World Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World Religion - Essay Example This report approves that the temple is a place where Buddhist monks and lay people gather to practice meditation. Since meditation requires quiet and concentration, there are special rooms set aside in the temple for groups or individuals to sit on their pillows and meditate. The temple provides lay people with retreats, usually overnight stays but people can stay longer. When a person stays with the monks, they sleep on a simple mat and eat the same foods as the monks using the same simple black bowls. The purpose of a retreat is to simplify the person’s life, to relax, and to concentrate on meditation, so lay people do not get special treatment. The traditional tea ceremony is one of the activities that lay people participate in with the monks. They are also encouraged to work around the temple grounds and to study the grounds and buildings during tours so they can have an understanding of what traditional Buddhist worship is like. All these activities for lay people are me ant to encourage simplicity and concentration. This essay makes a conclusion that it is amazing to think of this place as enduring for more than 1,215 years in the same spot. Even though many events have happened this might have destroyed or disbanded the monks, it continued on even through religious oppression and many wars and natural disasters. This shows that the temple and the ideas of Buddhism are enduring, and even though there is this long history the monks still lead very simple lives. Outsiders can have a little taste of this Buddhist life, too.