Sacred Spaces: Buddhism

"Today, Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion, with over 576 million followers worldwide. Buddhists follow traditions and spiritual beliefs that were taught by Guatama Buddha, a revered wise man ... "

"Buddhism is a religion that honours nature. Most Buddhist practitioners seek to transcend worldly, material desires, and try to develop a close kinship with nature ..."

Buddhist temples are emblematic of many Asian countries in their tourism promotions, but little is known about how monks, laypeople, guides, and local or foreign tourists experience these religious heritage sites. In late developed and developing Asian countries these Buddhist sites fulfil complex social and symbolic roles involving differing functions and expectations. But how these temples can fulfil these complex demands and avoid becoming similar to a museum or a theme park is unclear. Using qualitative analysis this research examined temple users experiences of the architecture, artefacts, gardens, rituals, and users at the Bulguk Temple precinct in Korea and identified several dimensions of the sense of place that temple users experience.

Chapter Four How do Buddhists Practice their Faith and Chapter Five Buddhist Architecture, Sculpture and Painting "Over the centuries, Buddhism has exerted a spiritual and intel-lectual infl uence over countless people in more than a hundred countries ... "

Although worshipping in a temple is not essential for worship, Buddhists do visit shrines and temples to pay their respects to Buddha and to meditate with other Buddhists. Going to a worship space is not essential because Buddhism is a way of life, a way to act all of the time. Some Buddhists also have shrines in their homes, allowing practitioners to pray at the most convenient times for them ... "

"Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple. It is not considered essential to go to a temple to worship with others ... "