Buddhism – The Vihara, Mahayana

Often, adherents who are Buddhists meet for worship in shrine rooms that have been converted into places for worship in private houses. In some other places you might find what looks like an ordinary house, but behind the façade of the house is a special shrine room that has been converted. In some special cases, viharas have been built in this country according to the traditions of the countries from which they have originated, and if one of these is close by you, you will be very lucky indeed.

The picture here is typical of many Buddhist places of worship. This is a shrine from the Mahayana tradition. As with all eastern religions, you will find that taking shoes off before going into the main shrine area is an essential requirement before devotions.

Sitting on the floor and facing the shrine area means that a large area of the shrine room is bare. Pictures (thangas) of the Buddha, or boddhisattvas hang from the walls. The main focus is the shrine – and central to the shrine is a statue of the Buddha – a Buddha rupa. The Buddha figures are entirely symbolic in their design.

As part of your investigations into the devotions of Buddhism, ask your pupils to discover what is symbolic about the figure, how it effects the design, and why it has been done. As part of the shrine area you will also find Buddhist holy scriptures, and instruments for alerting devotees about meditation times such as a bell-bowl and drum.