Buddhist protestant

At first glance, the Protestant and Buddhist religions do non appear to have much in common. However, some of the rituals observed in one have parallel rituals observed in the other. At the geomorphologic level, there are much comparisons than contrasts to be made. If the view is expanded to imply the followers of each religion, however, many more contrasts than comparisons can be observed. It is the slew, the Protestants and the Buddhists, that chance upon the religions different, due to teachings that cannot necessarily be observed.The customs of each religion testament be detailed, and the similarities and differences made clear, in the essay that follows. This particular Sunday break of the day Protestant help begins at guild o clock, though the chronicle is far from rigid. Members of the meeting are milling happily ab let show up, most eating away smiles that are wide and bright. Some of them spot me as a catechumen as soon as I step through the doorway, and they c athexis to shake my hand and introduce themselves. (One of these is Tobias Scouten, who agrees to be interviewed for this essay.) Protestants in this particular church, and this may be the same everywhere, are always welcoming new members. This is bear witness almost immediately after the answer begins. The room, which Scouten calls the sanctuary, is dimly lit, except for the stage. triple spotlights illuminate the entire stage. There are candles burning on any side, yet the dominant aromas are carpet cleaner and the various mingled odors of the people filling the room. After a few songs, which are sung with owing(p) enthusiasm by the entire fold, the preacher believes the stage.His smile is perhaps brightest of all, and he makes a point of welcoming any visitors who might be in the audience. (There are no pews in this sanctuary the worshippers are caned in cushioned chairs, which are arranged in long rows. ) He and then offers up the microphone to anyone who has a testim ony to share. Testimonies, in this context, means a story in which congregation members spread the letter or the note of the message. Examples shared this morning include a few bags of groceries purchased for a destitute family, an invitation extended to a despairing nonbeliever, and a night spent in prayer over a friends sick father.The congregation encourages these stories with calls of Amen and Praise Jesus. In this way, individual church members are rewarded, if with nothing more than the acclaim of their peers, for helping the Protestant faith as a total to grow. The testimonies are followed by a musical performance. A young man and a young woman take the stage, the former holding a cordless(prenominal) microphone and the latter wearing an acoustic guitar. While they sing, the congregation sits back and listens, though a few scattered Amen calls can be heard at crucial moments in the lyrics. When the parson returns to the stage, he reads from the Bible.He pauses during thi s class period to clarify certain points, bringing the ancient writing into more menstruum context. After the reading, he relates an family anecdote, which in the end returns to the theme (this week, the church is counsel on forgiveness) discussed in the Bible passage. This is the simply time during the service that everyone in the audience is quiet. All eyes are on the pastor as he walks up and down the stage, sermon through a head strike off microphone. His pacing is matched to the tone of his voice when his volume increases, so does the length of his stride.Upon speaking the final course of his sermon, he allows full silence to descend on the congregation for a full five seconds before requesting everyone bow their heads in prayer. There is another song, again sung by the entire congregation, and the service interjects to a close. No one appears to be in much of a hurry to leave the sanctuary. Many of the worshippers turn to each other and commence the mingling in which t hey had been indulging before the service began. At this point, Tobias Scouten escorts me out of the sanctuary and into what he terms the fellowship hall for coffee and cookies.We seat ourselves at one of the many tables, and he fills in the blanks for me. The information Mr. Scouten tins allow be put to use when the Protestant practice is compared with the Buddhist practice, hobby the explanation of the latter. A small classify of people, fifty or so, on a good day, according to abbot Bai Tue, comes unneurotic at nine o clock on Saturday mornings for an English-language Zen service. The temple is a minor building, which consists of one large meeting roomcalled the Zendoand a few smaller rooms.Among these lesser chambers, the Abbot has an office, a bathroom, and a kitchenette. Upon entering the building, it is required that I remove my shoes. In a coatroom just inside the bet door, every pair of shoes is stowed in a separate cubby. non many of the cubbies are used, either b ecause the temple does not attract a large group of regulars or because more people choose to regard the Sunday morning Japanese-language service. As it is, I am joined with less than twenty people in the temple. These people are dressed casually, in comfortable clothes, to make seated guess more peaceful.As I ordain be told later, it is requested that people wear clothes that will not make much noise when the wearer moves, as this might be distracting during the meditation period. The dominant aroma here is one of incense, though the exact twine is unknown. Behind where the Abbot sits, a display consisting of a small Boddhisatva statue, a cup of incense sticks, and several burning sticks which are poking out of the base of the statue. The Zendo itself looks to be all indispensable wood, without muchif any cay on the walls or ceiling.As the Abbot will tell me later, the sight of natural wood calms those who come to the temple to meditate it allows them to feel surrounded by s oulality, even while they are inside the building. No one says a rallying cry while they set up for the service. Cushions are retrieved from a press off the main room for everyone to sit on, for there are no chairs. Silence, the Abbot will tell me, is required in the Zendo. The temples attendance might be small, but this matters little to those who do come regularly. They do not come to meet with the other members of the Sanghameaning the groupthey come to experience something within themselves.The service begins with the ringing of a savor bell and a chanting ritual, alternating betwixt the Abbot and the Sangha. The nature of this chanting is the offering up of the mind and the prostration of the body to something high. This higher ideal is not a being, but rather a state of matter of being enlightenment. It is a myth that Buddhists worship Buddha. They look to him as a leader, more of an example than a personification of judgment and the resulting punishment or reward. Foll owing the chants, there is a type of sermon made by the Abbot, though the Sangha are encouraged to turn inward while listening.The words are not to be taken at face value, but to be seen as portals beyond which greater meaning can be found. The Sangha meditates during this time, and after a short period the Abbot falls silent. inside the Zendo, not a sound can be heard. The remote locating of the temple becomes a notable positive at this point, as the only noise from outside is the rather soothing rush of the wind in the trees. The meditation lasts almost an hour and a half, after which Abbot Bai Tue invites anyone with questions associate to the temple in particular or the Buddhist practice in general to stay and talk.Though I am not the only person to remain once the meditation is over, it quickly becomes clear that I am the only visitor to the temple this morning. The Abbot is more than willing to provide answers for me, though he does not lead me in my interview at all. Even n ow, the search is a personal one. He speaks only when a question is posed, and his responses are concise and to-the-point. As stated in the introduction, the comparisons to be made between the religions are mostly structural. Both Protestants and Buddhists come together to practice.They begin with acts of participation, with songs in the Protestant church and chants in the Buddhist temple. therefore a leader takes control of the service and gives the congregation or the Sangha what they cannot give anywhere else. But even in these similarities, there are intimate differences. Mr. Scouten tells me he sings in order to show his gratitude and love for the Lord. According to Abbot Bai Tue, the chants have a different purpose they prepare the mind for meditation. It would await that the Protestant songs are sung for God, while the Buddhist chants are through for personal preparations.When the sermon begins, the Protestants are listening closely to each word spoken, and vocal respon ses are encouraged. In the Buddhist temple, the sermon is meant only to set the stage, and such responses are discouraged. These differences point to a fundamental contrast between the two religions. The Protestant faith is founded on the concept of propagation, and the practitioners of the faith take great pride in aiding that propagation. Diametrically, the Buddhist faith is about sounding inward and finding peace within oneself. Bibliography Scouten, Tobias. in the flesh(predicate) Interview. 18 February 2007. Tue, Bai. Personal Interview. 24 February 2007.