An Lac Buddhist Temple
(317) 545-1234
5249 E 30th St
Indianapolis, IN 46218
www.anlactemple.org
Institutional History/Information
The An Lac Buddhist Temple is part of the Mahayana branch of
Buddhism, and is the only Buddhist temple in Indianapolis founded
by a recent immigrant community to preserve and perpetuate
traditions of the homeland. The An Lac Temple was founded in 1986
by a small group of Vietnamese-Americans who bought two neighboring
houses and used them both as a temple for community. The original
intention of establishing the An Lac Buddhist Temple was to provide
Buddhists in the area with a sense of community and kinship, as
well as a place to practice and worship together. In 2002, a
community of nuns moved into the second house and established it as
a nunnery. Before this, the An Lac Temple community was lead
entirely by lay-people, without the guidance of a spiritual leader.
The group of nuns came to lead services, offer guidance, and
formalize the institution. They are currently in the process of
building a larger, more formal Buddha Hall in traditional
Vietnamese style, on the same grounds.
Demographics
The congregation at An Lac Temple includes around thirty people
at a normal Sunday service. Attendance is much larger at important
Buddhist festivals. The temple is composed mostly of
Vietnamese-Americans of all ages from children to the elderly. The
nuns and nuns-in-training comprise a large portion of the
congregation.
Service Style
The An Lac Temple conducts its services in a manner loyal to
Vietnamese traditions. The service takes place in a small home that
has been converted into a temple. The home is adorned with a
beautiful altar, including many representations of the buddhas,
bodhisattvas, and lotus flowers. The seating consists of rows of
circular cushions on the floor. In front of these cushions are
small stands holding large books of chants. The service begins with
the ringing of a bell and a few bows. After that, the attendees sit
cross-legged on the cushions for an hour long dharma talk led by
one of the nuns from the temple. Following the talk, a quick
question-and-answer session ensues. Then, the second portion begins
with an hour long chanting session in Vietnamese, accompanied by
bells. Finally, after the service, there is a small vegetarian meal
to which all are invited. The entire service is conducted in
Vietnamese, and very few people in the congregation speak English.
However, headphones with English translation are provided for those
who require them, and the few members that do speak enough English
to communicate are more than willing to answer questions. Once the
current expansion is complete, services in English will be offered
as well.
What To Expect
First time visitors to the An Lac Buddhist Temple should call
ahead of time to inform the nuns of their visit. The best time to
reach the nuns is after 9:00 pm when they have finished their daily
chanting. In addition, visitors may wish to ask what sort of
clothing is appropriate, but casual attire is generally accepted,
and modesty is advised. In most cases, visitors will be welcome to
join in the service and will be provided with a translation for
lessons done in Vietnamese. Before entering the temple, visitors
should first remove their shoes at the door and bow toward the
altar as a sign of respect. Bowing and chanting, as well as sitting
on the floor for extended periods of time, should be expected
during a typical Sunday service at the An Lac Buddhist Temple.
Immediately following the service, members of the An Lac Temple
gather to eat a vegetarian lunch while the nuns sit separately from
the congregation and eat quietly. One should expect to be warmly
greeted by the members of the temple who are eager to answer and
explain questions one might have about the religion.
Biographies of People Associated with An Lac
Biography of "Terri," by Anna Holman, Sara Gillespie, and
Jordan Zehner
Terri is a nun at Chau An Lac temple. It is there that she
greeted us with a smile and began to speak with enthusiasm; she
spoke about her life as a nun and her experiences before entering
into the monastery. Appearing to be in her late-20s, Terri talked
about the place of importance that Buddhism holds in her life. She
had not always planned on becoming a nun and spoke about her
background and the events which lead her to the monastic life.
Terri was born and raised in Vietnam by her Buddhist parents. At
the age of twenty-two, she immigrated to California in the United
States where she began her studies as a pre-medicine student at
California State University. Terri told us that before becoming a
nun, she always split her time between school and family, as she
had always been very studious.
In her youth, Terri had never considered becoming a nun. In
fact, her family worshipped primarily at home and apart from
monastic direction. Only once had she talked about becoming a nun.
Terri jokingly said that she would enter the monastery when her
mother passed away. It was years later, after the unexpected
passing of her mother, that she became more involved in the temple.
