McKaycee Abrenica Rominna De Torres Antrhopology 121 Due: November 12, 2014

1. McKaycee Abrenica
Rominna De Torres
Anthropology 121
November 8, 2014

2. This is one of the altars in the temple. Each altar has its own Buddha. A Buddha is
simply one who has reached enlightenment. Meaning, anyone can be a Buddha. The fat
jolly guy of which we usually see is actually the Chinese god of luck and fortune -- who
was once a man but reached enlightenment through the folly of his luck and fortune.
Thus, he was a Buddha, and enlightened. The skinny guy is Gautama Siddhartha, who
reached enlightenment meditating under the Bodhi tree, after a life of wealth and then
severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, then realizing the truth
of the middle path. Thus, he was a Buddha, and enlightened. Buddha statues
meditating can be visual symbols and reminders of inner peace, good fortune, healing,
calm and can be a powerful motivational reminder that each and every one of us has
Buddha nature within us.

3. In Buddhism, a bodhisattva
is an enlightenment being.
Traditionally, a bodhisattva
is anyone who, motivated by
great compassion, has
generated bodhicitta, which
is a spontaneous wish to
attain Buddhahood for the
benefit of all sentient beings.
A bodhisattva is one who
has a determination to free
sentient beings from
samsara and its cycle of
death, rebirth and suffering.
This type of mind is known
as the mind of awakening
(bodhicitta). Bodhisattvas
take bodhisattva vows in
order to progress on the
spiritual path towards
Buddhahood.

4. They had a sound system
that plays Buddhist Music
continuously. The reason for it
is to help purify the hearts of
listeners nonstop while in the
temple after the ceremony is
over. The lifestyle common to
most people today is busy
and quite stressful. With
many people seeming to have
no place to take any kind of
spiritual refuge it can often
become quite easy for them
to become lost in themselves.
The pure and clear sounding
melodies of Buddhist Music
aim to provide a way to
communicate the higher
spiritual states of mind that
are advocated by the
Dharma, and can serve to
enrich and re-energize the
hearts of people.

5. The Buddhist monastic order is divided
into two assemblies, the male bhikkhu,
and the female bhikkhuni assembly.
Monks and nuns are considered to be
responsible for the preservation and
dissemination of the Buddha's teaching
and the guidance of Buddhist lay
people. An abbess or abbot, typically a
senior monastic still young enough to be
active, is usually responsible for the
day-to-day administration of the
monastery, and may appoint others to
assist with the work. In some traditions,
the abbess/abbot is chosen by a vote of
the monastics in a monastery. Monks
and nuns are expected to fulfill a variety
of roles in the Buddhist community. First
and foremost, they are expected to
preserve the doctrine and discipline now
known as Buddhism.

6. This woman made origami of a
lotus flower. The most often
flower in Buddhist shrines, or on
the base of statues, are lotuses,
as they represent the potential or
actuality of Enlightenment. The
Buddha is likened to the lotus.
Like a lotus that rises out of a
muddy pond, the Buddha rose
above the defilements and
sufferings of life. We are right now
surrounded by defilements and
sufferings, just as the lotus seed
is surrounded by dirt, mud and
filth. We should rise above our
defilements and sufferings, just
like the lotus flower arising above
the muddy water. This serves to
remind us of our own potential
Buddhahood. We may have
defilements today, but we all have
the potential of growing out of
defilements and achieving
wisdom like the Buddha.

7. This is called morning gong. In the
morning, the gong is set to create a
stream of intense sounds followed by a
slow pace. This is to remind the mass
that they are have come to the end of a
long night and do not indulge oneself in
deep unconsciousness; in the evening,
the gong is sounded in the reverse
order, that is, slow then a faster pace,
this is to remind everyone that they
should be aware of illusions and
unconsciousness; also that they must
help relieve all beings in the nether
world from suffering. According to one
of the monks, n today's society, many
suffer from stress that occur within our
lives and spiritual lives that are drying
up. When they hear sounds of the
gong from temples occasionally, they
will be able to get away from all worries
and bathe in the environment of
tranquility and peace away from this
mundane world.

8. This is called an evening
drum. It is also a drum used
for ceremonies. According to
a woman in the temple, the
sound of this drum helps
them focus on the ceremony.
The drum can awaken those
who have lost themselves in
the chase of fame and
fortune. The drum is hit
steadily in a combination of
fast and slow paces creating
a roaring sound of thunder. If
you listen very carefully you
will be able to recognize
sounds of the wind, rain, and
thunder; these sounds signify
timely wind and rain (good
weather) and national
prosperity.

