My Trip to the Hsi Lai

A Summary on Buddhism
Buddhism began with a man (male human being), who was born around 563 B.C. in what is now Nepal, who woke up. Siddhartha was his given name and Gautama was his family name. At the age of sixteen he married a neighboring princess, Yasodhara and had a son, Rahula. At this point in his life he was a man who seemed to have everything anyone could want: social standing (his father ruled the petty kingdoms that comprised India), appearance, wealth, a wife, a child, and a throne he would soon inherit. In his twenties however he was discontent, which lead him to leave his life, as he knew it. He left the palace for four days and runners were told to remove any unpleasantness during his ventures. However he ended up seeing an old man broken-toothed, a body racked with disease, and a corpse. On the fourth day out he met a monk with a shaven head and learned from him a path that renounces the world. This is a summary of the legend of The Four Passing Sights that impounds the truth that it was the body’s inescapable involvement with disease, decrepitude, and death that made him despair of finding fulfillment on the physical plane. At age twenty-nine Gautama heard his calling of a truth-seeker and discarded his royal attire, shaved his head, and entered the forest to seek enlightenment. Six years followed and his journey went through three phases, which began with his seeking out two of the foremost Hindu masters and learning what he could from them. The second phase was to join a band of ascetics and give their way a try. Within each austerity he would out do his teachers and eventually grew so weak that his companions had to rescue him with warm rice gruel, otherwise he would have died. This event inspired him to come up with the principle of The Middle Way between extremes of asceticism and indulgence. The final phase of his journey was to combine thought and mystic concentration that resemble Hinduism’s raja yoga. He sat down one evening under the Bodhi tree and vowed not to move or leave until he had gained his goal of enlightenment. Mara the Evil One tried to disrupt Gautama’s concentration by parading voluptuous woman (which did not work) and assailed him with torrents of flaming rocks, which turned into blossom petals when they entered the field of his yogic concentration. Gautama’s meditation depended until his mind pierced the world’s bubble, collapsing it to nothing; only to find it restored with the effulgence of true being. The Great Awakening had arrived and Gautama had become the Buddha. Mara tried then to tempt Buddha into entering Nirvana because he could not expect people to understand truth as profound as he had discovered. However Buddha answered, “There will be some who will understand,” and Mara was vanquished forever. Buddha then founded an order of monks and accepted in return the resentment, queries, and bewilderment his stance provoked. He saved himself from burning out under these pressures by going through a pattern of withdrawal and return. Each year was divided between nine months of teaching and three months in retreat with his monks within the rainy season. Also he would meditate three times a day. After a forty-five year ministry at the age of eighty (within the year 483 B.C.), Buddha died after eating some poisoned mushrooms that were put into a dish by accident. Buddhism has earned a subtitle “a religion of infinite compassion” from Buddha’s his combination of a cool head and warm heart. He would respond to every problem cool, dispassionate analysis. Because he had experience a royal lifestyle and a pour poppers lifestyle he moved easily among kings and potentates. There was constant pressure during his life to turn him into a god however he rebutted insisting he was human in every respect. He was also known as a rebellious saint. He preached a religion devoid of authority, devoid of ritual, that skirted speculation, devoid of tradition, and devoid of the supernatural. Buddhism is based on The Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth is that life is dukkha, or suffering because life as it is typically lived is out of joint. This has earned the religion as being pessimistic. What causes life’s suffering is answered in The Second Noble Truth. Tanha is commonly translated as desire, the desire for private fulfillment. The Third Noble Truth gives a cur to our suffering that is overcoming tanha. The Forth Noble Truth describes how the cure can be accomplished which is through the Eightfold Path. 1. Right knowledge which says we need to have some an idea of where we are and in which direction to proceed which the Four Noble Truths provide the idea of where we are. 2. Right aspiration, which counsels us to decide what we really want (true enlightenment).3. Right speech that basically means to speck the truth. 4. Right behavior: Do not kill (strict Buddhists are vegetarians), Do not steal, Do not lie, Do not be unchaste, and Do not take drugs or drink intoxicants. 5. Right livelihood prescribes joining the monastic order and following its discipline. 6. Right effort that can be explained as moral exertion. 7. Right mindfulness, which is liberation from unconscious, mechanical existence. 8. Right absorption whose techniques are similar to that of Hinduism’s raja yoga.
There are also some basic Buddhist concepts like nirvana that is used to name life’s goal. This is the state in which the bundles of private desire have been consumed and everything that restricts the boundless life is exhausted. Buddha also had denied anatta (no soul). It signified a spiritual substance that in keeping with the dualistic position in Hinduism retains its separate identity forever. Buddhism believes that the body houses no ghostly wraith that animates and outlasts it. They also believe in impermanence. Buddha believed that we would stop clutching for permanence only if we believed in its non-existence. Buddhism has split into two main groups one being considered a fulltime job where one should become a monk and was called Hinayana however was changed to Theravada meaning the Way of the Elders. This way claims to represent original Buddhism as Gautama himself taught it. And then the Mahayana, meaning the Big Raft and maha meaning great, this version of Buddhism was for laypersons and claimed to be “Buddhism for the people.”
