Picture 22 - Buddhist Temple
(Pic 22/365)
A new Buddhist Temple was built at a corner street in front of a sports bar. We drive by the temple every weekend on our way to our church. Each week there's something new and different about the place: a renovated building, a new parking lot, new landscape design, new fence, a new Buddhist Temple sign, and etc. A few months ago, a statue of Buddha was erected accompanied by an altar of fruit offering and incense.
Buddhism is usually considered a religion, but is also sometimes
described as a "spiritual philosophy", because it lacks an absolute
creator god. The Buddhist approach is empirical and based on experience...
Hence Buddhism does not hinge upon the concept of a
Creator God but upon the personal practice of
{ Wikipedia.com }
Dre and I visited the Buddhist Temple today. We met a teenager who allowed us to take photos of the statue of Buddha at the front of the temple. He said that a few weeks ago, some people came to destroy the statue and cut off both hands at the wrist. This was the reason why they covered the statue with a yellow cape. Dre wanted me to take a picture of the damage, but I couldn't. Instead, I took a picture of the feet that still existed.
I'm a Christian but I was highly offended by what people have done to the statue. Have we no respect for each others religious beliefs anymore? Have we become so violent as to destroy, pervert, and insult others simply because they are different? This made me angry - however the teenager seemed calm - perhaps a lesson in serenity they teach at the temple. Perhaps as a Christian, there are a few things I might learn from the Buddhists: to acquire a calm nature, and learn to leave anger elsewhere.
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