Buddhist Temple
In keeping with the theme of Asian food and an Asian supermarket, we decided that we would visit a Buddhist Temple. We were surprised when our visit to the afternoon service had only two other attendees; both of them white North Americans. The service was a mix of formality and informality. The leader waited until exactly the right time before beginning the service and leading the worshippers in various chants and readings. The second portion of the service was a sort of "sermon" which was very interactive and was in many ways like a small group or Bible study that you might find in any Christian church.
This is a picture of one of the many stained glass windows found inside the Buddhist temple. Although stained glass windows are not unusual, we found it strange that these ones were in the shape of a cross. As far as we know the cross is a Christian symbol and has nothing to do with the Buddhist faith. Perhaps this reflects a syncretism of this particular branch of Buddhism (Jodo Shinshu) with Western ideas?
Following the service we moved to the basement of the temple to share some homemade cookies and green tea. We spent about half an hour discussing religion and life goals and listening to stories from the lives of the two worshippers. They were all very hospitable and made sure to give us a copy of The Teachings of Buddha before we left.
