I went to the temple in Subang which was rather small compared to the big one in Brickfields.
I didn't manage to take lots of pictures because I was... hesitating. I felt weird snapping away at a Buddhist temple while the rituals were going on. Would that be considered as rude? Disrespectful? I wasn't sure, so I tried to take them secretly, without attracting too much attention. PLUS, I didn't want to be mistaken as a jakun who's never been to a temple. Um, which is unfortunately true, but if I didn't show, they wouldn't know! =)
I got there late (almost noontime) for anonymous reasons. Met up with Dana and Dae Jin, then Ashley, and was greeted enthusiastically by some of the temple youths. It was scorching hot over there. There was a long array of burning oil lamps at one corner, and they were emitting such strong heat that I couldn't help perspiring when I went over to get a picture. Hundreds of burning lamps that cost RM10 - Rm100 depending on the sizes.
I was told that Buddhist devotees would buy the oil lamps and write their names on it. I can't remember if they write their friends' or family's names on it too, but the purpose of the oil lamps are for the sharing of karmas. When you share your karma with someone, that person is helping you to pay off your karma, and vice versa. Sharing is caring =)
Then we went into one of the open halls where people were paying respect to that big golden statue situated among the flowers. First, they would present the statue with flowers and then they would bow down, say a little prayer and leave. It was so hard getting a good, decent picture of the process because people kept walking past in front of me and everytime I captured a shot, it was blurry o.O I need a DSLR. (A digi cam would work just as efficiently!)
PS: I wasn't capturing the dude's ass!Technically, his ass was in the way.
Forgive me for my weak photography skills, but that was the clearest shot I could get that explained the process. Anyway, he was still standing straight up when I clicked the button.
I didn't manage to take a picture of this big dining table in the middle of the hall. It was generously decorated with flowers, an overflowing white frilly tablecloth and cutleries. Then there was a whole bunch of people sitting on the floor, looking at the table as though expecting a VIP to emerge any moment. I learned that the VIPs were the monks, and they were going to have lunch.
Me: So... the monks are going to eat. What's so interesting about that?
Friend: After the monks finish eating, they will bless the people around them. The people are just waiting to be blessed.
Me: Oh, okay. That makes sense now.
Monks are not supposed to leave the temple premises. I've seen plenty of "monks" out there on the streets, inquiring for charity donations and etc. Those are fake monks. Haha. Which reminds me... a few years ago I was at Sunway Pyramid and this lady (shaved head and robes) approached me with a basket of laminated pictures of Buddha.
She: Amitofoh! (buddhist greeting) Pls buy one of these.. very cheap. I sell you Rm 2 per piece.
Me: that's expensive! I don't need them anyway.
She: They can protect you and you bless you, you know?
Me: Uh, no thanks. I'm a Christian.
She: Ohh. Then just treat this as charity, ok??
I tried to leave, but she wouldn't let me! She kept going on and on about "generous heart" and "grace of Buddha" or something like that. I was starting to think that this monk must be really desperate. Eventually, I pried myself away from her and before I left, I turned around and said "God Bless You!"
Believe it or not - I heard that those laminated things she was trying to sell were actually given free of charge by temples during festive seasons! People with "awesome" marketing skills would pretend to be monks and then they would try and make some dirty profits from those things. The temples never intended to sell such things anyway.
Don't be conned the next time this happens to you.
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