Buddhist Temple and Etc.

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Kuala Lumpur has a wonderful and inexpensive monorail that runs north to south and is an easy way to get around. At one end of the monorail is a neighborhood called Brickfield. It is home to many Sri Lankans and Indians.

In this area is a small Buddhist temple caled Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple and a Buddhist study center. It was founded by the Sinhalese community based in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding areas provide a place of worship in their Sri Lankan Theravada tradition. The temple is relatively modest but was a very warm place to be.

I was lucky enough to have been there when a young couple was having their wedding photographs taken. And they were sweet enough to let me snap a few shots while their official photographer laughted and let me join her taking photographs.

As I left that area I ran into three Hindu devotees of a spiritual and meditation center called the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. I had asked them to point me to the closest Hindu temple. To do so, they asked me to walk with them to the temple and to their center. They practice something called Raj Yoga Meditation, and were rather keen on teaching it to me. However, my needs were more physical, and in the form of ice water, as it was hotter than hell. They were very sweet, gave me some refreshing water, and was asked to meet their teacher, which I was happy to do. And he gave me an earful about the benefits of meditation.

Next, I went on to the neighborhood's Hindu temple, but they were actively conducting services, so I could not take photographs. But a group of three priests were going from the main altar to side altars with an oil lamp and incense. At each altar, they would offer prayers and incense and then move to the next. Meanwhile, a priest or someone was pulling a rope tied to a large bell, which was continually clanging and one of the priests was also ringing a small hand bell throughout.

It reminded me when I was an altar boy ringing the big bell at Holy Family Catholic Church. You would pull the rope until you got momentum and then the rope would go quite high and then you would pull it down. And once I held onto one of the knots and the rope pulled me quite high in the bell tower. Luckily, the Hindu priest was stationary and he did fine.

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Photos

Front Gate
Front gate of the Buddhist temple and school.

Main Altar
The main altar of the Buddhist Vihara

Buddha
Reclining Buddha in the modest temple

Small Outside Altar
A small altar outside at the Buddhist Vihara

Another Outside Altar
Another outside altar at the Buddhist Vihara

Outside Altar
Another altar outside at the Buddhist Vihara

Wedding Photos
A young couple taking their marriage photographs in the courtyard of the Buddhist Vihara

Wedding Photos
Another wedding photo

Yoga Devotees
Three of these devotees of Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga escorted me through Brickfields to their meditation center and the Hindu temple across the street.

Inside the Meditation Center
This was a small meditation room in the meditation center. I don't remember the name of their guru, but here he is.

Comments

[Nisa]

Excellent job
Salaam Mim, Thanks for keeping us updated. Your travel blog helped a lot to know about Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and It feels that I been there myself, wonderful, excellent job. Now come back , Allah Hafiz (God’s Protection) Nisa

[Meredith]

Temple envy
I've been on a trip here in the states and it's just not the same! What a fantastic adventure and you humor continues to delight me! Thank you for the photos and your commentary, both entertaining and informative...are you home now? Can't wait to see the next wave of altars to coem form you! Meredith

[g]

mrs
About a monk recommenced of Datuk Yip Kum Fook to used police and his team to force a monk(Ven. Piya Thammo) out from Temple, this is bad planning, when I read some of article about that, my mind is very shock because why Datuk Yip done negative Karma May be this Datuk Yip Kum Fook is not understanding what is Buddhism or Buddhst teachings, this he created that karma, he will receive in what he did, he will can’t sleep whole night, this also very pity of him. Buddha will help his student(monks) forever

[w]

mr
We always recieved news messages from Myanmar people, they are complainted about committees of temple and please see at below. Thanks Dear Sir and Madam, We are Myanmar group in Malaysia; we lived in Malaysia over decade and always went to one of temple in Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur and we were very sad and regreting with the committees of temple because they are using our monks in wrong conception of Buddhist teaching or Buddhist rules. We came to temple to help our monks and respected of our religion. That temple is president of name:Yip Kum Fook, that our monks said and he is invited our monks from Myanmar to in charge of that temple but without pay anything to our monks, added he and his not respecting of our monks and sometime he ordered of his people to collected item such as paper, mineral water etc. without inform any words to our monks. In our religious believed we can’t take anything of holy place, if we done we are sin. In pervious, our monk said the committees always asked money from him, when our monks gave RM20,000.00 in cash on 2001 to the committees, then committees keep silent, later committees make problem with our monk again and cancelled of our monk Visa permit to stayed in Malaysia, then our monks( Sadayaw Nandiya) go to Australia and our monk not come that temple at long time. “Yip Kom Fook gave our monk notebook computer for to cover of that amount of money our monk said” Many local people around temple said, now no more people come to this temple because committees is always make problem and we are heard from local people said: Yip Kum Fook ordered of his people to put fire of Hindu temple at Taman Daya, Kepong because he needed that place to make his business about many years ago. “Everybody known what he done for Hindu temple at Taman Daya, Kepong” Last time also he invited police to arrest the monks at holy place(temple) and locked the temple without afraid and shameful of people because he believed committee is big and has more authority, also his son always say to people: this temple is belonging of his father. “This temple donated from public, we are work hard for this temple” This temple the committees always changed the monks, now they change the new monk to in charge of temple, this new monk also complaint the bad things of committees because committees also wait for donation box only, they without help anything to our monks. And committees controlled of our monks not to talk more or complaint more, our monks lived there as slaver and afraid of committees members. In new building where remaining of Buddha statue marble; we have renovation of Buddha statue because that Buddha statue is put very low, we lift to highest the committees don’t like and unhappy. In our country, anyone be able to come temple to worship the Buddha but in Malaysia is different temple controlling by committees. We hope everyone preserve of Buddhist teachings, and please safety of our monks, not see only money as this of temple. When we asked some of our people ( Myanmar) and local people, the committees are very low of idea because is very narrow mind and without education of religions. And committees will not disturbing of our monks, monks are like our father to take care of Buddhism and temple is like our place of resolving of our problem. Recently, our monk(Sadayaw Ashin Indaka original from Madalay, Myanmar) has been staying in this temple also unhappy because the committees are not pay anythings to him, he is working in hardly to advise people and we also unhappy and very sad when heard the bad news from our monks. Sometime the committees people came and shouting in the temple without have any reason and done what they need to do, our monk said, the committees of this temple don’t have Buddhist teachings in their mind, may be next time Buddhist can destroy. From Myanmar Buddhist group in Malaysia but many word complaint by local Buddhist community in Malaysia. If anyone receive of this message(email), please forward or send to your friends to protection Buddhism in Malaysia. .-March 10th, 2010 at 8:55 am