She went to dharma talks and prayed for guidance and it was then
that Terri said that she began to seriously consider taking
monastic vows. After forty-nine days of prayer, she decided to take
the final step and commit herself to life as a nun. She faced
opposition from her family; one of her sisters was especially
against the decision. In an effort to prove her seriousness and
diligence, Terri delayed initiation until after she completed her
degree at California State. In 2003, she took vows at Chua An Lac
under the tutelage of the master who resided.
Terri said that one of the most striking things about the
transition to monastic life was the renunciation of all worldly
things. She initially found this difficult because, as the youngest
of five, she was often spoiled by her older sisters. Another
obstacle, she told us, was her anger; she has struggled with
learning to become a member of a larger community. Such struggles
are not uncommon for monks and nuns, and Terri understood that she
was, in her description, moving against the stream of life which
resists such renunciations of irrational emotions. However, Terri's
life as a nun has calmed her greatly and she enjoys the peace it
adds to her life.
Outside of the convent, Terri serves as a Vietnamese translator
for hospitals and courts. While these encounters with the secular
world can sometimes be challenging, Terri says that she wants to
help the community through compassion and by providing comfort and
guidance where she can. She believes that just speaking with
members of the Vietnamese community and relating the dharma to
their own situation helps them to recover emotionally and
physically. Not all of those who Terri interprets for are Buddhist
as many members of the Vietnamese community in Indianapolis are
Christian. Despite differences in religion, she indicated that she
feels a great connection with them and considers the religions of
Christianity and Buddhism to be friends. Terri said that providing
translation services for the Vietnamese community has helped her
along her own dharma path. She views her work in social services as
a means to balance her life and says that it acts as a reminder of
the struggles that exist outside of monastic life. It also serves
as a way to understand the practical application of Buddhist
teachings in the larger community.
Just as Terri feels a great connection with people of different
religious practices, she sees the importance of working with others
from different Buddhist traditions. Terri said that she and the
nuns of An Lac, or her dharma sisters, work side-by-side with monks
and nuns from other Buddhist temples and that her monastic
community values the interactions, cooperation, sharing and
learning that they gain from other traditions. In the time spent
within the monastery, Terri and her dharma sisters work together
doing chores in order to ensure the upkeep of An Lac. Each
individual has their assigned tasks or chores that must be
completed; however, they all work to help maintain the temple. Some
of the duties that the nuns share include washing dishes, cooking,
cleaning the worship area, and tending to the garden in the summer
months. This garden provides an excellent source of fresh fruits
and vegetables for the nuns who become nearly self-sufficient
during the warm seasons. When fresh produce is not available, the
nuns purchase food that they need with donation money from the
laity. Moreover, it is not unusual for someone to provide a meal or
two instead of or in addition to a monetary donation. The nuns at
An Lac rely on the frequently volunteered generosity of the lay
community.
Reflection is another important aspect of Terri's day. There are
certain times when Terri and her dharma sisters observe silence,
meditate, and study the precepts. Terri said that apart from group
meditation, each individual has their own private meditative
practices which aid them on their dharma path. Even when separate
from her sisters, Terri finds her beliefs efficacious in different
ways. Once, she and a friend had gotten lost in the woods while
searching for a famous Buddhist monastery on the west coast of the
United States. After being unable to find the path back, they both
knelt down and prayed to the bodhisattva Quan Am (Avalokiteshvara).
After several minutes, a stranger found them and led them back to
the correct path. Such experiences, Terri said, help remind her to
always be self-aware and to be mindful of the situations in which
she finds herself.
Terri and her fellow nuns belong to a particular school of
practice known as Pure Land, a part of the Mahayana Buddhist
tradition. This path of Buddhism places great importance on
compassion, a virtue the bodhisattvas extol when they decide to
remain just shy of reaching nirvana in order to help others along
the path. As a nun, Terri finds that she can practice compassion in
addition to meditation and learning about the dharma. In fact, she
is able to see how acts of compassion can lead to a greater
understanding of her own path. In helping others, one comes closer
to realizing one's own Buddha nature and enlightenment. To
demonstrate their devotion to the service of compassion, the nuns
of An Lac Temple place candles, flowers and fruit on the altar at
the front of the room. This display surrounds three main figures.
