At first look, the Protestant and Buddhist religions don’t seem to have a lot in widespread. Nevertheless, a number of the rituals noticed in a single have parallel rituals noticed within the different. On the structural degree, there are extra comparisons than contrasts to be made. If the view is expanded to incorporate the followers of every faith, nonetheless, many extra contrasts than comparisons might be noticed. It’s the individuals, the Protestants and the Buddhists, that make the religions totally different, on account of teachings that can’t essentially be noticed.
The customs of every faith will likely be detailed, and the similarities and variations made clear, within the essay that follows. This explicit Sunday morning Protestant service begins at 9 o’ clock, although the schedule is much from inflexible. Members of the congregation are milling fortunately about, most sporting smiles which are huge and brilliant. A few of them spot me as a newcomer as quickly as I step by the doorway, and so they rush to shake my hand and introduce themselves. (One in every of these is Tobias Scouten, who agrees to be interviewed for this essay.
) Protestants on this explicit church, and this can be the identical in all places, are all the time welcoming new members. That is evidenced nearly instantly after the service begins. The room, which Scouten calls “the sanctuary,” is dimly lit, apart from the stage. Three spotlights illuminate the whole stage. There are candles burning on both aspect, however the dominant aromas are carpet cleaner and the assorted mingled odors of the individuals filling the room. After a number of songs, that are sung with nice enthusiasm by the whole congregation, the preacher takes the stage.
His smile is maybe brightest of all, and he makes some extent of welcoming any guests who could be within the viewers. (There aren’t any pews on this sanctuary; the worshippers are seated in cushioned chairs, that are organized in lengthy rows. ) He then provides up the microphone to anybody who has a “testimony” to share. Testimonies, on this context, means a narrative wherein congregation members unfold the letter or the spirit of the message. Examples shared this morning embrace a number of luggage of groceries bought for a needy household, an invite prolonged to a despairing nonbeliever, and an evening spent in prayer over a pal’s sick father.
The congregation encourages these tales with calls of “Amen” and “Reward Jesus. ” On this means, particular person church members are rewarded, if with nothing greater than the acclaim of their friends, for serving to the Protestant religion as an entire to develop. The testimonies are adopted by a musical efficiency. A younger man and a younger lady take the stage, the previous holding a cordless microphone and the latter sporting an acoustic guitar. Whereas they sing, the congregation sits again and listens, although a number of scattered “Amen” calls might be heard at essential moments within the lyrics. When the pastor returns to the stage, he reads from the Bible.
He pauses throughout this studying to make clear sure factors, bringing the traditional writing into extra present context. After the studying, he relates an household anecdote, which in the long run returns to the theme (this week, the church is specializing in “forgiveness”) mentioned within the Bible passage. That is the one time in the course of the service that everybody within the viewers is quiet. All eyes are on the pastor as he walks up and down the stage, talking by a headset microphone. His pacing is matched to the tone of his voice; when his quantity will increase, so does the size of his stride.
Upon talking the ultimate phrases of his sermon, he permits full silence to descend on the congregation for a full 5 seconds earlier than requesting everybody bow their heads in prayer. There’s one other music, once more sung by the whole congregation, and the service involves an in depth. Nobody seems to be in a lot of a rush to depart the sanctuary. Lots of the worshippers flip to one another and recommence the mingling wherein that they had been indulging earlier than the service started. At this level, Tobias Scouten escorts me out of the sanctuary and into what he phrases “the fellowship corridor” for espresso and cookies.
We seat ourselves at one of many many tables, and he fills within the blanks for me. The knowledge Mr. Scouten supplies will likely be put to make use of when the Protestant observe is in contrast with the Buddhist observe, following the reason of the latter. A small group of individuals, “fifty or so, on day,” in line with Abbot Bai Tue, comes collectively at 9 o’ clock on Saturday mornings for an English-language Zen service. The temple is a modest constructing, which consists of 1 massive assembly room—referred to as the “Zendo”—and some smaller rooms.
