The Ritual At A Buddhist Temple Essay - 1394 Words

Gender relations being an important part of the society, plays a major role in understanding religion and religious practices. In this essay, I am discussing two patterns on a ritual at a Buddhist temple, based on my observations, and how they connect to gender-related religious theory. The ritual I attended was at a Buddhist temple named West End Buddhist Temple in Mississauga. It was based on meditation led by a monk, the male instructor. It started with a story of Buddha, the divine figure of the religion, followed by a set of instructions and pieces of advice by the monk. This was accompanied with a guided silent meditation session. It ended with chants and prayers to god and the divine, Buddha. The ritual had several parts which explicitly or indirectly exposed the role of gender in the ritual and to a small extent in the religion. Theories of religion based on gender are tools to better understand how gender is interconnected to religion and its role in religious practices. Thi s essay argues how, observations on pattern of male dominance during the ritual aligns with Mary Daly’s theory on androcentrism in religion. It also analyzes how the observations on pattern of equality among the participants interrelates with Antonio Gramsci’s theory of counter-hegemony. The aspect that was exceptionally evident in the ritual was the prominence of male authority. The temple had a large Buddha statue, positioned higher than everyone else and was in the state of meditation. ThereShow MoreRelatedBuddhism : Buddhism Vs. Christianity1247 Words   |  5 PagesUniversity We can define rituals as repeated actions that provides us with meaning and significance. Symbols are a small unit of a ritual. Both rituals and symbols play an active role in religion. 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