A Report on Religious Site Visit: Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center

The first site I visited was the Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center in Woodstock. I went on Saturday, the 28th of September, and arrived at about 9:45, fifteen minutes before the event was to begin. Rather than going by myself or with a classmate, I invited my mother along, who has also wanted to visit the temple. Outside the temples, several large Buddha statues sit cross-legged and stand near the entrances. On the door hangs a flyer titled “We Accept Everyone,” which details their allowing of anyone into the temple, regardless of ethnicity, sexuality, religion, etc. Not only that, but on their website they make it clear that they’re visitor-friendly, so everything was adding up to a very welcoming attitude from the temple.

The first thing to greet me upon my entrance is a sign directing me to a room where I can take off and leave my shoes. In the same room there are “modesty scarves” hanging on the wall, with a sign describing their use: to cover up exposed shoulders or knees. Luckily, since I had done research beforehand, I dressed appropriately, in long sleeves and jeans. I made a note in my mind that if I ever came back, to keep my shoulders and knees covered. It’s nice to know that on hotter days when you might be wearing a tank top, they have an option for you to preserve your modesty. Once our shoes were off and tucked away on the rack, we entered through a doorway off the room into a large lobby of sorts.

The first thing I noticed was the spacious layout and high ceilings, which felt open and comfortable, with the potential for spiritual energy to flow. Almost immediately I could smell some burning incense and sage. The atmosphere within the temple felt positive and peaceful. There’s a seating area, a couple of tables with different flyers and a jar for donations. On the wall was dozens of small golden plaques with the names of patrons to the temple.

Most noticeably, there’s a gift shop directly across from the entrance, on the other side of the foyer. I was both intrigued and a bit confused, as I never imagined a store in a place of worship, but when I started looking through the merchandise, it made sense. Not only was there clothing and tote bags printed with mantras, they were also selling sitting mats, prayer beads, small Buddha figurines, and candles. Some of my favorite things I saw in the shop were an array of books on Buddhism and mindfulness, incense materials, and a variety of bracelets, each with a different meaning depending on the stones. For example, rose quartz is to attract more love into one’s life. There were dozens of stones and meanings, which was fascinating to look through. In the shop there were strings of paper cranes hanging from the ceiling, which were hand-crafted by the monks in an array of colored and patterned paper.

While in the shop, my mother and I got into a conversation with one of the attendants, who let us know that we can take notes during the dhamma talk. She also tells us to say we’re new at the end of the service to get an informational packet. She explains how the service is organized, and how and when to bow. When you first enter the service hall to sit down, you must first bow to the large Buddha statue, then can sit at one of the floor mats or a regular chair, which are all facing the Buddha. We followed suit, and I chose a floor cushion. Once seated, I glanced around and took note that the participants come from a range of ethnicities and ages, which reinforced the temples’ established inclusive attitude. Most noticeably, when we enter the room there is music playing of voices singing and chanting, which creates the feeling of heightened spiritual energy in the room.

As each new person enters, I watch them bow to Buddha before settling down. Directly in front of us was a towering Buddha effigy, positioned sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, and palms together in front of the torso. The figure is entirely white, with a red scarf draped over the chest, and a light positioned below and in front of it to illustrate that it is the focal point of the room. The statuette sat on a raised platform in front of a mural of a blue cloudy sky, contrasted by the plain white walls of the rest of the temple. Placed in front of Buddha were four vases of flowers, a Tibetan singing bowl, and a row of cushions for the monks, as well as a microphone.

Adding to the feeling of sanctity, the ceiling is even taller in this room, with the height peaking in the center with an octagonal cut out. Stunning glass stained windows decorate the walls, each with imagery of Jesus Christ, and the biggest window of him, the Virgin Mary, and an angel. These windows are the most brightly colored sight in the whole building, embellished with flowers, lambs, vivid colors, and intricate designs. Seeing a famous figure from Christianity on a Buddhist temple’s windows was baffling, so I felt the need to do some investigating. I discovered that they were originally constructed before Blue Lotus bought the building, and have been upheld both because of their beauty and as a symbol of religious freedom and acceptance. I think it is such a beautiful notion for a Buddhist place of worship to accept and preserve Christian materials.

After a few minutes of sitting and taking in my surroundings, the hymnal music stopped, signaling the function was about to begin. The croon of a Tibetan singing bowl rang out, catching all of our attention. Two monks enter, one Sri Lankan male and one white woman, both with shaved heads and maroon robes. They settled down on the mats and began with an unfortunate announcement: the monk Bhante’s father had just passed away, so Bhante would be unable to give the dhamma talk that day. Although a sad occurrence, it did provide the entire congregation with a touching and unique lesson they gave- that while a soul passes over, it’s easier to transition with the help of the living. We could do so by directing our prayers and sanguine meditation to the family and their lost loved one. They also mentioned a journal that some people keep to record every good thing they do, tiny instances included; while someone lays on their deathbed a family member may read this list to them to ease their nerves, remind them of the good they’ve done, and prompt them to think about the good judgement they have earned. This start of the meeting gave us all a moment of reflection and an additional lesson to what the meditation and dhamma talk would normally provide.

