I'm visiting a Buddhist church in a couple weeks for their Hanamatsuri, What is proper etiquette?

[imsublimes40oz]

I'm writing a paper about Buddhism and thought this would be a great opportunity. The temple has welcomed me and is even going to have their Temple Master in from Tokyo, and he's going to sit down and interview with me. Now, my questions are, what should I wear or what would the proper etiquette be? And what would some great questions be to ask the Temple leader?For those of you who said "well it's not a church," I am only going by the actual name of the institution which is Reno Buddhist Church. Here is their web site. http://www.renobuddhistchurch.org/Also, I was told (and have read) that Hanamatsuri is the celebration of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, however several different "branches" of the religion celebrate it on different days usually depending on region.

[PatrickD1977]

Bring money for obama.

[yasiru893923]

First off its not a 'Church', its a 'Temple'.There's nothing strictly ordered but I should think lighter coloured or single-coloured clothes are best. As for etiquette simply be polite and respectful.A good issue to discuss would be how Buddhists consider the matter of Enlightenment.

[RicoJPA9798]

Yasiru gives good advice. I would only add that you might want to get the details of the eight fold path, and the basic vocabulary of what is meant by "suffering", "samsara" and "nirvana".

[BubbaGumpART]

Well Buddhists don't have churches, they have temples. (I know, semantics - but if you're going to write a paper about it, might as well use the proper terminology.)And Hana-matsuri happened like 2 months ago on April 8...wait yeah, exactly 2 months ago. Hana-matsuri is a celebration of the birth of Siddhartha.IDK, whatever....just wear something nice, be modest. No tank tops or spaghetti straps, no short skirts...like what you would wear to church, or a wedding or something.When walking through the temple, don't step over anyone if they're laying down. Go around them. Don't step on any letters on the floor of the temple. When sitting, cross your legs.Ummm....when pointing to someone/something in the temple...don't point with your finger. Have your palm open and facing up using the end of your hand to point.I don't know what you should ask him - it depends on what the central topic of your paper is going to be.Oh! And make sure you ask permission before starting to take notes.

[GregL1903]

1) modest clothing. don't dress all bright and flashy and accessorized. Since a buddhist master is going to see you, you shouldn't wear make-up or jewelry. Wear pants and modest top. tennis shoes are fine.2) When you first go into a temple, you should pay respects to the buddhas. Learn how to bow and BOW. ask them to teach you.3) Don't be loud! It's just like church.4) Don't bring meat! don't eat meat on temple grounds. 5) Don't smoke on temple grounds.6) Be respectful to the monks/nuns. When speaking to them, speak politely and respectfully with modest language. Do not speak all high-school gossipy and outlandishly. Be reserved. 7) It's best not to shake hands with monks/nuns, especially with those of opposite sex. You can greet them and address them with palms together in prayer position and half bow or slight bow like how the Thai greet people. 8) Ask them what their rules are for visiting the temple! All temples have different rules.

[sen-dhang]

ah gee. SO MUCH for religious tolerance wow...you really should'nt assume or hide your anger behind sarcasim. sorry to come off as JUDGEMENTAL i KNOW i am but OUCH. ah sorry...time to get off my soapbox...

[Teaim1425]

Having a notebook with a bunch of questions is pretty boring for him, and you, I'm sure.I suggest sitting down and talking with him on a human level, person to person. Let the conversation flow. Your questions will be answered and you may learn more than any written down questions would have thought to ask. Have a fun conversation.Don't worry about etiquette. Just be yourself. Someone there will help you with the basics, which you are not expected to follow perfectly, as a first time visitor. Anything that you do is alright with the people there, as long as your intentions are good.Wear something comfortable and dark.As a tip, I would not be too concerned with philosophy questions. I would be interested in what goes on in the temple. Talk about practical things, ask why they do what they do, and ask what certain things are in the temple and what they do with them.PS-Its nothing like church.