Dong Hung Buddhist Temple

Dong Hung Buddhist Temple

Describe the institution, and its relation to the various traditions that you study, among other things if it is a Buddhist temple, whether it is Theravada

Dong Hung Buddhist Temple is a religious institution that serves followers of the Zen Buddhist Mahayana tradition. The Zen Buddhist is a Vietnamese tradition; hence, the temple is not a Theravada temple. The said Zen sect is based majorly on the application of strict discipline and rules, as well as meditation, as their principles. The monks also use the tradition of Pure Land alongside meditation to cultivate a person’s wisdom and virtue. The Buddhists follow the tradition of dharma teaching of the patriarchs of yesteryears and the Buddhist sect’s great masters who instructed the many generations. One of the main intentions is to bring the teaching of the Buddha, referred to as the Dharma, to the public and, more so, to the residents of Virginia Beach, USA (Local Prayers, 2020).

By keeping true to the Buddhist history that spans more than 2,500 years, the Buddhists believe that they shall realize the living Dharma in their present circumstances, in their one language and present time, and in accordance with ways that align with their mentality. The monks also assert that they remain open to discourse with traditions of other religions that also work at alleviation of suffering. Hence, it is their purpose to work to their best at benefitting and serving the human race as well as individuals with no intentions of making a profit or with any form of bias.

The education center has a number of activities it carries out, and these include religious activities such as providing venues for retreats, meditation classes, Dharma lectures, community events, rituals, and worship. Counselling and teaching moral practices according to the religion to maintain happy communities and families is another purpose. The center also provides community clergy who conduct hospital visits, death anniversaries, funerals, and weddings with no religious beliefs biases. Educational Buddhism teaches the practice, history, and basics of Buddhism. Teachers are also dispatched to evangelize the instruction of Buddhism. The Buddhist center also contributes to meeting the needs of those who cannot meet their own needs and organizing for charity, where the monks collect and re-distribute donations based on the needs of the community and the world. Lastly, the education center teaches Vietnamese morality, tradition, language, and culture (Phap, 2009).

Reflections on the Experience

I visited the institution on Saturday morning. When I arrived at the location, I was taken aback by the peace and serenity that seemed to encapsulate the temple. Trees were planted on nearly all sides, giving the temple a celestial appearance. I could not help but feel I was walking into a place uncorrupted and unpolluted by the outside world. Throughout the grounds were statues with each depicting the life that the Buddha lived. The statues were a highlight of the Buddha’s birth, the very first teaching, and his death. Besides the Buddha hall was a large bodhisattva Avalokitesvara statue. The Buddha hall is where the congregation carries out the Buddha practices.

One of the monks who lived at the temple met me and was kind enough to take me around the place and answer my many questions. In that interview, the emphasis on charity work stood out for me. The temple monks strongly follow the teachings of Buddha in helping beings for a good cause. They seek to show love and compassion to people living in poverty and, more so, to the Vietnamese living in their mother country. The temple collects donations and then re-distributes the same to the world. I was not aware that the temple offers scholarship funding, which is the first I have ever heard of a religious institution. The monks also supply food to those in need in the local community and actively make humanitarian trips to disaster-stricken areas. An example would be the 2010 flood disaster that struck the area and saw the temple organize a food drive that collected materials and food and distributed the same to the needy.

Another interesting thing I learned was that since 2013, the temple has held a festival called the Great Compassion Festival. The event is held every year and includes offerings to Hungry Ghosts, Dharma lectures, and mantra chants. I was taken aback to hear that the monks believe in ghosts, and hungry ones at that. The festival is a big affair with monasteries from Ohio and North Carolina joining in. The festival’s main purpose is to practice and teach the Loving-Kindness notion of Buddhism. Most of the service is characterized by chanting such as the Wisdom, Compassion, and Diamond mantra. The monks chant these mantras to remind themselves that they should strive to maintain loving compassion.

I began to think of how, as Christians, we fail in this one area. Today, churches are more about size than service to mankind. Jesus in Mathew 25:35 (NIV) said in part, ‘ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,…’ According to the Pew Research Center, 73% of adults living in Virginia are Christian. If these Christians lived according to the teachings of Jesus as much as the monks do to the teachings of the Buddha, especially in practicing loving-kindness, there would be no crime, and none would be lacking in food, shelter, and clothing. As I walked from the temple and back home, I couldn’t help but wonder if Jesus was not talking about other people, such as the monks in Versus 45 and 46 of Mathew 25 (NIV) “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

References

Local Prayers (2020). Dong Hung Temple – Buddhist Education Center. Local Prayers.com. https://www.localprayers.com/US/Virginia-Beach/171511299550940/Dong-Hung-Temple—Buddhist-Education-Center

Pew Research Center (2019). Religion and Public Life. https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/virginia/

Phap, T. (2011). History of Dong Hung Temple https://buddhistcharities.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/dong-hung-buddhist-education-center/

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Chùa Đông Hưng- Buddhist Education Center – Dong Hung Temple 423 Davis St, Virginia Beach, VA 23462