Those planning a Buddhist temple visit in the New Year likely envision a decadent and historical place of worship, filled with kindly bald men standing about in orange, yellow, or red robes, quietly talking amongst themselves, or prostrating themselves on the ground.
What you don’t want to discover during your temple visit is one of these above monks staring quizzically at you, brows furrowed in thought, as you try to desperately figure out which cardinal sin in temple etiquette you’ve broken. If you’re heading to any Buddhist temples in the near future, bear the below rules in mind, to avoid unintentionally annoying the monks:
- Look, Don’t Touch
This one you should remember from your childhood, when visiting a museum or historical manor house. In many Asian cultures, this rule still applies to adults and children alike when visiting the temples, pagodas, shrines, and other places of worship. It is a big no-no to actually touch one of the revered statues set in alcoves, pagodas, and on display.
- Sitting or standing
If you are in a shrine and feel the need to sit, do so by sitting cross-legged on the floor, or if you cannot sit on the ground, use one of the chairs at the back of the shrine. Do not sit with your legs outstretched, or lie fully on the ground, as this is incredibly disrespectful.
- Less is not more
Though Western cultures have no problem revealing some skin in hot climates remember that when you’re visiting a holy place, covering up is recommended, so leave those micro-mini’s, tank tops, and Daisy Duke shorts at home. If you must wear shorts or skirts, they should end below or on the knee (or bring along a sarong to tie around your waist as a make-shift skirt). If you accidentally wear anything that ends above the knee, well, let’s just say the monks won’t think highly of you.
- Shoe some respect
As you now know, you should try to keep your upper and lower body covered. However, when in sacred spaces, coverings such as shoes and hats should be removed out of respect. As such, shoes without laces like loafers or pumps are recommended when visiting temples, to slip them on and off with ease.
- Seen and Not Heard
The temple is a place of tranquillity and much like the ‘look, don’t touch’ rule above, while here you should be seen and not heard. Though you may wish to run about and loudly declare your delight at the ornate items, you should keep your voice soft and walk slowly to show reverence and respect for those praying or meditating around you. Your happiness can be shown in wide smiles and offerings of incense or fruit instead. This advice also counts towards those who can’t stop holding, touching, or kissing each other. Again, this is a holy place and too much PDA is not welcome (and no, this isn’t a dig at the monks and nuns who have chosen lives of solitude and celibacy).
- The right way
In most Buddhist temples, staying on the right hand path when entering and viewing the temple, pagoda, or shrine, shows reverence to the Buddha, so enter on the right, view the holy place counter clockwise, and leave on the left. Also, if you come across any monks or nuns prostrated on the ground, do not walk in front of them, instead, walk behind them so you don’t interrupt their meditation or prayers.
- To Shoot or Not to Shoot
Photographs of the temple and inner entry way are fine, but unless you’ve asked permission, refrain from taking photographs inside of holy areas, or during a time of worship.
What Buddhist temples have you visited before?
Main image credited to Artis Rams (Flickr)