In the middle sits the Buddha, known as Siddartha Gautama in India;
to his side sit two important Bodhisattvas, Quan Am, the
bodhisattva of compassion, and Dia Tang. Motioning to the front of
the temple where the statues stand, Terri explained the Bodhisattva
identities: Quan Am, a manifestation of compassion, constitutes one
of the most revered bodhisattvas in Pure Land Buddhism and Dia
Tang, who, according to the tradition, vowed that he would remain
in the realm of samsara until all the souls in hell had reached
nirvana.
The path to enlightenment may take hundreds of thousands of
lifetimes. Terri said that many people do not actually feel as
though they are in a place to reach nirvana during their present
life; however, nuns and monks are considered in a slightly better
position and as such are treated with utmost respect. With a smile,
Terri said that monastic life provides a convenient teaching and
learning environment. It is a smoother and easier life of practice.
She said that nuns and monks may be able to learn the dharma and
gain a better understanding of life. Despite this, she said that
nirvana is possible for any human to achieve. Even the laity may be
able to recognize their own Buddha nature and realize nirvana.
Human form is very rare and fortunate because one is able to reach
nirvana directly from this realm, according to Terri. Therefore,
one must plant good seeds (i.e., accumulate good karma) during this
lifetime in order to be born into a better next life.
Terri also talked about the obstacles of being Buddhist. Many
people consider themselves Buddhist but remain aloof from monastic
influence. Terri emphasized the importance of attending temple to
hear the dharma talks. Speaking from personal experience, she also
said that the more worldly knowledge one has, the harder it is for
one to let go of the delusion of life. To explain this, she told
the story of a very knowledgeable man who went to a great teacher
and asked to be his student. The master set two tea cups before
them. He poured the tea into one cup and kept pouring until the tea
overflowed and spilled all over the table. The man was shocked and
asked why the teacher had done this. The master replied that the
man was like the tea cup. He was so full of knowledge that anything
the master had to say would simply flow out and not be learned.
Terri, a college graduate, found her knowledge to be troublesome at
times. As she explained, having too much knowledge makes one
attached to one's opinions and makes it difficult to realize that
all the knowledge about worldly things cannot lead one to
understand one's Buddha nature. She has used this knowledge to help
in understanding what she is being taught as a nun. There are some
teachings, she said, that she does not understand right away. She
meditates on them and remembers that becoming too attached to one
way of thinking or one teaching is not conducive to progress. The
teachings she receives are meant to help her to remain unattached
and continue her understanding of such non-attachment and with
greater understanding comes different lessons.
Sitting with Terri in the An Lac Temple, one is aware of
Buddhism as it is lived and practiced by monastics. Terri's simple
lifestyle and path of compassion can be seen in her smiling eyes
and relaxed posture. She said that her family can see a great
difference in her level of happiness now that she is learning to
free herself from worry. Buddhism as practice, learning how to
reach the end of suffering, is apparent in her frank and open
manner of speaking which compels one to smile along with her and
feel a measure of peace free from the worries of the outside
world.
Biography of "Matt Godshall," by Derrick Deaton
As I waited anxiously for Matt to arrive, I browsed the menu of
the Vietnamese restaurant we had chosen for our meeting. Not being
familiar with Vietnamese food in general, I decided to wait for my
interviewee to arrive to perhaps try a dish he suggested. Finally,
Matt arrived and we began our evening. The setting was definitely
appropriate, as we began our conversation on his life and his
introduction to Buddhism. Matt gave me several suggestions and
encouraged me to try a traditional Vietnamese dish that was
actually a soup. I opted instead for the rice noodles and beef,
another one of his suggestions. As the young Vietnamese waitress
approached, I sensed immediately that Matt was definitely a regular
here. The waitress greeted Matt in Vietnamese and called him by
name. He spoke back to her and placed his order in Vietnamese as
well. I was to find out later just how perfect the setting was,
after Matt explained how Vietnam had a lot to do with his
involvement in the local Buddhist temple here in Indianapolis.
