Buddhism Experience Paper

Prior this semester, my knowledge of Buddhism had been bland. However, my experience visiting a Buddhist Vihāra has not only transformed my outlook on Buddhism as a whole, but has allowed me to connect with people in a way I lacked beforehand. By reviewing the things that I saw, heard, and learned throughout my time at the Buddhist Vihāra, I can share a proper report on my first Buddhist experience.
Upon arrival I took to notice the appearance of the Vihāra. The outside of the building was white, along with the inside. The walls and floors were white as well. When I entered, I was greeted with smiles and hellos. I feel like the positive, friendly atmosphere shows a good representation of the religion as a whole. Although I was not aware of this, when I entered the building I had to take off my shoes, which is a part of Buddhist custom when entering a religious area. Something I noticed right away when I came into the mediation room, was a very large statue of Buddha. It is accustomed for people to place flowers around Buddha to remind everyone that all beautiful things in life fade. I was unaware of this tradition prior to this, and one of the monks there was very quick to answer questions regarding traditions and other things involving service. The class that I had come to was known as Anapanasati or otherwise known as mindfulness of breathing. This form of meditation is the most popular according to the monk I met with, and said, “We use this to help develop the mind, to help us concentrate.” Although the class I came to that day had only a few people, one of the monks there was able to tell me the different types of people who come to their classes and services. He said “All people who come speak English, however, people of all race, gender, age, and financial standing come to our classes and services. Even people of different religions often come to our mediation classes.” I was very surprised to hear many Christians come to meditate in classes, as well as such a wide variety of people. This mediation class was initiated by the ringing of a bell. The ringing of the bell represents the beginning and the end of meditation. The …show more content…
Another focus was to resist bad temptations that are out there. From witnessing meditation for the first time, I realized how important it is to this religion to do this consistently. This meditation is the key to developing your mind, which helps with concentration and helps them maintain good conduct. In this setting, visitors and participates are more drawn to attend services. This is because of the informal feel of the meditation classes. The class tends to be structured with 30 minutes of mediation, followed by 30 minutes of discussion. I believed that they were communicating that it is important to realize how suffering is in our lives, and we need to meditate to help counter this suffering. This group I was involved with was very diverse and interesting, with a large amount of people involved were converted to Buddhism during their lives. Leaders are there to help guide people in the right direction, and are willing to help and answer any questions. This speaks to say that all people are equal, and all are capable to earn and reach different heights within their quest to reach