Amongst these lesser chambers, the Abbot has an workplace, a rest room, and a kitchenette. Upon getting into the constructing, it’s required that I take away my sneakers. In a coatroom simply contained in the entrance door, each pair of sneakers is stowed in a separate cubby. Not lots of the cubbies are used, both as a result of the temple doesn’t appeal to a big group of regulars or as a result of extra individuals select to attend the Sunday morning Japanese-language service. As it’s, I’m joined with lower than twenty individuals within the temple. These persons are dressed casually, in comfy garments, to make seated meditation extra peaceable.
As I will likely be instructed later, it’s requested that folks put on garments that won’t make a lot noise when the wearer strikes, as this could be distracting in the course of the meditation interval. The dominant aroma right here is one in every of incense, although the precise scent is unknown. Behind the place the Abbot sits, a show consisting of a small Boddhisatva statue, a cup of incense sticks, and several other burning sticks that are poking out of the bottom of the statue. The Zendo itself appears to be all pure wooden, with out a lot—if any—paint on the partitions or ceiling.
Because the Abbot will inform me later, the sight of pure wooden calms those that come to the temple to meditate; it “permits them to really feel surrounded by nature,” even whereas they’re contained in the constructing. Nobody says a phrase whereas they arrange for the service. Cushions are retrieved from a closet off the principle room for everybody to sit down on, for there aren’t any chairs. “Silence,” the Abbot will inform me, “is required within the Zendo. ” The temple’s attendance could be small, however this issues little to those that do come commonly. They don’t come to fulfill with the opposite members of the “Sangha”—that means the group—they arrive to expertise one thing inside themselves.
The service begins with the ringing of a odor bell and a chanting ritual, alternating between the Abbot and the Sangha. The character of this chanting is the providing up of the thoughts and the prostration of the physique to one thing greater. This greater preferrred isn’t a being, however relatively a state of being: enlightenment. It’s a fantasy that Buddhists worship Buddha. They give the impression of being to him as a frontrunner, extra of an instance than a personification of judgment and the ensuing punishment or reward. Following the chants, there’s a sort of sermon made by the Abbot, although the Sangha are inspired to “flip inward” whereas listening.
The phrases are to not be taken at face worth, however to be seen as portals past which higher that means might be discovered. The Sangha meditates throughout this time, and after a brief interval the Abbot falls silent. Throughout the Zendo, not a sound might be heard. The distant location of the temple turns into a notable optimistic at this level, as the one noise from exterior is the relatively soothing rush of the wind within the timber. The meditation lasts nearly an hour and a half, after which Abbot Bai Tue invitations anybody with questions associated to the temple particularly or the Buddhist observe basically to remain and discuss.
Although I’m not the one particular person to stay as soon as the meditation is over, it shortly turns into clear that I’m the one customer to the temple this morning. The Abbot is greater than keen to offer solutions for me, although he doesn’t lead me in my interview in any respect. Even now, the search is a private one. He speaks solely when a Question Assignment is posed, and his responses are concise and to-the-point. As said within the introduction, the comparisons to be made between the religions are largely structural. Each Protestants and Buddhists come collectively to observe.
They start with acts of participation, with songs within the Protestant church and chants within the Buddhist temple. Then a frontrunner takes management of the service and offers the congregation or the Sangha what they can not obtain anyplace else. However even in these similarities, there are intrinsic variations. Mr. Scouten tells me he sings with a purpose to present his “gratitude and love for the Lord. ” In accordance with Abbot Bai Tue, the chants have a special goal; they “put together the thoughts for meditation. ” It will appear that the Protestant songs are sung for God, whereas the Buddhist chants are executed for private preparations.
When the sermon begins, the Protestants are listening carefully to every phrase spoken, and vocal responses are inspired. Within the Buddhist temple, the sermon is supposed solely to set the stage, and such responses are discouraged. These variations level to a elementary distinction between the 2 religions. The Protestant religion is based on the idea of propagation, and the practitioners of the religion take nice satisfaction in aiding that propagation. Diametrically, the Buddhist religion is about wanting inward and discovering peace inside oneself. Bibliography Scouten, Tobias. Private Interview. 18 February 2007. Tue, Bai. Private Interview. 24 February 2007.
