on how people explain and adapt religion into their identity.