Wat Buddharangsi of Miami, Florida

I recently visited a Buddhist temple deep in Homestead, Florida called Wat Buddharangsi of Miami (http://thaitemplemiami.com/). I was very surprised to hear that Miami actually had a temple and that was very intriguing to me so of course I had to visit. It was definitely new scenery in Miami for me to take my camera and capture new outlooks of what this city has to offer. I started looking into this temple in South Florida and Buddhist traditions (http://www.pamf.org/preteen/share/celebrations/buddhist.html) and I realized that on March 31st, a big celebration of the Buddhist religion called Magha Puja Day took place and that's when my curiosity levels obviously peeked. Magha Puja Day Ceremony, which is a full moon day in the third lunar month, was being celebrated by Wat Buddharangsi of Miami on Sunday, February 25th this year which allowed for me to have enough time to reach out to the temple and ask to photograph their special event.

Going in, I had no idea what to expect. I know Buddhists are kind, gentle, and understanding people. But being that it was a big celebration and even having permission from them beforehand to photograph their ceremony, I did not know if I would be turned away or viewed strangely for walking into their temple on this specific day armed with a camera. In my experience, sometimes having a camera can get you some unpleasant looks or even some angry reactions (I get it a lot when I shoot people at random with my camera) especially when it comes to religious celebrations or certain situations that a person wouldn't usually bring a camera to. Regardless, that was not going to stop me.

I first did some research on the do's and don'ts (https://www.knowingbuddha.org/dos-and-donts) on Buddhism and entering the temple, which to me is very important especially with other cultures as I do not want to disrespect someone who lets me into their house, or in this case, a place of worship. The night before the Magha Pujga Day Ceremony, I went to my local Publix and bought a mix of fruits and pastries to give to the monks as an offering and to show respect. This ritual is one of the oldest and most common amongst Buddhists. The food is offered to tantric deities and hungry ghosts. It is also an act that reminds us not to be greedy or selfish.

Upon my arrival to the temple, I was taken back by this beautifully designed structure. I was shocked that we have had this temple in our city all along and a lot of people really have no idea about it, which goes to show you just how big and diverse Miami really is - there is so much to explore! While researching this temple, I had read about the many setbacks and hardships it took to make this temple a reality for the Thai community in Miami. So to me, it was a beautiful sight to behold when you arrive as the first thing you notice are the golden peaks of the building and the real temple-like style as you enter the front. I was greeted by a very pleasant and welcoming woman who is a member of the temple and I let her know I was there to photograph this temple and the events taking place during this religious ceremony and she was more than happy to show me where everything was located and even took me to the kitchen area to leave the offerings for the event later that evening.

As I made my way to the temple, a monk saw me peeking in through the entrance and asked me to come in and have a seat on the floor – which I did, of course. I obviously had no idea what to do so I just sat there and took in the beautiful sights of the Buddha statue (and snapped some photos as well). The statue itself, I learned, is over 23 feet in height and 80 inches from knee to knee which is in accord with the age in death of Buddha. The statue is bronze and traditionally has a mix of copper, brass, gold and silver. The Buddha is also given a name like a regular person and it is named after the original Buddha in the city of Phitsanulok, Thailand. “Phrabuddadhammachinaraj” was the name given by the abbot of the marble temple in Bangkok, Thailand

As I sat there, a few worshippers of the temple walked in and asked me to sit with them. I was given a book in Sanskrit with English pronunciation and asked to follow along and perform the morning chant together with them! At first I thought, “what I have gotten myself into?!” But I did it anyways and I followed along and kept up as best as I could. I did not understand much – or any – of what I was reading and my legs may have been going numb and my back hurting me, but at the end we just sat there with our eyes closed in silence for what felt like an eternity and I loved it. The sound of birds chirping and the smell of nature around you (since the temple keeps its doors open) made me forget about my discomfort from not being used to sitting in that position and made my mind completely drift away into a meditative state. When we finished, we stood up and went outside for an alms-giving ceremony. In this ceremony, the monks walk up to you with their bowls and you offer them food – it's basically a way to support the monks.

In conclusion, this experience was a wonderful one for me – very cultural and something we aren't too accustomed to seeing in Miami, Florida. The Wat Buddharangsi Temple of Miami, its followers, and their monks are wonderful and hospitable people. They make you feel at home – Buddhist or not – and they open their doors to you. Its tranquility makes you disconnect from the world around you and put you at peace. I highly recommend visiting the temple if you have a chance, get some culture in you and see something different in Miami – you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This city has so much to offer besides partying, you just need to open your mind to the possibilities around you and go off the beaten path and explore a bit. This is your city, take advantage, there are lots to see.

Thank you to the Wat Buddharangsi of Miami and its people for this awesome experience!