For my site visit reflection paper, I decided to visit the Thai Buddhist Temple in Homestead. The reason this particular site was my choice was because information acquired from the videos in lecture about tradition and Confucianism in Asia made me curious to learn more about the Buddhist way of life. Because so many South Eastern countries instantaneously adopted Buddhism from India and then China with open arms, I decided to make the visit in the morning to learn the reasons for the international success of this way of life. This would give me a more interactive comprehension of Buddhism.
When I made the visit to the Thai-Buddhist temple, I was surprised by the great emphasis the owners and builders put into the beautiful colors of the temple. The temple was very extravagant with predominantly white bases and golden towers. This led me to the assumption that people who practice Buddhism admire beauty and art in a different way than other religious communities who paint their cathedrals in gothic colors. With that being said, so much can be assessed from the appearance of the temple alone. The statues and art surrounding the outside of the temple featured an interesting looking man. Usually when I see Buddha’s depictions, I see an overweight bald man painted with golden colors. However, in this community, it seemed as though Buddha was depicted as a thin individual with long ears and dark hair—almost resembling an Indian man. After taking prolonged analyzation of the outside aesthetics of the temple, I was greeted by an individual named Carlos. He said he was the leader of the temple—when he was not working as an airlines pilot—and was eager to share so much about the philosophy, the monks, and interior of the temple as a layman...
