Prayer and Meditation Event

When I heard Losang Samten would be having a prayer and meditation event, I was very interested to see firsthand what it would be like. My husband and I both come from Christian backgrounds; however, my in-laws sometimes practice their old traditions. Through the things I have experienced and learned, I have a really open and excepting mind when it comes to the cultural beliefs of others.

The prayer and meditation event occurred on Saturday, March 1, 2008. It started at 2:00pm in the BMU of Chico State, and ended roughly 40 minutes later. There were many people who showed up for this event.  It was so crowded that I had to stand on the stairs to watch.

To open the ceremony, Losang asked the audience to chant along with him. I couldn’t catch the name of the chant (all the informational papers were gone) but he asked us to speak it with an open heart. The chant sounds similar to the yoga chants. This made me feel a little awkward because by being Christian, you are exposed to yoga as somewhat of a bad influence. Regardless, I do not believe ones cultural or spiritual believes are bad or wrong, just different. What some people believe about Yoga: “Yoga originated with a blatantly anti-Christian philosophy, and that philosophy has not changed. It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God. It encourages its participants to seek the answers to life's difficult questions within their own conscience instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God's enemy, who searches for victims that he can turn away from God” http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-yoga.html.  

Losang asked 4 people of other religious groups to come to the Mandala and speak their part. We participated in a song with the words “Oh we are saved, please give peace a chance.” Losang then introduced Sonam Tashi. Sonam is a famous artist born in Tibet. He performed a beautiful piece for us on a traditional Tibetan instrument.

This experience was uplifting for me.  Everyone who attended was very into it. The atmosphere was very peaceful and calm. When I looked around, nearly everyone had a smile upon their face. After experiencing this event, I would love to learn more of the traditions, beliefs and meanings in Buddhism and what it’s like to be a Buddhist Monk.