Well, today the non-sectarian Nichiren Buddhist Gathering of Friends took a field trip to the Wat Thai Buddhist Temple, not far from my home. We met for gongyo and daimoku at the Ankers' home, and then car-pooled to the lovely temple, which you can see from far away.
It has that classical "Anna and the King of Siam" look, with the great gold and crimson roof, and huge, 15-foot, fierce-looking guardian dieties standing sentinel outside the main door.
There were a total of 12 of us meeting at the temple (I met the group there because my car is misbehaving). First, we sat down in a big room together with some Thai retreatants for a luncheon. The Thai retreatants were all dressed in white, and some of our group had gotten this message. I didn't, and of course, was wearing all black!
Lunch was a buffet which some of us adjusted to better than others. Lots of noodles and rice, as well as some cut-up fruit and a plate of what looked like orange rice covered with fish flakes. As I say, some of us were more adventurous than others with what we put on our plates.
We weren't supposed to "engage in socializing" during the meal, which was not easy for those of us who are used to large lunches being a time for catching up and chit-chat. No, we were supposed to be spending our energy being mindful of the food we were eating, and offering silent thanks for the strength it was giving to our bodies. There was even a special prayer before the lunch, something about not overeating, and gratitude for the food.
After lunch, there was some more prayer, mostly in Thai, and we adjourned to the main temple building where we had a look around.
This particular temple boasts what is supposed to be the largest Buddha statue in Los Angeles --and it is, in fact, pretty large. At least 10 feet high, maybe more, and apparently all covered in gold. A group of four orange-robed monks were kneeling on a carpeted platform, engaging some parishioners in a sort of call-and response prayer in Thai. The monks would say something, and then the parishioners would respond.
The altar was covered with offerings of various sorts. Food, trinkets, and lots of flowers. Flowers were everywhere, in fact. Especially purple orchids.
After this, we went to the meditation hall, where the white-garbed retreatants were sitting on mats on the floor, waiting for their speaker to arrive. I know this speaker myself, as I had visited this temple to learn seated and walking silent meditation, and had spoken to him on a couple of occasions last year. He is a young Canadian fellow named (of all things), Noah. The Buddha statue in this meditation hall was a little smaller, but behind it was a lovely mural of some animals cavorting around the Buddha, as well as what looked like either two lovely female Bodhissatvas or two temptresses.
The walking meditation is particularly challenging for those of us who give no thought to how we move our bodies, just sort of propelling ourselves from here to there withour minds on something entirely different. The walking meditation which I learned here last year was quite challenging. I learned to walk very, very slowly. I learned to pay attention while I placed my foot down... heel....foot....ball.....Then the other foot, heel...foot...ball.....It is very interesting being in a room fo people who are all moving very deliberately, at the pace of a lazy snail. I had a teacher work with me last year, and I was happy to run into her again today.
Anyway, Noah was late, due to having broken his glasses and needing to go to the opthalmologist to get a new pair. So, we sat quietly, together with the other retreatants. The Gathering's two children (Ben, aged 2 and Emma, aged 1) were pretty good about not making a lot of noise, and Ben fell asleep on his Daddy's chest for most of the wait.
Finally, Noah the skinny Canadian monk came and took his place on a platform at the front of the room. He and the retreatants did a series of prostrations, and sang some sort of hymn in Thai. I was impressed by the limberness with which he did his low bows. I can see how that kind of thing might not just be a religious requirement, but a cleverly disguised way of keeping fit and flexible!
Then, Noah launched into a talk about our human tendency toward addictions, the Buddha's Middle Way, and the Eightfold Noble Path.....
To be continued......
Be limber, be mindful, be cool.
Byrd in LA
Posted by wahzoh at March 30, 2008 04:21 PM