Andrew Dubber

Mum took Jake and I to Auckland’s new Buddhist temple. It’s somewhere she takes a lot of visitors, who want something local and fascinating to go see as tourists. It’s quite an amazing place: really incredibly serene, and yet close to the overblown, banal Botany town centre, and deep in new development suburbia.

Buddhism is the major world religion that I find least problematic. No wars have ever been fought in its name, and aside from the magical thinking required to accept the reincarnation proposition and the deity itself as an active mystical force, the practices and goals of the religion are things that I could happily get involved in.

Meditation, ritual, the pace, ethics and the philosophies of Buddhism appeal far more to me than the trappings of any other religion. Catholicism challenges it on the aesthetics stakes (though Buddhism even wins that one for me), but everywhere else, it’s a one-horse race.

There’s also a playful air about the the surroundings. Cute little buddha child statues jump, play and build snowmen in the garden. And yet as soon as you take your shoes off and enter the no photography zone of the temple itself, the seriousness kicks in. The contrast is really marked. This is the sort of place in which you don’t want to make noise in case you disturb the stillness.

Upstairs in the temple is a calligraphy meditation space. Anyone can go up and use the ink and writing blocks, but only I dared to venture up the stairs, and I ended up not getting the pen out and having a go. It just seemed like it wasn’t my place to do so.

I was really drawn to the massive drum on one side of the temple, and the huge bell, so big and impressive that it required what looked like a battering ram in order to sound it. There was no touching, but I bet that bell would have been heard for miles.

Following instructions at the wishing bell

The one bell you were allowed to hit in the temple grounds was the wishing bell. There were specific instructions about prostration, placing palms together, reciting a chant three times and bowing – but at the end of it, you get to ring this amazing gong-like bell, and make a wish. Not sure if birthday candle rules apply here, but I don’t think I’ll tell you my wish just in case.

What an incredible sound. Low, rich, pure and sustained. It’s one of my favourite noises in the world.

We availed ourselves of the tearoom, where Jake and I had a lovely Udon Miso soup, before having a look in the gift shop. I was really intrigued with the music, and they had some CDs for sale. The monk behind the counter offered to play some to us, and made the mistake of assuming that we’d prefer the meditation music with the synthesiser backing. After a bit of explaining, we ended up with a double CD recording of the morning and evening chanting, complete with the gorgeous sounding bells that accompany the ritual.

I was really taken by it, so Mum stepped in and asked if she could buy it as my Christmas present. Apparently I’m quite hard to buy for, and this was something I was clearly going to appreciate. Fine by me.

Having a cool time. Wish you were here too.

Tagged: New Zealand, Personal, Travel