The Temple battlefield (old article I wrote back in 2009)

 

Every 7^th moon Luna calendar month, there are funny things happen at the temple. This year is the most extraordinary one. The first day of the month lots of people attended. I went there 45 minutes earlier and had found there were many seats taken. People either placed their glasses or belonging on the table to declare the seat has been taken. My sister and I had been pushed by a mother and daughter. She came late but wanted to sit in our seats. So she pushed my sister and I to somewhere else. That was okay no big deal for this. On second day the situation got worse. People even placed their name tag on the table to declare the seat have been taken by so on so. Even some seats have no personal belonging someone would come to you and said this seat has been taken by so on so. I have been pushed from one side of the temple to the other side then from other side to nowhere. This is amazing. I stopped going to the night chanting after the third night because I don’t want to see this chaotic event.

 I can chant at home peacefully and no one push me around. Although Shi Fu often said chanting at the temple with a group can motivate us to be diligent and the power of the group chanting will be much stronger than at home. This is very true especially when we chant the Lu Xiang Zhan. I can melt myself into the chanting but I never can do it at home. Shi Fu also said going to the temple can be a place to practice our cultivation. This is also true. I totally agree with this.

One day my friend from the temple rang and asked why I was not going to the temple. Was I sick? I told her no I am well and healthy. I told her the thing I saw at the temple. This is even more amazing. She said: “Yes, people go to the temple to place their personal belonging from every noon to make sure they have a place to sit.” She then offered me that she can save a seat for me because she was doing the same thing. She placed her pair of glasses on ‘her’ seat every afternoon. I was shock.

I thought Buddhists can live harmony but not quite. The Buddhists in our temple are amazing in a ridiculous sense. I don’t want to fight for my place at the temple. I am tired and don’t want to be part of the temple battlefield.