Guerra, Roy Lambert February 17, 2014

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Buddhism in the Metro
The dominant religion in the Philippines is Roman Catholic but this does not mean that
the country is not open to other religions. This is further stressed with a new type of mixing of
religions in the form of Buddhist-Catholicism. For this paper, I decided to study Buddhism as it is
closest to the hearts of Filipinos since our Chinoy brethrens have been with us for a long time. A
group of my friends and I went to different Chinese temples such as one in Narra, Tondo called
Seng Guan (Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas) Temple and another in Malabon called Hwa
Chong Temple which I went to with my family.
The entire service was spoken in Chinese. It was interesting how the people referred to
their clergymen as xi fu or shi fu which translates to master and the master is the equivalent of
father for the Catholic priest. The temple also looks very different from how we see the church
although there are a few similarities. The Seng Guan temple stands out in the area as it has a
unique architecture. Upon further research, I found out that the architecture is called a Stupa.
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The image of the dragon can also be seen around the temple as the dragon is an important
mythical creature which signifies strength and luck for the Chinese. Upon entering the main
gates, youll be faced with a figure already. This figure holds the position equivalent to a
catholic saint. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed to be taken during our visit. As you
move further in the temple, youll be greeted with several kneelers in red and in front of the
kneelers is the altar. In the altar you will see different figures of the different saints the
Buddhists worship but dominant are the three Buddhas that are found in a glass case.

1
"stupa." Encyclopedia Britannica. http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/570059/stupa (accessed
February 10, 2014).
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Interviewing a local resident, Mr. Chua, we found out that there are three floors in the
temple. The ground floor, which houses the three Buddhas, is where Buddhists pray for and to
their ancestors. According to Chua, our ancestors constantly watch over us, so we have to pay
our respects. Their method of prayer is silent praying while holding up two incense sticks. It is
not required for them to kneel but most of the people in the space knelt when praying to their
ancestors. They slowly wave their incense sticks then bow to end their prayer. After praying,
they put the joss sticks in big containers with other sticks. In a service however, the monks
usually lead the prayer and it is usually done on special dates such as the death anniversary of a
relative or the birthday of a saint. The phrase Namo Omi To Fo which research tells us is their
way of paying homage to Buddha. The phrase means homage to the Amitabha Buddha.
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It
was in Hwa Chong temple where we were able to observe the service. There are different
movements to their rituals such as standing, kneeling and at some point walking around the
prayer space. Throughout their service, different instruments are played such as a small bell
and a bowl which produces a sound similar to a gong. The monks are the people who lead the
service.
The second floor of Seng Guan Temple is for those seeking to know more about Buddha
himself. On the walls are paintings of Gautama Buddhas life. It shows Buddha in his earthly
travels. On the third floor of the building is where the grand hall can be found. It is here that a
giant Buddha is kept and here where people worship and seek enlightenment.
Being a Catholic, I believe that most of their practices are close to what we do or believe.
During my visit to these temples, I cant help but compare their rituals to ours. In a way,

2
"Namo Amitabha | NAMO AMITUOFO | ." Namo Amitabha | NAMO AMITUOFO |
. http://amtb.co.uk/pure-land-buddhism/namo-amitabha (accessed February 10, 2014).
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Buddhists and Catholicism are not so different. They believe in saints, have a way of prayer
almost similar to ours. What interests me the most is how they have different saints signifying
different aspects of life. I admire how they have a way to communicate their loved ones even
after passing on. They have altars at home with pictures of those who have passed away and
they can pray to them using joss sticks. Its a practice I would love to try to keep the memory of
loved ones stronger. It also makes religion more intimate as it involves family and living in the
Philippines has taught us about keeping the family together. Although Buddhism is a search of
ones self, I would still go for Catholicism in that Catholics are more for solidarity and
togetherness rather than the isolation which Buddhists seek. Im not saying that its negative
but I just believe that even in our beliefs we need to have a certain level of interaction and
communication with the people who share the same things. Asking a few of my Buddhist
friends, I found out how Buddhists prefer to pray by setting dates with the monks rather than
praying as a community which is something I dont think would be helpful in keeping the
community together. In conclusion however, I believe Catholicism and Buddhism can
complement each other because of the concept of searching for self-enlightenment and being a
community of believers.