True Buddha Diamond Temple of New York Inc.

¶ … Preliminary Report follow a, B, C . The temple: True Buddha Diamond Temple New York Inc. located Murray Hill, Flushing; The current revered grand master (Living Buddha Lian Shen), lineage guru True Buddha School.

The True Buddha Diamond Temple of New York Inc. provides visitors with the opportunity to interact with Buddhism in a series of ways. One does not necessarily have to be a Buddhist in order to access its services or to acknowledge the effect that its values has on a person. I chose to study this location as a consequence of observing its tendency to change people and make it possible for them to gain a more complex understanding of their role in the world. The temple is both aimed at changing matters on a local level and at being a part of a larger process of change.

b. The temple's address is 3332 148th Street Flushing, NY 11354-3238 USA.

c. I used the temple's website and a series of online reviews.

a. Some people are inclined to believe that Buddhist temples are predominantly frequented by Asian individuals as a consequence of the religion's larger presence on the Asian continent. However, upon visiting it one can realize that people from lots of backgrounds appreciate Buddhist teachings. This makes it possible to observe how these people are united because of their passion rather than on account of their particularities. Many visitors are likely to be surprised as a consequence of the fact that the temple is usually empty or there are just a limited number of individuals present. To a certain degree it would be safe to say that this is due to making it more probable for the people who are present to be able to have the full religious experience during their stay there. This also means that staff can be more helpful and can dedicate more of their time to a single person rather than having to walk around all day trying to make everyone feel satisfied with their experience.

Interacting with the temple, its followers, and its teachers can be a particularly intriguing experience -- the visitor is virtually taken to a world where values are different from ideas that society normally promotes. Buddhist teachings are taken and connected to real-life events with the purpose to have people identify with these respective ideas.

b. The building looks very welcoming and the entrance in particular has an Asian flare to it as a result of the multitude of decorations around it. The temple is divided into several rooms with the main room also being filled with decorations typical to a Buddhist place of worship. Visitors are provided with the opportunity to stay here for longer periods of time and meditate in order to improve their connection with their spiritual selves.

c. A visitor can go to the temple in order to improve his or her understanding about Buddhism in general and to become better-acquainted with techniques he or she can use with the purpose to achieve a higher spiritual state. Teachers are unhesitant about helping anyone coming to the temple and they can assist visitors in achieving their goals more effectively. The whole experience is really interesting and is mainly aimed at having visitors leave the temple much wiser and much better prepared to deal with society's pressures.

B.

a. The financial aspect is not as powerful as one would be inclined to believe when it comes to individuals visiting the temple. During a normal day a person is probable to interact with individuals from all social classes, as there are both wealthy visitors and underprivileged ones. The principal thing that matters is that all visitors are likely to either have the same goal or to gradually come to acknowledge that their initial goals were not as important as they thought. Spirituality is a major concept when considering the values that the temple is expected to promote. The number of visitors is greater from 5pm on as people leave their workplace and come to the temple to recharge their batteries.

The fact that individuals are fueled by their appreciation for Buddhist ideas when they visit the temple demonstrates the temple's power to go beyond material values when influencing these people. It is practically as if visitors abandon material values when they pass through the front door of the venue.

Gender is also of a reduced significance when considering visitors, as both men and women tend to visit the temple with the same frequency. Depending on the time of the day someone visits the temple, he or she is likely to see more men or more women, with women being inclined to avoid coming during late evenings. The fact that the temple is in a residential area contributes to making it feel more intimate -- it provides visitors with the feeling that they are safe.

While being one of the most important elements in the temple, religion is not really promoted in a way that makes visitors feel bombarded with religious ideas. Instead, it is shown in ways that connect it to real-life events with the purpose of having individuals feel closer to the temple's philosophy. By concentrating on using their minds in an attempt to become more spiritual, visitors can effectively reach their objectives and these do not necessarily have to be related to Buddhist religious ideas. In a way, the temple provides people with the path to get to where they want to go rather than forcing them to choose a particular destination. This freedom is probably the most significant concept that someone is going to come across as a consequence of visiting the temple. The fact that visitors don't feel compelled to take on attitudes characteristic to Buddhist monks contributes to making them feel empowered and that they are always in control.