A visit to a Buddhist temple

Watch: Check out what it's like inside a Buddhist temple

Meet Milo who will take you on a tour and talk you through some of the interesting features at his local temple.

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Watch this video to learn about the different features in a Buddhist temple.

The Buddhist temple brings Buddhists and other people in the community together.
They are built to represent the five elements – earth, air, water, fire and wisdom.
Buddhist temples show people how the can guide them.
Buddhist temples come in different shapes and sizes. All of them contain an image or statue of the Buddha.
Most Buddhist temples have a space and garden.

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Shrine
A place where an image or a statue of the Buddha is kept. Some Buddhists might have a shrine at home too.
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Gardens
A place where people can come to reflect. It reminds Buddhists to take care of all living things.
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Monks or nuns
These are men and women who have chosen to devote themselves to Buddhism. Depending on the temple, they might live there.
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Tipitaka
Important Buddhist texts. When they were first written they were stored in baskets. Tipitaka means ‘three baskets’.

At the temple, Buddhists worship, study the Buddha’s teachings and meditate. They can worship in different ways.

Here are some things which take place at the Buddhist temple.

Buddhists take off their shoes when they enter the temple.
Buddhists will sometimes sit with their feet tucked under them, their hands together and bow to the image of the Buddha.
Buddhists show thanks to the Buddha in puja, the Buddhist word for ‘worship’.
In meditation, people sit, concentrate and reflect on the Buddha’s teachings.
Buddhists can also worship through chanting by repeating phrases from Buddhist texts.
Some Buddhists worship by putting gifts, such as food, flowers and lit candles in front of an image or statue of the Buddha.
Buddhist monks lead sermons. These are talks based on Buddhist teachings.