Buddhist protestant

At first glance, the Protestant and Buddhist religions do non appear to have a cracking deal in common. However, some of the rituals find in unitary have par all(prenominal)el rituals observed in the other. At the structural level, in that respect ar much comparisons than contrasts to be do. If the vision is expanded to include the followers of to apiece mavin religion, however, m any(prenominal) to a greater extent contrasts than comparisons can be observed. It is the masses, the Protestants and the Buddhists, that make the religions diametric, due to teachings that can non necessarily be observed.The customs of each religion allow be detailed, and the similarities and differences made trim, in the shew that follows. This fussy Sunday morning Protestant emolument begins at nine-spot o clock, though the schedule is far from rigid. Members of the assemblage atomic number 18 milling happily about, about wearable smiles that argon wide and bright. nearly of th em spot me as a appetiser as soon as I step through the doorway, and they stir to handshaking my hand and introduce themselves. (One of these is Tobias Scouten, who agrees to be interviewed for this essay.) Protestants in this particular perform, and this may be the like everywhere, be always welcoming impudent members. This is evidenced most immediately after the good begins. The room, which Scouten calls the sanctuary, is dimly lit, except for the stage. unrivaled-third spotlights illuminate the inherent stage. There are candles burning on either side, exclusively the dominant aromas are carpet scrubbed and the various mingled odors of the people filling the room. by and by a fewer songs, which are r last(a) stageer with great enthusiasm by the entire throng, the preacher takes the stage.His smile is perhaps brightest of all, and he makes a localise of welcoming any vi mystifyors who might be in the earreach. (There are no pews in this sanctuary the devotion pers are poseed in cushioned chairs, which are arranged in long rows. ) He then offers up the microphone to anyone who has a testimony to share. Testimonies, in this context, means a story in which congregation members air the letter or the spirit of the message. Examples shared this morning include a few bags of groceries purchased for a needy family, an invitation extended to a despairing nonbeliever, and a night dog-tired 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 sycophancy of their peers, for helping the Protestant assent as a whole to grow. The testimonies are followed by a musical performance. A unripe man and a young cleaning lady take the stage, the former holding a cordless(prenominal) microphone and the latter wearing an acoustic guitar. While they sing, the congregation sits cover version and listens, though a few scatter Amen calls can be heard at crucial moments in the lyrics. When the pastor returns to the stage, he reads from the Bible.He pauses during this reading to clarify certain points, rescue the ancient writing into more circulating(prenominal) context. After the reading, he relates an family anecdote, which in the end returns to the theme (this week, the church is focusing on forgiveness) discussed in the Bible passage. This is the exclusively time during the usefulness that everyone in the audience is quiet. All eyes are on the pastor as he walks up and down the stage, speaking through a head score microphone. His pacing is matched to the tone of his voice when his hoi polloi increases, so does the length of his stride.Upon speaking the final haggle of his sermon, he allows full lull to descend on the congregation for a full five seconds before requesting everyone bow down their heads in prayer. There is another song, again sung by the entire congregation, and the service make dos to a close. No one appears to be in much of a precipitation to leave the sanctuary. Many of the worshippers turn to each other and recommence the mingling in which they had been indulging before the service began. At this point, Tobias Scouten escorts me out of the sanctuary and into what he cost the fellowship hall for coffee and cookies.We seat ourselves at one of the galore(postnominal) tables, and he fills in the blanks for me. The information Mr. Scouten provides depart be put to use when the Protestant utilise is compared with the Buddhist practice, following the explanation of the latter. A small assemblage of people, fifty or so, on a good day, gibe to archimandrite Bai Tue, becomes together at nine o clock on Saturday mornings for an English-language dit service. The temple is a modest 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 needed that I remove my shoes. In a coatroom just inside the bowel movement door, every pair of shoes is stowed in a separate cubby. Not many of the cubbies are used, either because the temple does not attract a large collection of regulars or because more people prefer to attend 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 pleasant clothes, to make seated surmise more peaceful.As I go forth be told later, it is bespeak that people wear clothes that will not make much racket when the wearer moves, as this might be distracting during the meditation period. The dominant aroma here is one of infuriate, though the exact scent is unknown. so-and-so where the archimandrite sits, a display consisting of a small Boddhisatva statue, a cup of incense sticks, and several burning sticks which are prod out of the base of the statue. T he Zendo itself looks to be all natural timberland, without muchif any key 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 feeling surrounded by nature, even epoch they are inside the building. No one says a word fleck they set up for the service. Cushions are retrieved from a loo off the main room for everyone to sit on, for on that point 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 Sangha message the groupthey come to experience something within themselves.The service begins with the ringing of a smell doorbell and a chanting ritual, alternating betwixt the Abbot and the Sangha. The nature of this chanting is the go up of the mind and the prostration of the dust to something higher. This higher ideal is not a being, but rather a defer 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 archetype and the resulting punishment or reward. Following the chants, there is a type of sermon made by the Abbot, though the Sangha are encourage 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 locomote silent. Within the Zendo, not a with child(p) can be heard. The remote placement of the temple becomes a notable domineering at this point, as the barely stochasticity 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 fountainheads related to the temple in particular or the Buddhist practice in general to stay and talk.Though I am not the only person to bear once the meditation is over, it quickly becomes clear that I am the only visitant to the temple this morning. The Abbot is more than unbidden to provide answers for me, though he does not lead me in my interview at all. Even now, the search is a individualised one. He speaks only when a question is posed, and his responses are concise and to-the-point. As verbalise in the introduction, the comparisons to be made surrounded by 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 receive anyplace else. But even in these similarities, there are intrinsic differences. Mr. Scouten tells me he sings in order to show his gratitude and love for the Lord. accord to Abbot Bai Tue, the ch ants have a different purpose they prepare the mind for meditation. It would face that the Protestant songs are sung for God, while the Buddhist chants are done for in the flesh(predicate) preparations.When the sermon begins, the Protestants are listening fast to each word spoken, and vocal responses 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 among 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 looking inward and decision peace within oneself. Bibliography Scouten, Tobias. Personal Interview. 18 February 2007. Tue, Bai. Personal Interview. 24 February 2007.