1. Buddhist Places of Worship

What is a place of worship?

a specifically designed building or space where religious people can come together and engage in devotional practices

Is there are requirement for Buddhists to visit places of worship?

No

What is a temple?

a building that allows many people to come together to learn, meditate, celebrate and offer devotion, a temple will contain a shrine and space for community activities

What is a vihara?

a monastery for monks or nuns who have decided to devote themselves to the Buddhist path. Members of the wider community support the vihara and earn positive karma. The vihara in return supports the members of the community in their spiritual growth.

What is a shrine?

the site of a statue or image of the Buddha. This can be either within a temple or vihara, or alone. Many Buddhists have shrines in their homes.

What is a stupa?

a burial mound built to house relics of the Buddha or another important Buddhist teacher.

What is a Meditation Hall?

a space within a temple or vihara that is dedicated to meditation and is designed to help aid calmness and concentration.

How do Buddhist places of worship vary based on where they are?

• The architecture and design are typically influenced by local cultural traditions.

• For example the Mahabodhi Tempe has typical Indian temple architecture (truncated pyramid made of stone decorated with engravings depicting the life of the Buddha.) This can be contrasted with Buddhist temples in Japan (which are made almost entirely from wood, and consisting of posts supporting a large and gently curved roof).

• In England where Buddhism is not widely practiced the Buddhist temples here use buildings originally intended for other purposes. For example, the London Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green is based in an old fire station. However, there are some Buddhist Temples in Britain that are purpose built in a more traditional Asian style, such as the Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon. This is built in the traditional Thai style as its construction as it was funded by the this government

How are Buddhist temples usually designed?

to symbolise Buddhist cosmology,

• for example temples being bult with a tall central spire or dome is often said to represent Mount Meru, the centre of the universe in Buddhist cosmology and are usually surrounded by smaller temples and walls, symbolising the oceans and lesser mountains

• Some temples are also arranged in three sections, representing the three realms of existence: the base, the middle and the upper

What does the base or entrance represent?

representing the world of desire (six realms of samsara)

What does the middle level represent?

representing the world of form (inhabited by beings who have transcended sensual desires but still retain a physical form)

What do the upper levels represent?

including towers or central shrines – representing the formless realm (where beings have transcended both physical form andsensual desires, existing in a state of consciousness)

What is a mandala?

often employed as a blueprint or plan for designing places of worships, it is a circular configuration of geometric patterns, symbolic of the journey towards self-realisation and enlightenment.

What are key features of a vihara?

• have accommodation where monks or nuns can sleep, can also be a dormitory, may also provide accommodation for lay visitors

• places for communal eating, monks often rely on donations allowing lay Buddhists to cultivate generosity (dana) and gain good karma

• often spaces of communal education so viharas will typically have classrooms, with separate classrooms for training monks or nuns or for lay visitors seeking further dhamma instruction

• a library of Buddhist scriptures, which will vary depending on the Buddhist tradition

• meditation hall/shrine room, calm places with a shrine that help Buddhists focus on the Buddha and how he achieved enlightenment. mahayana shrines may also be decorated with statues of bodhisattvas

• stupas are burial mounds that contain relics of a deceased person. big ones may have relics of the buddha or another important Buddhist teachers, smaller ones may have relics of members of the monastic community

• many viharas have a garden where they have a fig tree which is a reminder of the bodhi tree where the Buddha achieved enlightenment, reminding Buddhists about what the Buddha achieved and encourages them to practice meditation

What are the features of shrines or offerings?

• shrines are the site of any image or statue of the Buddha that is the object of devotion or veneration, statue is sometimes called a rupa

• statues sometimes covered in gold leaf or painted gold, symbolises enlightenment as gold is a pure metal representing a pure state of mind and enlightenment, and since gold is rare it emphasises the importance of the Buddha for Buddhists

• The central place of the Buddha statue helps Buddhists to focus on the Buddhas teachings and to concentrate in meditation

• flowers are given as an offering by those visiting the shrine, being beautiful and being a symbol of anicca since their life cycle is so short. different number of flowers can represent different things, like one flower representing the unity of all things where three flowers may represent the triratna (buddha, dhamma, sangha)

• incense sticks represent the need to cleanse the mind of the three poisons

• candles are used to provide light as a symbol of enlightenment

• there are gifts of food (fruit, rice, water) to the Buddha, showing respect and reverence to the Buddha by treating him like an honoured guest and demonstrates thankfulness to the Buddha for his teachings

Why do Buddhists give offerings to monks?

• In the Anguttra Nikaya, the Buddha says that there are eight types of individuals who are worthy of offerings, including monks and arhats

• In Buddhist countries, food offerings are given to monks, with Theravada Monks going into the streets with alms bowls and receive food. in some places monks may take food from their shrines

• Offerings to both statues of the Buddha and to monks are a way of cultivating dana and generosity. Its also the only way many of these monks may eat

• Generosity combats tje poison of greed, and in Mahayana its one of the six paramitas, the qualities one needs to develop to unlock the Buddha-nature

Why are stupas important?

• For Buddhists, building stupas has karmic benefits. Karma is generated by a person’s actions and the ethical consequences of those actions, which affects their rebirth. The Avadana Sutra suggests that if a person builds a stupa they will not be reborn in a remote location and will not suffer from extreme poverty. As a result, a vast number of stupas are built in rural areas across Southeast Asia.

Why do Buddhists circumambulate (walk around) stupas?

• it represents the endless cycle of samsara

• its a meditative practice

• not veneration for the relics themselves since the Buddha did not want to be revered as a god but wanted his ashes in the stupas to serve as a reminder of his teachings.

What are the conflicting arguments for Buddhists about visiting places of worship

• some Buddhist believe they aren’t necessary as many devotional practices that are carried out in temples can also be practiced at home and since the Buddha became enlightened because of solo meditation there is no need to meditate in a temple or vihara

• other Buddhists would argue that temples and viharas have been build to be as conducive as possible to Buddhist practice, for example meditation halls in a Buddhist temple are designed to aid concentration and avoid distractions. Lay Buddhists may also find it helpful to go to viharas and temples to receive instruction

What are the other reasons to visit temples and viharas?

• There are other reasons to visit temples and viharas. These are places where the Buddhist community (the sangha) can gather together. The sangha is one of the three jewels (triratna), so making connections with them and going to them for help can be important for Buddhists.

• Making connections with the community might be particularly important in places where Buddhism is not the majority religion, such as in Britain.

• Temples and viharas are also places where Buddhists can celebrate important events, such as weddings and funerals, and Buddhist festivals.