Learning Buddhism through Practice: Experiential Religious Education in Chinese American Temple Youth Programs

This paper examines how Buddhist youth programs at Hsi Lai Temple in Southern California function as sites of experiential religious education for second-generation Asian American adolescents. Drawing on ethnographic research with 22 youth participants and 7 program leaders, the study explores how volunteering, peer relationships, ritual participation, and community activities serve as pedagogical processes through which Buddhist values are embodied and transmitted. Rather than relying primarily on formal doctrinal instruction, these programs cultivate learning through participation, relational mentorship, and everyday ethical practices. Using the Buddhist concept of the Five Skandhas as a theoretical lens, the paper proposes a pedagogical framework that highlights the roles of environmental learning, role modeling, and linguistic transmission in shaping identity formation. The study contributes to broader discussions of experiential learning and demonstrates how temple-based youth programs function as important environments for teaching Buddhism beyond the classroom.