Thien Tam Buddhist Temple

After three attempts, we finally made it to the Thien Tam Buddhist Temple in Peoria. To no fault of theirs, personally we’ve been dealing with a lot of passing illnesses at our house which kept us from going. We’ve been wanting to visit the temple for awhile now. Ben used to go for weekly meditation practices they had a few years back but neither of us had ever been for a service.

This is a very traditional Vietnamese Buddhist temple housed in a former grade school. They don’t have a website but they do have a Facebook page. They are responsive to messages, which is how we found out they have an English speaking service from 2–4 on Sundays. They just celebrated their Lunar New Year a few weeks back, which is one of the events we had hoped to go to before sick kids prevented that.

Buddhism is a mix of a religion, a philosophy and a way of life. The original Buddha, from 2500 years ago, taught that he didn’t want his followers to worship him like a god. He wanted them to be in charge of their own lives and actions but offered foundations as a way of teaching them. Followers of Buddhism regard Buddha as a teacher that they strive to be more like.

They believe in Three Universal Truths:

1. Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.
2. Because nothing is permanent, a life based on possessing things or persons doesn’t make you happy.
3. There is no eternal, unchanging soul and “self” is just a collection of changing characteristics or attributes.

They also follow Four Noble Truths:

1. Human life has a lot of suffering.
2. The cause of suffering is greed.
3. There is an end to suffering.
4. The way to end suffering is to follow the Middle Path.

The “middle path” means to not lead a life of luxury and indulgence but also not one of too much fasting and hardship. To seek this, they follow eight principles:

1. Right understanding and viewpoint (based on the Four Noble Truths).
2. Right values and attitude (compassion rather than selfishness).
3. Right speech (don’t tell lies, avoid harsh, abusive speech, avoid gossip).
4. Right action (help others, live honestly, don’t harm living things, take care of the environment).
5. Right work (do something useful, avoid jobs which harm others).
6. Right effort (encourage good, helpful thoughts, discourage unwholesome destructive thoughts).
7. Right mindfulness (be aware of what you feel, think and do).
8. Right meditation (calm mind, practice meditation which leads to nirvana).

There are also five rules for living:

1. Do not harm or kill living things.
2. Do not take things unless they are freely given.
3. Lead a decent life.
4. Do not speak unkindly or tell lies.
5. Do not abuse drugs or drink alcohol.

With no other information other than knowing it was from 2–4 on Sunday we drove over. We pulled up and there were only two other cars there; one of which was a friend of ours who wanted to check it out too and it worked out that we could go on the same day. Other than that it was quiet. It was a beautiful day so we walked around a bit since we were 20 minutes early. They have a few statues and garden in their yard so we checked that out before sauntering toward the door. As we were, another man and woman were walking up too. The lady had a dog with her so I though they were just passing through the parking lot but the man said he was also there for the service at 2. He was very friendly and told us we could probably go on in and that the nun, Thich Tinh Nghia would be in there.

We walked in and immediately saw stairs leading up. I heard singing/chanting but realized after awhile that was their ‘doorbell.’ We found a shelf and a sign indication that we should remove our shoes. I was prepared for this and wore socks and I’m glad I did! It was very clean but it was super cold. The Thien Tam Temple is located in an historic school in central Peoria. I’m sure it’s very expensive to heat. I wish I had dressed warmer because I felt an instant chill.

We walked up the stairs and down a long hallway. We immediately saw two large statues to the left with lamps and incense burners under them as well as apples and flowers. Soon, the nun Thich Tinh Nghia came out. She had a shaved head and beige robe on with socks and slippers. She smiled, greeted us and was ready to answer our questions about the space. We asked what they used the upstairs for and she offered to walk us up there. The upstairs was nearly empty but she said they have rooms ready for other events. Her English was good but, we learned later, she had been in Vietnam for the past 7 years and she said she was working to relearn it after that time. She has spent time all over the United States at different temples and has been practicing to be a Buddhist nun since she was eight years old!

Once we came back down she invited us into the prayer hall, which was adorned with red lanterns and lots of vases with artificial flowers. There were sixteen mats with cushions and small tables. The ceilings were so tall it was even colder in there! Next time I go I’ll definitely dress a lot warmer.

