Buddhist Shrine Chinatown, DC

Sunday Freda, Birch and myself went to Washington D.C. for a day trip. We went originally to visit the Smithsonian Museums, however, we ended up exploring Chinatown. It was worth it! We found a public Buddhist shrine located in the living room of a house on a side-road. The attendant spoke no English whatsoever so we had to go off of general feel. We walked in and the elderly lady smiled at us, this was the first time any of us had been to a Buddhist shrine, so I tried to remember what I had read. I excused myself and walked to the convenience store on the corner where I bought 4 oranges (offerings) and returned to the shrine. We each took our turn lighting incense, giving our offerings of fruit and change, then we prayed and took our fortune sticks. The experience was an amazing one, the owners were incredibly nice, and I felt at home.

Buddha on Religion

My favorite quote so far by Buddha, which is also probably his most famous, is "be a lamp onto yourself." It says a lot about the way he viewed his teachings. Instead of saying here it is you must believe it such as in Christianity, Islam, etc. Buddha tells us to examine and test the truth of religious teachings before accepting them. I now have four 3 inch binders of e-books to read on Buddhism and the life of the Buddha, I expect that my respect for Buddhism and Buddha will grow exponentially as I read these texts. As I learn more I will blog more... stay tuned.

Buddhism

I am currently browsing and pondering the teachings of the Buddha. One thing I really like about Buddhism is it is more of a philosophy, a way of viewing the world, rather than a religion where a specific deity is placed before you to worship. I believe there is nothing wrong with being a Pagan Buddhist, or any other religion combined with Buddhism. It seems almost backward to me to separate the things we thing should not be segregated, that is we want there to be no hate between religions, but we still think ours is superior. Its a powerful complex that has to first be discovered within your own mind, then when you are aware of it, try to fix it. This is the first post of my blog A Quiet Perspective, by naming it as such I am not saying I will not have very loud things to say, but I am acknowledging that no matter how loud I say them, my words still are only a drop in the vast see of humanity. I hope to tell the world how I feel and find a couple people who agree with me along the way.