Live, Learn, and Love Malaysia :) : Abundance of Buddhist Temples

This past saturday, the 12 of us headed out for 5 consecutive tours/class visits to Buddhist Temples within the confides of Malaysia. First we started out at a Sri-Lankan Buddhist Temples where there was magnificent decor! In the heart of the temple, there was a Bodhi Tree, a treasured and sacred fig tree within Buddhism. The Bodhi tree is very recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed in close proximity to every Buddhist temple. Furthermore, many Buddhist often pray in close proximity of Bodhi trees due to the belief that they have been propagated from the original Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. Inside the temple, there were many colorful statutes of Budda and Buddhist monks shrined to highlight the religion. Near the main place of prayer, there was ample flowers for guests to take when they were done with prayer. What I found truly amazing was an elder women in a position where her feet were crouched on the corners of her knees in a seated position - she was meditated. This occurrence was amazing because she didn't move for the FULL 30 mins that we were in temple; she was completely in a trans!

Next we went to a plethora of temples as we headed to a complex of Buddhist Temples perched on top of a hill. Known as Kek Lo Si "Temple of Supreme Bliss," is one of the best known Buddhist temples on the small island of Penang in peninsular Malaysia. Additionally, Kek Lo Si is the BIGGEST Buddhist Temple in South East Asia! As we started at the base of the abundance of temple, we came across the magnificence of vast Buddha shrines such as that of Vairochana. Inside we also came across a wishing ribbon tree filled with colorful ribbons of which tourists have contributed as donations.

As we ascended a stairway to head to more temples, we passed the Liberation Pond, following the buddhist tradition of merit-making, turtles may be released into freedom, albeit a limited one. The pond was actually surrounded by many turtles. On our way up, there were numerous street beggers/ homeless individuals seeking donations - I didn't know what to think.

When we reached the top of that section, we saw one more beautiful temple before heading to the main temple, Pagoda, at the highest point of the intricate infrastructure. The pagoda combines a Chinese octagonal base with a middle tier of Thai design, and a Burmese crown; reflecting the temple's embrace of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism - IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!!

Our last temple of the day was actually that of our Buddhist professor Dr. Hor. His traditional temple was completely differently than that of the other temples of the day. All of the other temples we had saw that day were commercialized and developed around the emphasis on tourists with souvenir shops and photography stations while Dr. Hor's temple focused on natural manifestations. The entire compound is run by one man and numerous volunteers! I loved this temple because it focused on maintaining natural occurrences and was incredibly peaceful.

All in all, it was a great day to experience so much of the Buddhist religion through some of it's holy sites in Peninsular Malaysia!

Love,

Hales