"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity"
-Albert Einstein (http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm)
Welcome to our blog! We are planning to produce a short documentary on the Wat Carolina Buddhist Monastery in Bolivia, North Carolina. Opening as the first of its kind in North Carolina in 1988, Wat Carolina has grown to be one of the most important Buddhist communities in the Southeast. The following is a brief history of its founder:
“Abbot Phrakru Buddhamonpricha came to Oak Island in l986 to visit his two sisters, Suntaree Hemvong and Suban Potijinda, and a brother, Sounthone Hemvong, who owned the Ocean Crest Pier and Motel in what was then Long Beach, N.C. In l987, the four of them founded the Buddhist Association of North Carolina, and after his siblings donated 21 acres of land, Phrakru returned to America from Indonesia to establish the Wat Carolina Monastery, which opened later that year.” (http://www.wat-carolina.com/history.php)
Buddhist religion consists mainly of practicing ways of life in order to achieve enlightenment. Through many rules and guidelines, one could essentially become free from the stresses of everyday life simply by taking it for what it is. Percieving everything at face value sets you free from the suffering or sorrows of life.
Buddhism continues to attract followers worldwide and is considered a major world religion. According to one source, "World estimates for Buddhists vary between 230 and 500 million, with most around 350 million." However, estimates are uncertain for several countries. According to one analysis, Buddhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism)
Most of the congregation is Thai but the Wat welcomes visitors from all walks and ways of life. Services are held every Sunday consisting of Thai chanting and meditation sessions, and they also celebrate several Buddhist holidays.
Wat Carolina is located in Bolivia, a small rural town 20 minutes outside of Wilmington, North Carolina. Lacking ethic diversity and predominately Baptist (with a Baptist church right next door), Bolivia makes for an ironic location for Wat Carolina. However, Wat Carolina has seemed to successfully found a home in Bolivia.
Our goal with this documentary is to illustrate how this particular Buddhist community functions within itself, interacts with outside communities, as well as what it means to be a minority religion in the Bible Belt (the monastery is adjacent to a large Baptist church).
We plan on using 35mm still photographs, 16mm film, as well as digital resources to create our documentary. Included will be personal interviews detailing the lifestyle and traditions of the Wat Carolina. Hopefully our experience will culturally open our eyes as well as others. Being in a “Bible Belt” state can provide for a lack of diversity in ethnicity as well as religion. We are looking forward to sharing our experience with you.
-Posted by Genevieve, Christy, Calli
The Buddhist Flag
The five colors of the flag represent the colors of the aura that emanated from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment
5 comments:
This is a really interesting and, I think, strong topic to research. You have a lot of different options as to what direction to take your final project in depending on how your various interviews go. One issue that I haven't heard mentioned but would be interested to know about is how similar or different Wat Carolina is from other monastaries, both in the US as well as in predominantly Buddhist nations. You might be able to tie that into your segment about how different the monastary is from the rest of the town. Good luck! -Meghann
This is the first time since I have been in North Carolina that I have ever heard of a Buddhist Monastery being anywhere close to us. I think it is a great topic to choose from, and with the Baptist Church right by there, you will be able to get alot of great interviews. I read about your Doc. Proj. on your first blog entry, and it talked about how besides Thai people were involved with Buddhism as their religion that the Buddhist Monastery take people from anywhere. Something to research would be how could someone become apart of this Monastery, it would be very interesting. Well good luck with the project.-Chris McCans
I am really interested in your angle here. i think you should approach this subject with the temple's place here in north carolina. the religion of buddhism seems very adaptable to any culture's landscape and also its message of peace and wisdom can also mesh into any region of the world. i think the man on the street interviews will be very interesting because nobody knows it is there. i bet people will even say that you are full of it. my advice would be to focus on the adaptibility of the temple in its surroundings (NC) and its impact on the community it is located. that is something i thought of outside of class so i wanted to pass it on. enjoy the journey tho
-john marshall
I am extremely interested in and impressed by your selection of topics. Buddhism in itself is a fascinating exploration, but the concept of a Buddhist temple in Bolivia, NC lends itself to infinite possibilities. I am anxious to see the angle that you take. It seems to me that the juxtaposition of conflicting cultures would be quite unique in that small community. Whether or not the relations between the community (obviously predominant christian)and the temple are stressed and negative, or positive, it would be an intriguing approach. I am interested in the operations of the temple itself, historically and otherwise, but the community dynamic would make for an exciting and original angle. Enjoy the experience. I cannot wait to see what you present. By the way, good job on the blog. -tod
I am really surpiresed to learn that there is a buddist temple and community in nc. If i was to guess which part of nc that the temple was in I would think Raleigh or Durham. I am very interested in learning more.
Amir
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