The Zen Monastery was very different from any other place that we visited. For one, it was not a seperate building. It was in the basement of a building. Of all the places, it was by far the most simple. This seemed to fit with the ideas I have of Buddhism. It does not focus on the outside appearnce, it focuses on what is going on inside the person. Even the place where the meditation takes place was very simple. There was only a small statue on an alter. The room was simply decorated. Even though the room was not decorated elaborately, there was still of plenty visual distractions. The floor had a colorful tile on it, and the room had many clashing colors. I was expecting more of a plain room that was very uniformly decorated. This also fit with what the Zen leaders were telling us about not ignoring the outside world but trying to find a median between the inside self and the outside.

After listening to the Zen leaders, it almost seems like Buddhism is not so much a religion as it is a path. A religion seems to be when people seek salvation through an intermediary orginization. Buddhism seems to be different in that it does not require an intermediary group. They said that what they teach is within everyone and they need to follow their own path to find truth. Buddhism is more of a guideline for people to find their own path. This is why it is hard for me to call Buddhism a religion.

One common thing I found was when the Zen leaders talked about how what Buddhism is trying to show, is older than words or thoughts. It has been around before humans. This is just like Judiasm, Christanity, Islam, and Hinduism. Their sacred text are supposed to be before humans. The word is eternal. All of these religions and Buddhism transcend humans and tap into something bigger than themselves and this idea of something being before humans is a good example of this.