My Trip to the Hsi Lai Temple
I was fortunate enough to visit the His Lai Temple (meaning coming West) in Hacienda Heights. This temple’s construction was completed in 1988 and belongs to the International Buddhist Progress Society. As you turn towards the temple from Glenmark Drive you are presented with a huge gateway identifying the temple as part of the International Buddhist Progress Society. It has a long set of stairs leading up towards the gate. On the back of the gate in Chinese characters lists the four great vows of Buddhism: “Save all sentient beings, eradicate all worries, ceaselessly study the Dharma, and Continually ascent to Enlightenment.” Once beyond the gateway you are confronted with another long set of stairs that lead up to the lower parking lot and then another long set of stairs that lead you up to the upper parking lot. Once again another long set of stairs above the upper parking lot will lead you to the Bodhisattva Hall. This Bodhisattva Hall is dedicated to the enlightened beings that have vowed to unselfishly serve others in liberating them from suffering, in short there are “Buddha’s in training.” There are five statues that are mainly gold in color, from the right they are: Samantabhardra Bodhisattva (which is supposed to help us achieve more discipline in our daily life), Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (who vowed to help all beings in hell and to not attain Buddhahood until hell has been emptied of all beings), Maitreya Bodhisattva (is the Future Buddha and is sometimes called the Happy Buddha and his large belly represents prosperity and magnanimity), Avalokitesvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva (A female Bodhisattva that represents the fullness of compassion and love. She holds a vase in her right had that flows limitless compassion to help those who are suffering.), and Manjusri Bodhisattva (who represents great wisdom). Underneath the three statues is where followers place their offerings to the Bodhisattvas. Covering all of the walls including the wall beneath and above the altars is of the Diamond Sutra. Once you walk through the hall you will enter the courtyard that is surrounded be beautiful gardens.To the right you will experience the Avalokitesvara Garden with Avalokitesvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva sitting on a giant rock as the main focal point of this garden with ponds and foliage surrounding her. Also surrounding the pond are the four Deva Kings, and the four Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. The flowing water is supposed to be like the dharma water flowing everywhere to purify people’s mind. When you walk towards the left of the courtyard we saw the Arhats Garden where they are eighteen Arhats. They have overcome greed, anger and ignorance and are an inspiration for many Buddhist followers.The main courtyard itself is named the “Way to Buddhahood.” In the center are symmetrical rectangles that symbolize rice paddies with grass that is growing around the edges. In each corner there is a lion whose roar is supposed to represent bravery, strength, and courage awakening us from ignorance. If you continue to walk through the center of the courtyard you are presented with another set of long stairs leading to the Main Shrine.The Main Shrine is also referred to as the “Precious Hall of the Great Hero” and is where most of the religious services are conducted. It is the most important place within the His Lai Temple. Once you walk in the hall has many red velvet chairs and three monumental statues representing three Buddhas or manifestations of enlightenment. Sakyamuni Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) is in the center and is the founder of Buddhism. To the right is the Medicine Buddha who heals the afflictions of mind and body. On the left is Amitabha (infinite light) Buddha and is the teacher of the Western Pure Land. Covering the walls are over ten thousand Buddha statues that represent the multitudes of beings that have attained enlightenment and became Buddhas. I had a friend with me when I visited the temple by the name of Taz. It was great to have a friend because I didn’t feel “alone in a strange land.” I had met a gentleman by the name of John who began to talk with me about Buddhism. He had told me that Buddhism was the same as Christianity that Buddha had a child just as God did. This is true, that Buddha had a child just like God did namely Jesus. However, Buddhists don’t believe in a creator where as in Christianity God is the creator of life. His conversation conflicted what I have learned and grew an urge to say something but out of respect did not. I just nodded my head silently acknowledging his ignorance and used my friend Taz as a reason to leave the conversation. Two o’clock was around the corner and we proceeded behind the Main Shrine to the Meditation Hall for a Beginners meditation class. In the center of the hall was a fully gold painted Buddha sitting in lotus position on top of a lotus flower. Against the walls are wooden sitting areas with meditation cushions and towels to keep your knees from getting cold. We began by bowing to Buddha to ask for guidance on our journey and proceeded with a walking meditation fluctuating from fast to slow speeds alternating back and forth. Folding our hands and letting them swing at are sides as we were told to “go with the flow.” After a while we then were instructed to take our meditation cushions outside and were told to sit in a cross-legged position or lotus if we could get into it comfortably. He instructed us to go through different breathing exercises like reciting to ourselves to say the word relax as we exhaled to reciting the partial word “re” as we inhaled and “lax” as we exhaled. After the full hour experience, which by the way cost ten bucks, I was left feeling extremely relaxed and peaceful. Although I think almost any one would after being in silence for one hour. The experience was all in all, pardon the pun, enlightening. I was raised a catholic and noticed some similarities; they have a religious service every Sunday, a gathering hall, community events and services. The temple was absolutely beautiful but found it a little bouji and felt a little out of place. I will probably visit it again to attend another meditation class or maybe find a temple closer to home. The feeling of serenity is definitely a nice way to end my weekend and enter the new week feeling renewed.