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Critique of A Worship Service At
The Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago
Buddhism is one of the largest religions in the world. The religion originated from India between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE (History.com Editors). Following the Coronavirus crisis, many Buddhist rituals were stopped to help combat the pandemic. However, considering that most of the restrictions have been eased, some of these rituals are being performed both in temples and homes. Easing these restrictions has allowed me to visit the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago, located at 608 Dempster St, Evanston, IL 60202, United States. Getting permission from the leaders to join their Sunday service was an exciting experience.
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world, with approximately 470 million followers (History.com Editors). It originated in India, 2500 years ago, with Siddhartha Guatama (the Buddha) as the founder. Guatama founded this religion group during his quest to achieve enlightenment. It is a unique religion because it does not seek to establish a relationship with God. Religion focuses on the achievement of enlightenment. Also, religion consists of beliefs, spiritual practices, and teachings. Some of the opinions are not acknowledging a supreme god or deity, but instead seeking enlightenment; the Buddha is not a god, enlightenment is achieved through meditation, morality, and wisdom, and embracing the concepts of karma. Another unique characteristic is that there is no single symbol to represent religion. Images have evolved over the years to express their beliefs. Main symbols are the lotus flower and the wheel (Mandy).
The worship experience in a Buddhist temple was unique, just like the religion. Considering that they go to the temple on special occasions, the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago had many worshippers. The service began at 9:30 am on a Sunday. At the main entrance, people were wearing red robes who greeted and welcomed the congregation into the temple. Also, as I entered the temple, I was asked to sign a guest to show that I was new to the temple. Some of the congregants wore casual clothes, indicating that it was appropriate to wear casual attire. The entry of the temple was designed in such a way that a person was forced to bow their head as they entered.
The first thing after entering was ringing a bell to call worshippers to service. This bell was significant because it gave worshippers enough time to settle in, clear their minds, switch off their phones and prepare for service. After settling in, there was an opening message that was given by the chairperson. Also, the chairperson announced the opening song. This was followed by the minister, who leads the congregation in a reading that was explicitly selected for the service. After the lesson, there was a sutra chanting in Japanese. For those who could not understand like me, we were given page number from the service book where we could follow the chanting. The sutra was followed by an offering of incense, which was offered by one member from the congregation. The other activity that took place was reading of another selected text and a Dharma message from the minister. After the last reading, there was a closing song. The last activity was meditation by the chairperson, and the congregation left for their homes. All these activities were conducted within 45 minutes.
During this service, I was able to see different leaders. The first was the chairperson, who led the opening and closing of the service. There was the priest/ minister who led the main reading and Dharma. These two leaders took turns during the service.
My general impressions about the group are that they are unique. As previously stated, the group does not believe I god, but hey seek enlightenment. I think that it is unique because al other major religions believe in gods and deities. The service was performed in under one hour. This is to imply that they are time conscious. Unlike other worship services where worship services can last for hours, service in this temple was brief and fulfilling. Also, it was interesting because there were people at the entrance who welcomed congregants and recognized guests. Recognition of guests made them to feel welcome and appreciated. Another impression of this service is that there is respect. At the start of the service, people are given time to settle to avoid disturbance during the service.
I learned a couple of things about the worship service at the Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago. One thing is that guests are recognized and welcomed with an open heart. Another thing is that worship services lasted for 45 minutes. Also, I learned that priests or ministers lead a worship service. The last thing that I learned was that any member of the congregation offered incense.
Works cited
History.com Editors. Buddhism. Jul 22, 2020. https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/religion/buddhism
Mandy, Barrow. World Religions: Buddhism Religion. (, 2013). https://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/religion/buddhism.htm