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The word Temple (Vihara) became holy even before Buddhism came into being. According to Hebrew Bible, the first Temple was built in 587 BCE by King Solomon. But, the very idea of Temple won its universal acceptance when the Temple became a place of worship and the place of spiritual achievements leading towards cessation of suffering only when this religious practice was associated with Buddhism. Not like in other early religions, which sanctioned doctrinal scriptures only for the priests and the followers from a particular homogeneous community, Buddhism opened its doors to everyone disregarding their geographical and ethnic differences.
Absolute rejection of social disparities like caste and class divisions in human society as an intrinsic property in Buddhist ethics, Buddhist Temples became the centres of social services. Furthermore, these Temples have a special function of counselling individuals devastated by problems ranging from day to day conflicts to complex psychological disorders. It is ultimately not the Temple itself but the message conveyed through Buddhist teachings preached and practised in that location alleviates the agonies of devotees who seek refuge in Holy Triple Gem namely Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Thus, the Temple completes its attributed meaning by understanding human problems and by performing social duties to all human beings disregarding their social, ethnic, and religious differences.
There is no single day in this world without violence. It is the duty of law enforcement authorities to deal with violence legally and the responsibility of political systems in respective countries to find social remedies to stop violence. As yet, not a single system in the world has proved its ability to terminate socio-economic and political calamities except for the unparalleled example in the antiquity, namely the pious reign of Emperor Dharmashoka in India. A young student Monk from a Buddhist temple could change the world by preaching a sermon of non-violence to the Emperor of India in 3rd century B.C.
The above example clearly denotes the impact of religious performance on shaping ethical and moral values in a society. An Emperor, a king, a parliament or any administrative establishment can exercise their authority by using counter-violence but it will never find an ultimate solution to stop this social menace. Nowadays, the political administrations are concerned about using power to curb violence but they hardly spend their time and energy to deal with cause. Practically, it is impossible to stop violence, if people become envy to the prevailing social system. The answer for individual or mass frustration is not thecommon jurisdiction described in penal code but to examine why people deviate from social norms and to assist them to realize their wrong doings.
The believers have different attitudes towards Temples. From legal point of view there are victims and culprits but from Buddhist point of view, all are victims of various social systems. A Monk in the Temple has the knowledge and experience based on Buddhist teachings how to workout remedies to stop further victimizations. Following “Four Noble Truths” and “Eight Fold Path” whatever the religious belief of an individual supposed to be, the answer comes from within and the Temple can be instrumental and helpful to anyone keen on leading a peaceful and harmonious social life.