Matt, a Euro-American in his late fifties grew up in
Shelbyville, Indiana and around the age of 18, he joined the
military. After being stationed in several cities in Texas, he
arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, the town which he enjoyed living in
the most. Matt was able to take classes at the local university to
work on furthering his education while he was stationed there. In
1963 Matt was called to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and his
journey towards Buddhism began. Coming from a small town in
Indiana, he was excited to be in a new and different country. He
was stationed by the coast and described the heat in Vietnam as
being "Florida times two!" As he rode bikes around the area that he
was stationed in, Matt began to have a deep interest in Vietnam.
After he returned to the United States, he couldn't stop thinking
about Vietnam. The people, the food and the experience were still
fresh in his memory. He always wanted to go back to Vietnam but
after the Vietnam War, Americans were not allowed to travel there.
Not forgetting about his experience, Matt was able to return there
many years later.
The Eli Lilly Corporation was offering a grant to those wishing
to travel to Vietnam and would send the lucky few there for 10
weeks. Matt immediately jumped at this opportunity. By this time,
Matt was married and his wife, being a French teacher, also
possessed a great interest in the country. After all, the French
occupied Vietnam for over 100 years. While she was interested in
studying Vietnamese architecture, Matt was more interested in
seeing how things had changed over the years. Seeing how the
culture had changed was his main objective. Matt and his wife were
approved for the 10 week visit in 1996 and Matt set off for his
second venture into Vietnam. After doing, what he described as
'casual research', traveling throughout the country and doing
numerous interviews with locals, Matt and his wife returned home.
The National Education Association's publication did a write-up on
Matt's trip and his research. Needless to say, both Matt and his
wife were very pleased with their adventure. But Matt's path to
Vietnam and back kept leading him closer and closer to his
faith.
It wasn't long after Matt returned from Vietnam that he received
a call from An Lac Temple, a Buddhist nunnery and temple in
Indianapolis. He was asked by those at the temple to help in
assisting young children learn English. The majority of the
faithful that attend this Buddhist temple are Vietnamese and many
who had come to this country and this city were able to find a
place to strengthen their faith at An Lac. They wanted their
children to speak English and Matt was happy to oblige. And so
began his direct involvement with An Lac. Being so involved at An
Lac, Matt began sitting in on Vietnamese classes at the temple,
eager to learn as much as he could. He soon starting attending
services and classes every Sunday and enjoyed teaching the second
graders as much as he could about English and how to speak it. Soon
after, he was asked to help teach the nuns there how to speak
English. This quickly became a quid pro quo. Matt helped teach the
nuns English as they in turn taught him Buddhist principles. Most
of their Buddhist writings and texts were in Vietnamese so he was
glad to learn more and more from the nuns about this peaceful and
loving faith. At this point it was almost an academic endeavor and
he was interested in comparing Buddhism to other religions he was
familiar with.
One particular event was important in Matt's journey. He doesn't
recall perfectly, but believes it may have been the Buddha's
birthday. He remembers several new inductees being welcomed to the
temple as members. He heard the five precepts that they accepted
before the crowd and began to become more and more interested in
Buddhism. His work with the temple community soon turned from an
academic endeavor to a journey of faith. Matt had always been
disenchanted with Christianity, not necessarily the church but the
dogma and the people. The more he learned about the teachings of
the Buddha, the more he understood and the more it clicked with
him. He agreed more with the creed of Buddhism much more than that
of Christianity. He recalled a story about certain people wanting
to join a Methodist church he was involved with. In order to be a
member you had to be interviewed by the church and sign a paper.
This just didn't sit right with Matt and he never forgot it.
Throughout this process, Matt mentioned that at no time did he ever
feel pressure from anyone at the temple. They allowed him to make
his own way and never pressured him into joining.
Before long, Matt became a member of the An Lac Temple. When I
attended a service at An Lac I was so warmed by the wonderful
Vietnamese vegan lunch they had waiting for us after the service.
When I inquired about the meal to Matt, he laughingly told me he
could not cook Vietnamese food but always donated money to the
temple to help with the cost of preparing the meal. He did, however
ask someone at one time if there was anything he could do to help
with the meal. He never got a call asking him to do anything. This
really speaks to the creed and belief there, Matt added, saying
that no one would ever pressure anyone to do anything. All is done
with free will, including preparing the meal. While we discussed
the meal further I asked Matt about many Buddhists being vegetarian
or vegan. He smiled and told me he did try to eat vegetarian most
of the time, but there are times when he does enjoy the occasional
piece of meat. When talking further about how he lives his life as
a Buddhist, Matt pointed out that one of the five precepts that he
recited before the temple when he became a member was to stay away
from intoxicants. He does abide by this most of the time. There are
those instances where he will have a glass of wine, for example
"while watching the Super Bowl", but usually does follow this
precept. He certainly does not go out and drink socially.