9. A wooden fish, also known as a
Chinese temple block, is a wooden
percussion instrument. It is often
used during rituals usually
involving the recitation of sutras,
mantras, or other Buddhist texts.
The wooden fish is often used for
rites of death and resurrection.
During funerals, people may walk
in processions while sounding
wooden fishes in a slow and
unison rhythm. Other purposes
may include prayers for rain. In
Confucianism, the wooden fish is
struck at specific intervals to
signify certain stages of
ceremonies at temple. In
Buddhism, it is struck during
chants of Buddha's name. The
wooden fish symbolizes wakeful
attention. It can also symbolize
wealth and abundance.

10. This is a bell bowl (Da Quing), and
it has different functions. chanting
sessions or Dharma functions in a
temple, it will enable all participants
to regulate their thoughts and calm
their minds. By doing this, people
will be able to achieve better
interactions with Buddha and
Bodhisattvas through deeper
sincerity. They may be made from
stone or jade, but the majority are
made from metals such as bronze
or steel. Other than chanting
sessions and Dharma functions,
whenever the Abbott of a temple is
visiting another temple, as they
enter the shrine to pay respect to
the Buddha, the Da-Qing must be
sounded three times as they make
prostrations, following that, the
Abbott of that temple will come to
greet the guests.

11. The bell symbolizes
Buddha's voice. It calls for
the protection of heavenly
deities. The sound of the
bell equals the sound of
the Dharma, or the entity
or law, which sustains the
order of things in the
universe. These protective
deities are more like minor
gods, or those represent a
function of the higher self,
called Buddhahood
(Bodhisattvas). Buddhism
calls for people to pay
attention to the now. This
focus is also called
mindfulness. The gentle
ring of the bell serves to
focus a follower's attention,
bringing it out of future
worries or pulling it away
from past concerns.

12. These are real fruits offered to
the Buddha for prosperity.
Buddhists don't pray to god, so
one way of cultivating and
practicing positive thoughts is to
place the fruit there as a
symbolic act and reminder of
giving. The fruit isn't sacred but
shows the person has loving
and positive thoughts. The fruit
is later eaten: in temples, it's
given free to whoever's hungry.
If you were invited to have a
meal with them, you'd be the
first one offered the fruit as it
again becomes part of the act of
giving and generosity. It
represents the nourishment in
spiritual cultivation and helps us
be mindful of the law of cause
and effect (KARMA)

13. Incense stands for ethics and
morality. It represents a person.
Imagine that you are a stick of
incense. Someone comes along and
lights up a matchstick. The person
then uses the lighted matchstick and
lit you up. Immediately, you are
burning away. As you are burning,
your body gives off a lovely fragrant
smell. This fragrance spreads
through the air and brings joy and
happiness to people's heart. The
person then offers you to the Buddha.
You are being put into an incense
pot. You stand happily in the incense
pot because you know that you have
an important role to play. Your
fragrance symbolizes the fragrance
of pure moral conduct. And this
reminds people to cultivate good
conduct. Also, It creates a feeling of
serenity.

14. Buddhists believe that the flame on
the candles represents the light of
Buddha’s teachings. Candles are
placed in front of shrines as a mark
of respect. Buddha and Bodhisattvas
are the Light that guides all sentient
beings in darkness. When a candle
is lit up, it can light up other candles.
That means when we put others first,
then other people probably will follow
our examples, thus creating a bright
wonderful world. Buddhists also use
candles to further their faith. They
isolate themselves in a quiet room
and stare into the flame of the
candle, focusing all of their attention
on it. They believe that as they stare
at the flame their minds will become
enlightened as the worries of
everyday begin to drift away. They
hope to receive visions, images, and
thoughts to guide them.

15. This is a Vietnamese Buddhist
ancestor altar. There are pictures of
the members who died a long time
ago, and recently. Flowers are
dedicated which symbolize the
shortness of life and the constant
change fundamental in existence.
Vietnamese believes in the life after
death. They believe the deceased
has a power that can bring good
fortune to the living people. Living
members in family can be protected
from accident by the ancestors. In
return, ancestors will be
commemorated and worshiped by
their present generations. For the
Vietnamese, each person has two
parts: one for body – tangible part
and one for soul – intangible part.
After the death, the spirits exist in
another realm for further three or four
generations.

16. After interviewing them, we were asked to have lunch in the temple. They
don’t eat any kinds of meat for they believe that every creature that breathes
needs to be respected. Also, if one pursues the path of the Bodhisattva for
enlightenment, one should avoid meat eating to cultivate compassion for all
living beings. The act of eating meat is not always prohibited. One if the
ladies there said that they can eat meat outside of the temple grounds. They
recommend a vegetarian diet, for Buddha insisted that his followers should
not eat the flesh of any sentient being. The monks, most especially, should
abstain from any meat.