Wednesday, May 17, 2006

We Go Wesaking.

Wednesday.

Suan: "Jom. We go temple on Friday morning, want? :D"

FA: "Har? Temple? Why suddenly?"

S: "Wesak on Friday mar!"

F: "Orh! Which one? The Kuan Yin temple on the way to KL one? Can! Long time never go adi..."

S: "Er, no. Maha Vihara. At Brickfields."

F: "Sounds like Hindu temple only...."

S: "Like Christianity, Buddhism also got a lot of different branches lar. My one is called Theravada. Your one called Mahayana. But both still Buddhist mah."

F: "My one like got more cultural influences already also right? I remember last time, I always thought that if you were Chinese you were automatically a joss-stick sticking, paper money burning sort of Buddhist. I am a bad Buddhist. Only pray once or twice a year when I balik kampung. Bwahahha... er actually hor, people do what in your sort of temple one?"

S: "Pray lah!!"

F: "....."

S: "So how? Go or not?"

F: "Go go! Good first time experience!"

S: "We go early early okay? Beat the crowd. 7am lah".

F: "Set."


IMG_52321
A lot of shops set up by opportunistic peddlars outside the temple. There's something not so right at trying to make money off people on their way to a place of worship.



Later, that night.



F: "Ma. I go temple with Suan on Wesak Day morning okay?"

FA's Mum: "Temple? Ok ok. Go lah! Which one?"

F: "Mahatma something or other... at Brickfields one"

FA's Mum:
"Har? You going HINDU TEMPLE??!?!?!"

F: "Laughs Out Loud"


merged1
View of temple grounds from big hall. Can not believe how many people didn't sleep in on a public holiday.



Friday morning.


FA's handphone alarm: " BEEP BEEP. 7.30am. BEEP BEEP."

F:
"Grumble grumble grumble"

*dial dial dial*

S:*sounding sleepy* "lo?"

FA: "Wei. 7.30am already okay."

S: "we go a BIT later okay?"

F: "EHaEHAheAHEaHEah.. okay okay."




8am


*dial dial dial*

F: "Suan?"

S: "okay okay getting ready adi."




8.30am


S:
"Outside your house d!"

F:*Thinks to self* "Year right. 7 my ASSSS"


IMG_52001
Little boy playing at temple's fountain. A lot of people seen here washing their faces and throwing coins into the lotus' petals in the middle of the fountain. It's funny how people just assumed everything in the temple is holy and/or will bring them luck or something. Maybe they were just feeling hot.



*lines up behind 34892765 people to go into main shrine*

F: "Shit too many people wei."

S:
"Forget it lah. Let's go take lots of pictures!"

F: "Yeay!"

S: "I wanna go see the Chief High Priest, later also"

(Waited 2 freaking hours and only caught a glimpse of him when he came out from his chambers to makan. Poor Suanie. :( )


IMG_51941
Lotus candle offerings on the main alter.


*see buddha statues. see lots of people. see lots of beggars. see lots of joss stick. see lots of smoke.*

*can not see anymore from all the smoke*

*cough cough*


F:"Eh, I wanna pray with joss stick lah. a bit weird for me to pray without joss stick."

IMG_51491
Joss sticks and butts.

*click click*

F:" Damn a lot of people wei. Damn hot. HOT HOT. The sun is on my head!"

*goes line up in some long line to be splashed with water to cool down from heat blessed by monks*

*kena sprinkle with a lot of water*

*put money in little big reddonation box*

*given small plastic medicine bottle filled with (holy?) water and a bunch of yellow strings*

F: "Suan. This bottle for what?"

S:
"To bathe in kua."

F: *looks at tiny plastic bottle. notes that it is smaller than own hand* *thinks to self* "not even enough for a baby rat loh"

IMG_51851
People lining up to get wet blessed by monks with some sort of a palm leaf and water.


*click click*

"OIL LAMPS FOR PEACE AND HAPPINESS!"
"RM10!"


*go kaypoh*

*click click click*

Random nice volunteer: "Want to come in to take pictures?"

F:*shy shy* "Yes please thank you!"

*click*


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Thousands upon thousands of oil lamps for Buddha and happiness.


F:
"Suan."

S: "Ar?"

F: "Why do these people offer flowers?"

S: "Flowers represent impermanence. See the flower, at first so pretty, then it wilts and dies. Everything that lives will eventually die also. So flowers serve as a reminder that we all have a finite life lar, and not to hang on too much to worldly possesions"

F: "Kanineh. So fucking depressing one." *sniff*



11.45am


S: "Jom lah. Let's go."