Next began the actual meditation. The monk in front of the microphone slowly and gently guided us to close our eyes, relax our bodies, release tension, and mindfully focus on our breath going in and out. In between speaking, there were long periods of complete silence only partially interrupted by the sound of someone adjusting and deep breathing. As everyone remained silent, all attention was on the monk’s words. He started repeating mantras of wellness, happiness, and peacefulness for us to ruminate on, both to wish it for ourselves and all other people. “May I be happy, may I be well, may I be peaceful.” Again, after every repetition or new thought, there was a gap of quiet. In those moments, when our eyes were closed, our minds clear, and our thoughts focused on positivity, I felt so connected to myself and the people around me. It was a touching experience, one I think everyone should participate in at least once in their lives.

After what felt like much longer than half an hour, the meditation was complete. As we came out of it the energy in the room felt serene and light. Before the actual dhamma talk, when the monk would give a homily, each attendant picked up their service booklet and sang a couple hymns in unison with the monk. While they do direct you to the booklet, some things seemed to be common knowledge, like when and how to bow to Buddha, an important ritual. I stumbled through the songs, unfamiliar with the language and melody, but it was still a lovely experience.

When the hymns are complete, the same monk that lead the meditation begins the dhamma talk, which focused on the causes of suffering and how to prevent it. He explained suffering as stemming from self-made fears, like the fear of guilt or the fear of doing something wrong. He told stories from his childhood in Sri Lanka, wherein he detailed times he had suffered as a result of his fears of punishment and authority. He explained that creating our own unnecessary fears ultimately leads to more pain in our lives. He rounds out his talk with some general ways to limit unnecessary pain and promote self-positivity.

The other monk asked for any new participants to raise their hands to be welcomed into the temple. My mother and I raised our hands, along with a handful of others. Next she pointed out each of us, we gave our names, and she replied with “The Temple welcomes you.” This was unlike what I had ever experienced the couple times I went to church for some friend or family’s event; rather than people wandering in or out, never forming a true community, people at the Blue Lotus really seemed to know and care for each other. This was just the cherry on top of the already-established ambience of love and positivity.

In fact, both the meditation and dhamma talk focused on seeking positivity, wellness and happiness rather than the actual Buddhist religion. At first it seemed strange for them to not talk about their deities and religious roots, but then I considered the reasons they might keep the discussion on something nonreligious. It occurred to me that they might not have as many people visiting and donating if they kept everything purely religious, and focusing on general positivity is appealing to a wider demographic. For example, after the service I spoke again with the woman I met in the shop. Her name is Erin and she said that she’s not religious but spiritual and was already applying meditation. She was drawn to Blue Lotus because of their meditation and stayed for the community and wisdom. She appreciates the knowledge and positivity so much that she drives down from Wisconsin every Saturday and takes notes of the dhamma talks for later retrospection and practice. It seemed that above the life lessons, the attendees valued the peaceful, happy energy and community.

As we’ve established in class, religion creates a community between their members but it can also be quite divisive. I believe that hostility and judgement between members of different religions is oftentimes caused by a lack of true understanding of that other person and their beliefs. Religious ethnocentrism is fueled by the ignorance of the values and practices of other religious organizations; so often we have a preconceived notion of what beliefs are true or correct, and we judge others based on the often unproven negative generalizations we’ve heard about them. Educating ourselves on unfamiliar topics, particularly spiritual matters, can make us a more whole human being, in the sense of understanding and tolerating our fellow humans. Not only will visiting unfamiliar religious sites give you a more holistic and unbiased view, it can also provide you a broader spectrum of worldly knowledge and perhaps a fresh, cheerful attitude towards life.

In regards to my visit to the Blue Lotus Temple, not only did I learn more about Buddhism, their practice, and meditation; I found the positivity, acceptance, and life lessons to be helpful and spiritually uplifting. I’m not suddenly a practicing and devout Buddhist, but there are certainly aspects of their methodology I’d like to adopt into my own life. Considering how welcoming and accepting the Blue Lotus is, I absolutely recommend other students to visit the temple for this assignment, and anyone else interested in learning and having their day brightened. Both the monks and devotees are friendly and willing to answer questions and help any new visitors learn more about the temple’s activities. Not only are the people there pleasant, the services themselves (the meditation and dhamma talks) are easy to partake in and evoke positive energy.

In closing, my first site visit went wonderfully; at the Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center I found myself submerged in peace, positivity, and light. In addition to participating in meditation and hearing my first dhamma talk, I was assisted by fellow guests and welcomed with open arms. Especially for the first site visit, I suggest visiting the Blue Lotus; you’ll learn a lot, easily find a helping hand, and undoubtedly have a great experience. And as a bonus, you’ll leave smelling like incense and seeing the world through a new, slightly more informed lens.