Buddhism? How to celebrate?
Google might know something about Buddhism in the US.
I have no idea if buddhists do the Bai-Bai, but somehow I have an image in my mind that in the US the incense might have to be substituted by sparklers… oh wait, Google Images even has a pic for us:
SNCR
If you check the local colleges, you can ask the Chinese Student association about where to go. I found a little temple in Oklahoma City that way.
There is a problem with terminology here. In the USA, “Buddhism” and “Taiwanese religion” are not necessarily the same thing. Where do you live, and which gods (or Buddhas, or other divine beings) do you worship?
Here’s the Mazu (Ma Tsu) temple in San Francisco (No. 13 Beckett St.). Its ‘mother temple’ is the Chāotiángōng in Beigang. That means the Mazu Goddess worshiped here was ‘hived off’ (fēnlíng) from one of Taiwan’s oldest and most numinous centers of the Mazu cult. This is definitely Taiwanese religion although it may not be exactly what you are expecting.
It’s a long story talking about this term “Taiwanese religion.” Basically Taiwan has no indigenous religion (except some few cults among indigenous tribal people). Buddhism came from India, boomed to its peak era in Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618~June 4, 907), and almost destroyed by Chinese Cummunists in Mainland China. On ther other hand it developed to other new phases in Taiwan and Tibet. So you might think Buddhism is Taiwanese/Tibetan religion. Well, true and wrong.
So as Taoism. But Taoism was strictly originating in China by Laozi’s thoughts. It also reached its peak time in Tang Dynasty but lasted over to the following dynasties and eventually overgrew Buddhism. Mazu belief is a branch of Taoism. She was actually a Chinese born in Meizhou, Fujian province, China. In Ming and Qing Dynasty she was many times given by the Kings many titles. And believe me the titles are VERY long. Something goes like “Divine Godess Mother Ancestor Blessing to the People and Land with King’s Entitlement…” Pew~ Just long!!! We old-time Taiwanese worshiped her magic power to control the weather so people established temples to worship her for good weather which was good for agriculture and fishing in old times. Its mother temple is in Meizhou: mz-mazu.org.cn/ … BUT - during red Communist’s Revolution also Taoism was detroyed to almost nothing. So it also got its free ground to develop significantly in Taiwan. So it looks like Taoism is “Taiwanese religion.” Well, true and wrong but more true than wrong.
It is notable all temples in China are ‘run’ by local governments, cuz they usually sell tickets for going in the temples. Also the official Tibetan Buddhism leader Banchan Lama is assgined by the China government. It’s really hard to say there is true Buddhism and Taoism in China.
That the ‘mother temple’ of Mazu is located in Meizhou might be right, but truer is “motherland temple” instead of “motherspirit temple.”
The official leader of the Tibetan Buddhists is not the puppet Lama installed illegally by the PRC government, but that chosen by the Tibetan people. And that would be the Dalai Lama, and the Panchen Lama who appears to have been kidnapped or killed by the Chinese so their own fake one could supplant him.
Back to the topic. Taiwanese Buddhists celebrate like Sakyamuni Buddha’s birthday, Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s birthday, Sakyamuni Buddha’s enlightment day, Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s enlightenment day, etc. They are all the fixed days I can think of now. But you have to find them by yourself cuz I don’t remember them. There are some irregular celebrations for
By the way, Buddhists don’t say their worship activities “bai bai”, it only applies to Taoists’. Buddhists say the worship activities “fa3 huei4” (dharma ceremony, dharma service, or dharma assembly). It’s a very distinct difference.
During a ‘fa huei’ we chant some dharma verses and recite one or two sutras, and do some rituals. (The chanting sounds very much like and Orthodox Christian ceremony!) After all the rituals we finally transpose those blessings we have gathered in the ceremony to anyone anything anywhere anytime we wish.
Which brings us back to the question: which sort of religion in particular was the OP looking for, and what city do they live in?