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Datta Knighten

Religion in America

Professor Rebecca McKeeMarch 27, 2005

Place of worship

The third place I isited !as the "ateless "ate #enter off of $%thA and $&th't on

Monda( March 2$, 2005 at 7)00 pm

Observations of Ritual Space

The "ateless "ate #enter is act*all( a ho*se that is *sed for as a +*ddhist temple

The rit*al space !here (o* meditate is one of the man( rooms in the ho*se The

meditation room is appro-imatel( $5 feet b( $. feet The !alls in the room are pin/ and

the ceiling is !hite n the right side of the room there are t!o !indo!s that hae

hori1ontal blinds on them The door!a( is on the left side of the room and leads to the

hall!a( n the bac/ !all right ne-t to the door is a cabinet that has sheles that hold the

t!o t(pes of c*shions !e *sed to sit on The first t(pe of c*shion is a thic/ s*are

c*shion appro-imatel( t!o feet b( t!o feet that goes directl( on the floor The second

t(pe is a one foot ro*nd c*shion that goes directl( on top of the first one At the front of

the meditation room there is a table that has seeral +*ddha3s on it, ho!eer it is neither

the focal point, nor an altar for the mon/s The +*ddhist mon/ said that it !o*ldn3t een

be in the room if people hadn3t donated all of the +*ddha3s to the center The mon/ !as

!earing a gre( and blac/ robe, and !as holding a long !ooden stic/ The focal point is

not an(!here inside the room The focal point is inside (o*

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Observation of Ritual Action

4hen !e !al/ed into the sitting room the mon/ as/ed *s to be seated 4e sat

do!n on the t!o c*shions, and folded o*r legs Indian st(le 4hen eer(bod( !as seated

the mon/ said !e !ere going to meditate for $5 min*tes !itho*t moing a m*scle To

begin the sitting he slapped the palm of his hand three times !ith the !ooden stic/ 4e

sat still for $5 min*tes !ith o*r e(es closed and foc*sed on o*r breathing to obsere o*r

tho*ghts After the $5 min*tes the mon/ again slapped his palm three times and as/ed *s

ho! !e felt e then tal/ed to eer(bod( abo*t some if the +*ddhist teaching, the

importance of sitting, and !hat meaning of the long !ooden stic/ is

Observations of Ritual Purpose

The p*rpose of meditating is to clear (o*r mind and become f*ll( a!are of eer(

moment To become f*ll( a!are, (o* !ant to foc*s (o*r mind and become the obserer

of (o*r tho*ghts +*ddhists *se meditation as a !a( of calming and foc*sing the mind

6irst the mon/ told *s !hat the stic/ !as for e sho!ed *s ho! the( *se it to hit (o* on

(o*r sho*lders and bac/ to reliee tension o*t of (o*r bac/ so (o* can sit longer Then

the mon/ said +*ddhism is abo*t the cessation of s*ffering8 The +*ddhist mon/ gae a

b*nch of e-amples of ho! meditation can end a lot of problems 6or e-ample, if (o* ta/e

the hand of an Irai and the hand of an American and (o* *se a microscope to 1oom

reall( close (o* can see that there is no difference in the electrons and protons, so there is

no need to /ill each other If (o* can loo/ at (o*r o!n tho*ght, then (o* can control (o*r

actions

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Conclusions

In m( e-perience at the "ateless "ate #enter I e-perienced a calming of the mind

Thro*gh meditation and *ite deliberation I gained a ne! perspectie on a different

religion