Being a "Buddhlic" Kinda Person

   
     I have been enjoying my activities at the Chinese Buddhist temple I attend.  The Dharma works for me, but I think that some rather delightful parallels with my Roman Catholic upbringing also have made my relationship with this particular sangha even easier.
     1.  Quan Yin is a relative of the Virgin Mary.  Both ladies are dressed in voluminous, flowing robes.  They tend to float on clouds.  Sometimes they are accompanied by small children.  They are the Feminine embodiment of compassion. Statuesque, often in tall proportions  --  check that off, too.
     2.  The main male figure is pretty secondary to someone else.  Chan Buddhism is not about the historical Buddha, really.  Nor is Catholicism really about Jesus. Chan is about Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, whose kingdom is in the West.  You chant his name enough times and, boom, off you go to that nice kingdom after you die.   Sort of the same in Catholicism with Mary.  Say that Rosary enough times, and, boom, off you go to that nice kingdom after you die.  I never heard of the exact direction of the R.C. kingdom, however.
      3. Monks and nuns running about.  As at my childhood church the Chan clergy is omnipresent.  Need some answers for knotty questions?  Both Catholic and Chan clergy have 'em, but the Chan folks are nowhere near as doctrinaire as Father Zauner (God rest his soul!) would have been.
      4. Lots of pretty pictures, statues (see #1 above), flowers and colors to look at when your mind is wandering.
      5. Lots of good food and fun!  Chinese New Year is like an Asian version of Christmas. I had a lot of nice celebratory meals in the basement of St. Titus years ago, and Chan Buddhists also have a lot of nice celebratory meals.  And even non-celebratory times at the temple involve eating. 
      6. Lots of different ethnic groups all under the same roof.  The temple is Chinese Chan, but regular Americans, Thais, Vietnamese and Japanese people attend, too.  I even met a gal from Mongolia a few weeks back.  And more ethnic groups mean more good food (see #5).   My childhood church was as diverse as the temple, in its own way, and diversity has always been a great pleasure for me.
      So, my main mantra for my Chan temple is:  LIKE IT!  LOVE IT!