Shinyo-En USA Buddhist Temple

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend the 10 year anniversary of Shinnyo-En Buddhist Temple in Redwood City, CA (Bay Area). The ceremony included talk by Catholic nun who formerly stayed at this former convent. It was a beautiful embrace and sharing between religions. The sister talked about the "entrega," or Spanish for handing-over. She was referring to the convent-to-temple transfer in 2008.

Altar with Reclining Buddha

Here is the interesting and unique story of the religious site. The Sisters of Saint Francis built a convent on this 26-acre site in 1960. The main building included a slim tall tower, and sanctuary naturally lit by stained-glass clerestory windows and floor-to-ceiling transom panels, both with artwork in the style of the times.

Nave of Main Sanctuary

The Sisters closed the convent in 2003, however, they sold the site to the Buddhist Shinnyo-En USA Head Temple of San Francisco bay area. The transition and re-modeling from Catholic convent to Buddhist temple completed in 2008, and the building was opened to the public for worship. 

Floor-to-ceiling stained-glass transom. Glass pieces bound by mortar.

It is amazing how the main building keeps the original exterior including the tower, and how the interior retains architectural features from its convent days (like the naves, pews, clerestory and transom windows) while beautifully integrating new altar and stained glass windows of the buddhist theme. To me, it looked and felt architecturally and spiritually unified.

Stained Glass Window - Buddha and disciples

At this site, I observed examples of parallels between Buddhism and Christianity.

• In the main sanctuary, there are statues of Saint Francis of Assisi and Buddhist saint Prince Shotoku on opposite sides of the main nave, and the statues face each other.

Saint Francis of Assisi - not actual statue on site, but similar

Saint Prince Shotoku - actual statue on site

• Christian Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 
  Buddhist Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma (the teaching) and Sangha (the follower).

Christian interlaced Tri-circles - representing the Trinity

Buddhist Triratna symbol - representing the Three Jewels

• Christian Bible Psalm 91:2 - "He will say to the Lord, thou art my refuge."
  Buddhist Tisarana (Threefold Refuge) - "In Buddha I take refuge."

Original Convent clerestory window - "THOU ART MY REFUGE"

From the Shinyo-en Chants and Prayers Book - Tisarana transcription:
"In Buddha I take refuge.
In Dharma I take refuge.
In Sangha I take refuge." 

Afterword

The parallels I observed made me think ... Are they coincidence, or universal concepts, or truly related? One can find many analogies between Buddhism and Christianity, such as the virgin birth of Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ, and analogous miracles performed by both. I did a little more follow-up research, and here is my speculation:

Buddha was born about 500 years before Christ. Starting with Hellenistic Alexander the Great's conquests in Asia (including northwestern India) about 300 years BCE, and later with trade across the Eurasian continent (including Buddhist traders to the Middle East), the East-West interaction meant exposing ideas from one to the other. So, I speculate that over time Buddhism and Christianity took ingredients of beliefs and stories from the other and mixed it into their own stories to "improve" them. I also think that cultures have independently arrived at the same/similar idea, especially with universal concepts like the salvation and refuge.

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