IMG_51421
More pink candles. I liked them. They were pretty. I like pretty things.



On the way home.


F: "Suan."

S: "Ar?"

F: "Actually, what's Wesak Day all about?"

S: ".... I'm not really sure also."

F: -_-""""


(but Suan went back and made sure she knew what it was. Click!)

23 comments:

  1. oO nice photos. i damn tulan my camera, only works best at night. daylight like kok.

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  2. [...] *Entire photo gallery, 30 photos here. Fireangel's update here. Technorati Tags: maha vihara vesak wesak [...]

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  3. =)

    i dunno why i find this so adorable until i'm smiling to myself now. u sound... happy. :D

    very weird yes yes i shall see my way out now kthxbai.

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  4. cheneille,

    see, religion IS helpful :P

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  5. suanie,

    but i was always under the impression that buddhism isn't a religion. it's just a way of life coz siddharta never set rules or even hints that his followers should worship him. no ah?

    :P pai seh, my knowledge quite teh noob one.

    although i am like a devoted fa-ist. *cough*

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  6. cheneille,

    it's a religion in malaysia mah... you know, when in rome...

    you cultist :P

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  7. MMM nice pics. *pats FA on the head*

    Suanie: Your Sony good in sunlight what. (That's the first complaint about any digicam sucking in sunlight I've heard.)

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  8. Pray to my ass, it smells like burning curry.

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  9. nice to see activities during wesak day there.. good job! "pats FA's head"... next time remember hoh! it is malaysian time 7am... hehehehe

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  10. standard time 7 am
    malaysian time + 1.3hrs behind

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  11. "F: “Kanineh. So fucking depressing one.” *sniff*"

    Imagine when there won't be any vodka anymore... hahaha

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  12. The odd thing was that Siddharta discouraged all religious rites while he was alive. And he was not a vegetarian.

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  13. what's with the patting? Is FA making a cake soon?

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  14. 'My one is called Theravada. Your one called Mahayana.'

    Not to be confused with Darth-a-Vada ...he's from Star Wars!

    'S: “I wanna go see the Chief High Priest, later also”'

    Poor Suan! I keep telling you, waiting for a man is a waste of time!

    'Everything that lives will eventually die also.'

    Oh no, that revalation has come as such a shock! I thought I was going to live forever!
    *clutches heart and falls on floor*
    Yeah, yeah! I'm just being facetious! :-)

    KITTEN - 'but i was always under the impression that buddhism isn’t a religion. it’s just a way of life coz siddharta never set rules or even hints that his followers should worship him.'

    Technically, ALL religions are ways of life. After all, many religions don't care how many god/goddesses etc you believe in [zero to a million if you want], their main teachings are about how people should live their lives and how they should react to the world.

    So, even if there are no official 'list of rules', you can be assured that there are some teachings [such as removing oneself from earthly desire], which constitutes 'rules of sorts'.

    If we count rules, then Judahism has Ten [Ten Commandments] and Christianity has only two [which was Jesus summary of the ten commandments].

    The Society of Friends [aka the Quakers], actually has athiest denominations now ... so, even Christianity has followers who have removed the 'God' aspect from the religion. Your definition of a religion seems to mean that it has to have some form of diety worship, so by your definition you've now thrown Christianity into a 'way of life' and not a religion due to the athiest denominations.

    But, like I say, technically, all religions are 'ways of life' [but of course, I am not saying all 'ways of life' are religions]. :-)

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  15. haha pray more la fa. good for u to lead u go toward future. hehe

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  16. Rats! I forgot to take the photos of the candles and stuff. been wanting to do that but ended up taking photos of beggars and tired people.

    Still, nice to meet you guys that day, although it was a bit rushed.

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  17. very nice collection of pictures :)

    and i learn a new term - wesaking!

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  18. thanx for the photos! Really miss the brickfield's temple .. *sniff* ';( used to go for wesak day (the days I could drag myself out of bed) but a bit hard since I'm not in m'sia .. ah the memories of getting splashed .. err .. blessed .. with holy water. And yes .. the tiny bottle is to be added to baths .. *grin*

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  19. woah someone has got a nice creative side as well =)

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  20. Hey Cool! Haven't been back to Vihara in ages! hehhe.. studied more than 6 yrs there in Sunday School.. was there many times a week then, almost my 2nd home. :P Thanks for posting the photos! Reminded me of the time I spent there! heheh.. *hugz* ;>

    FA: Heya! THanks for dropping by! *hugs*

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