|
Hoa
Nghiem Pagoda |
|
On Wednesday, May 1st Tanisha and I visited the Hoa Nghiem Pagoda (Vietnamese Zen) temple near Fort Belvoir. As we entered the parking lot, there was a ten foot tall white statue of the Bodhisattvas standing on a lotus flower. Around this was a beautiful little garden and a fence that separated the road from the yard where little statues of the sitting Buddha and Faces of Buddha were placed. Also under a tree near the other side was a little worship area where there was a sitting Buddha and a small garden surrounding it. As we entered the Temple Tanisha noticed a Flag with many colors and Inquired if it was the Buddhist flag. Just as we started to look around we were greeted by a monk In drab dark brown looking bathrobe with slippers and a knitted cap that all matched in color. He welcomed us into the Kitchen area since this temple was actually a converted home. Where we sit at the table and discussed that meditation practices and worship habits of the Zen Buddha. We were shown a nun who wore a light blue robe of the same material and had her head shaved. We then took off our shoes and entered the prayer hall, which was a carpeted living room covered with oriental rugs. To our left was a small table with little Buddha statues some sitting, standing and laying down. There were large bowels of fruit and incenses on this table with candles and flowers. The main center of worship was a sitting Buddha that has been surrounded with a neon halo, and flowers of light and fruit bowls. There were incenses and wooden bells with bell pots around the base of the Buddha. The Monk said that the Buddha statue itself was hundreds of years old and has been brought with them to the states. To the left of the room was a statue of the Indian man who brought Buddhism to China behind this were picture of senior monks that had already passed. The main door into the living area had panels with Chinese lettering posted on each side. The Monk and President of the community who joined us at this time said it was a poem from their country that was for protection. As we came back around to the door we entered there was a small table with a picture of a man and funeral wreathes on the floor in front of them. On the wall behind the table was a large Plexiglas board that held photos of other family members that had passed. To it's left was a cabinet that held some other ashes in Urns. We then sit again at the table and went over any questions about the hall, we were offered natural tea and fruit and given a lot of literature to read for our studies. I have to say this was very hard for me because the monk didn't speak English very well and I had a hard time following may of the answers to the questions ask by Tanisha. The one that stuck was that the flag was indeed the Buddhist flag with each color that symbolized the life of Buddha. |
| Created by Laura Ellen Shulman |
Last updated: May 2002
|