We each sat at a table and waited. She came in and put her hands in a prayer position in front of the statues in the room before turning and welcoming us. She asked us to introduce ourselves. We learned that the other man has been coming there for about a month and a half. It was nice that he was new enough to remember how we must have felt but have a few experiences to be able to help us understand. She then invited us to meditate. She asked if we’d like to do 10 minutes, 15, 20 or 30. Because our friend had her son with us and I’m pretty new at meditation, I thought 10 minutes seemed like a good amount of time to do that. She talked us through some of it after starting it with a gong to a small singing bowl. She reminded us to follow our breath, in and out. She suggested that we smile. That we are happy when we smile. If we get distracted, we should go back to our breath and how it feels going in and out of our body.

When we got done she opened a discussion about being present. She talked a lot about how we are all so distracted. When we eat we multi-task (guilty!) When we drive we are also on our phones. She explained that we can use the practice of noticing our bodily senses and our breath to bring our attention back. She talked about how our heads are in one place while our bodies are somewhere else. To further highlight the practice, she suggested we sing a song. It was a very basic song but it was about breathing. It was accompanied with some light hand gestures to symbolize what was being sung with each line.

“Breathing In, breathing out
I am blooming as a flower
I am fresh as the dew
I am solid as a mountain
I am first as the earth
I am free!
Breathing in, breathing out
I am water reflecting
What is real, what is true
And I feel there is space
Deep inside of me
I am free! I am free! I am free!”

Afterward she took time to highlight the part about being reflecting water. If our minds are like tossing ocean waves, we can’t see through. We can’t see what’s real and true. But if our minds are calm like reflecting water we can more easily see what is clear. This was a great visualization for me to remember when I get stressed or anxious about life.

After a bit she suggested that we could experience this with a slow walk around the room. She invited us to stand up and follow her. And by slow, this was SLOW. Each step was deliberate. I found myself noticing how each foot felt as it connected with the floor, first at the heel, then rolling to the toes and then as it lifted off the floor, again, from the heel to the toes. I felt the bones and ligaments in my feet pop and shift. I felt the cold floor. I felt my weight shift between legs like I had never paid attention to before. We did one loop around the room, which was not a huge room and I think it took us about 10 minutes.

We sat back down and she invited us to sing another song. We all joked a bit that it felt sort of like kindergarten but really, we all WERE like kindergartners with this experience. It felt nice to have no ego and be totally comfortable to learn at such a basic level.

“Happiness is here and now
I have dropped my worries
Nowhere to go, nothing to do
No longer in a hurry
Happiness is here and now
I have dropped my worries
Somewhere to go, something to do
But no need to be hurried”

The man that was there said that although these are basic songs, they have helped him when he’s navigating something stressful. He pulls on their lesson to get him through. The nun talked about how we shouldn’t put pressure on ourselves as we learn. That we are all students and as we practice we will get better and become more like Buddha as we go. We might only be “1% Buddha now but someday we can BE the Buddha!” she said with a big smile. She was very joyous but not in a flighty way. She was very encouraging.

After this we did another 10 minute meditation where she talked us through parts of it again with plenty of quiet time. She reminded us to follow our breath, to smile, and that happiness is HERE, NOW.

Once we finished she thanked us all and invited us to join her for tea in the lobby. She served us green tea out of delicate, mismatched teacups and saucers with pistachios. I didn’t see this coming but she used the tea service as a lesson too. About feeling the cup and the warmth. The scent of the tea. The way the tea leaves look. The cracking of the pistachio shells. It was such a thoughtful lesson on how to slow down and eat mindfully and I’ve been practicing in, or trying to since then. Although I scarfed down a huge croissant in the car while I was driving this morning, so I do need a bit more practice!

Unfortunately, there’s not a website for the Peoria Buddhist Temple. From what I understand, they have a service in Vietnamese at 10 am on Sunday that goes until about 11:30 before they take a break for a meal. They are responsive on Facebook though if there are questions. I wanted to know more about the statues they have so I sent a message. Thich Tinh Nghia responded and said when I come again she can have ‘master’ tell me about them. I think he is the Buddhist monk there. We saw him walk past at one point but didn’t get a chance to speak to him.

I’d love to visit again for the traditional service in Vietnamese as well as another visit for the English service. I’d like to see how it would evolve as I go more. I think the nun did a fantastic job of recognizing that we were new and went out of her way to help us understand and feel comfortable.