Amida Buddha Monastery

Amida Buddha Monastery

While in Vancouver, I went with my sister, Judy, and my brother-in-law Roger to a Buddhist temple of the Amida Buddha, or pure land branch.  The temple when first seen is very impressive, built along a traditional style, large and beautiful.  When you first enter you go thru a short entrance and come out into a very large courtyard, the center of the courtyard being empty, but right of center is a very large stature of Kwan Yin, the Buddhist goddess of love and compassion.  Being catholic, the stature for me resembles the Virgin Mary, who is also considered our Mother full of compassion and love for mankind, leading us all to her son Jesus Christ.  On one side of the courtyard, there is a welcome center, staffed by Buddhist nuns and is stocked with books, tapes and some prayer beads, the kind that fit the wrist, of which I got me one.  I also got a book that did not have a price on it; all they asked for is a donation, which I gladly gave in the box set up for that purpose. 

 The monastery was Chinese, and most of the people visiting there were also of that nationality, who seemed to be there for religious devotional reasons.  They would go up to the stature of Kwan Yin and bow, then put some incense into a large vase filled with sand; I suppose it is like the prayer candles that Catholics light in front of the Madonna when paying a visit.

 The lay people were very reserved and did not try to relate to us in anyway, no eye contact, I think we were ignored, not in any rude sense; they just seemed insular, within themselves, and sticking with their own.  The nuns were different, very open, loving and more than willing to answer any questions; they also spoke good English.  I felt very comfortable with them, and was sorry that I could not have talked with them more, but time would not allow it; we had a dinner date with Roger’s family.  There was a serenity that flowed from them, a presence that is not often seen in people.

 I heard a chant being sent over the public address system and asked one of the nuns what it meant.  She told me that in “Pure Land” Buddhism they would chant the name of “Amida Buddha”, believed to be the reincarnation of Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.  By chanting Amida’s name, one would find enlightenment and be reborn in the “pure land”; sounds more like heaven than Nirvana.  However I believe it is hard for westerners to understand the language used by Eastern religions and it leads to some misunderstandings, which is I guess is inevitable.

 We went up to the Buddha hall, on the second floor of the Monastery and were present for a “practice” service.  The temple was very large, with long rows of black cushions on the floor, with small cushions in between; these were used to place on the long cushions and were used as seats.  In front of us were about twenty nuns, sitting, and following along with the chanting coming over the speakers. The chanting was beautiful and repetitious.  This kind of prayer can be very helpful if one stays peacefully aware of the words, I suppose the Jesus prayer is something like it, and this form of prayer is something I have been using for many years. 

 They had a large dinning room were meals are served to the laity on special holy days, and also festivals.  I got this information from a DVD that Roger very thoughtfully got for me.  The DVD also told me that the monks and nuns spent their lives seeking to free all sentient beings from suffering, seeking to help them on to enlightenment.  They have a ceremony every night in which they offer up all their merits for this purpose, keeping nothing for themselves.  Such selflessness is remarkable, and I was deeply touched by it.

It seems to be to be a Christ like love for others, something many can relate to, even if an actual understanding is difficult due to cultural differences to understand how it works. 

 I was very impressed with the place, and hopefully the next time I am up there I will be able to visit when a festival is going on.  The food on the DVD looked delicious and healthy.  Oh yes, it was raining, lucky I love rain.

Peace

Mitch