Week 2- Lama Temple

The Lama Temple is a Buddhist temple that has several different temples within itself, where people make a pilgrimage to say their prayers and make their offerings to the gods. On Tuesday, we made our way to the Lama Temple. As soon as we walk out of the subway station you could smell the overwhelming sweetness of fragrance of the burning incenses from the offering bins. Of course, at the time, I had no idea what the amazing smell was at first.

As we walked closer to the temple we began walking past the different stands and stores only selling incenses and idols of the gods so I began to understand the smell a little more. As we continued walking and we saw the entrance. The entrance was just as grand and beautiful as the rest of the grounds. There is a long walkway that you journey down before reaching the main temple; it is supposed to represent the pilgrimage that individuals take when they want to sacrifice parts of themselves to go bring it to their gods.

Once we reached the main temple there was an instant calm and beauty that was apparent to everyone. Watching people recite prayers, burning their gift of incenses and giving respect and thanks to those they believe are sending light and love their way every day. At temple grounds whether you have the same faith as those who are worshipping there or not, you feel peace and serenity that those who are worshipping are receiving. It’s not just the people and the feelings you soak up when you are visiting but also, the ancient Chinese architecture paints the environment to intensify the beauty that is already present.

As I walked through the various temples I began to understand why people living within the China, as a closed country with zero freedom of religion, begin to become infatuated with this religion. Inside they are decorated and inlaid from the floors to the ceilings with exquisite colors, metals and fabrics, and of course the god of that specific temple which is the most lavishly decorated piece in the room. There were about eight of these temples within the grounds of the Lama Temple, each just as beautiful as the last. I could have spent hours there, taking photos, drawing and writing in my journal, but I had already made the group wait on me for way too long I plan on visiting this place next week before we leave Beijing. There is something about the Lama Temple that still feels undiscovered to me and the idea of leaving China without discovering what that is unacceptable to me.