Seattle Buddhist Church

by Stella

I am always excited when I visit a church or temple, because it's kind of like a whole other world. The Buddhist temple that Gloria and I visited on Sunday was very different from other churches or temples. This is how I remember our visit:

As we walk in, a lady hands us books filled with songs and chants. We sit down and she explains some of the things that are going on. There are people burning incense at the front of the temple, and the scent wafts through the whole building. The lady explains to us that it's meant to soothe and relax you. I expected everyone to be Asian, but there are a surprising number of white people around. Everyone wears a sort of a cloth necklace, to symbolize the Buddha's robes. Monks, the dedicated followers of Buddhism, wear full robes. A bracelet which you put around your hands when they are in prayer position symbolizes being one with the Buddha.

As service goes on, I start to feel the relaxed atmosphere of the temple. Following the introductory song and prayer, the priest has a talk prepared about different symbols of Buddhism. He goes on to talk about how not all Buddhists celebrate the same holidays, and why this is a negative thing. Afterward, all of the kids are sent to Dharma school (like Sunday school) so we follow along. This is even more laid back, with kids talking about pop music and dancing.

Overall, going to a Buddhist temple was a very interesting and exciting experience. I learned a lot about Buddhism and it's similarities and differences to other eastern religions.