When I asked Matt what the most important aspects of Buddhism
were to him, he put it very simply. Bad things come back to you.
Karma and the cause and effect of Karma were important to him. When
we dug a little deeper into the Buddhist philosophy that really
spoke to Matt, we discussed the Eight Fold Path and how important
it was to try and follow it. One aspect of Buddhism that he liked
was that there is no praying to an outside "god" or God or even the
Buddha himself. You are in total control of your life. You do not
have to pray to someone or something else to help you. There is no
praying to get help to win a basketball game. It is up to each
individual person. "We have the power of thought", Matt told me,
and explained that right thoughts bring right action. We discussed
a very well-known quote from the Buddha; "All that we are is the
result of what we have thought." This quote really tells us how our
thoughts affect our lives and actions. "There is no one to save you
in Buddhism," Matt told me. And I couldn't help but think of the
last words of the Buddha, "work out your own salvation." Matt said
that developing self-control and self-reliance was a form of
atonement for him. Not atonement in the Christian sense, but in the
more Buddhist sense of being responsible for one's own actions.
When I inquired a little more on his thoughts on Christianity
and Jesus in particular, Matt replied that he believed Jesus and
Muhammad were both humans just like the rest of us. But they were
both humans who had reached Enlightenment. They came up with a
formula to live by, but they were human just like the Buddha. Matt
told me the story of a friend of his that practiced Buddhism. He
was a construction worker and Matt often found him in the Lotus
position in the early mornings. His mother sadly passed away, and
keeping with Buddhist teachings, his friend would go to the temple
every day for 49 days to honor his mother. We spoke more about An
Lac in general and Matt was excited to say that he and others at An
Lac wanted more Americans to come and be part of the services. He
was also excited about the new temple that is almost completed.
Matt was one who pushed for a new sound system in the new temple as
well, so that the English speaking faithful could hear the Dharma
talk translated into English a little better than on the earphones
that are used for this purpose now.
I was also interested to know what reaction his friends and
family had to Matt's involvement with Buddhism. He explained that
he was once playing tennis with some friends and everyone was
sharing where they attended church. When asked what church he
attended, Matt replied that he was a member of the An Lac Temple.
So you must be Jewish was the response he got. He laughed and told
them no, he was a Buddhist. I could tell from Matt's story that
their reaction was mixed, as he tried to imitate their darting eyes
when he said this.
One subject I was really excited to talk to Matt about was the
subject of attachment versus non-attachment. This is something I
myself have been struggling with understanding. When I asked Matt
how one could love their spouse or family and friends and not be
attached to them, his reply really put things into perspective for
me. "Family is like money, you can't take it with you" was how he
summed it up. He told me of a time when some of the nuns at An Lac
were leaving for a while, but did not tell anyone goodbye. It was
not that they didn't care, he explained. But saying farewell would
show attachment. Buddhists, Matt believed, were the most giving
people. He once told a friend at the temple one day that he liked
his hat. The friend immediately removed the hat and offered it to
Matt. Of course, Matt refused but this was just a small example of
the generosity of the Buddhists at An Lac. He also said that he is
especially saddened when he sees an animal killed by the side of
the road, possibly more sad than normal. He doesn't like to see
suffering or the tragedy of an animal being killed by a car. This
to me really shows the compassion of Buddhists.
The conversation went on as we discussed the periods of chanting
I had experienced during my visit to An Lac. While Matt does speak
some Vietnamese, he felt it was too difficult and distracting to
try and follow along, so he simply tries to concentrate and relax
his mind and body. Our talk began to wind down and finally turned
to whether or not Matt believed that true Buddhahood was possible
for the normal person. He simply said he wasn't sure. He wasn't
sure that Buddhahood could be attained, but he sure does feel that
following the path of the Buddha and his teachings is definitely a
great start. And so ended our evening together and I must say, I
left the Vietnamese restaurant that night with a better
understanding of Buddhism and was grateful for the chance to speak
to a practicing Buddhist.